Capel and Griffin Saw It The Way I Saw It

[jdsooner]

Loss leaves OU wondering
Sooners question two last-second plays in setback.

OSU's Byron Eaton shoots between OU's Blake Griffin (right) and Taylor Griffin. Stephen Pingry / Tulsa World
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 3/13/2009 3:24 AM
Last Modified: 3/13/2009 4:31 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY — In one respect, Oklahoma's Big 12 Tournament OU-OSU loss Thursday came down to two plays, one officials' call, one officials' non-call, and one question, asked by a member of OU's team outside his dejected locker room:

"What the (bleep) was that?"

The first play occurred in the final 10 seconds, OU leading 70-69. Oklahoma State' Byron Eaton penetrated the Sooners' 2-3 zone and threw a wild layup off the glass. Several players battled for the rebound, but OU's Blake Griffin came down with it.

"I had the ball in my hand," Griffin said, "and he came and went for the ball. Then he fell."

He was OSU guard James Anderson, who earned two free throws after Griffin was whistled for a foul. Anderson went 2-for-2 and the Cowboys led, 71-70, with 2.3 seconds remaining.

"It's physics," OU coach Jeff Capel said. "If you have a 255-pound guy (Griffin) and he happens to run into a guy that is going for the ball, a guy that's 200 pounds (Anderson), he is probably going to move him a little bit."

After a Sooner timeout came the second play, and the non-call. OU's Taylor Griffin rifled a three-quarter-court pass that Blake Griffin left his feet to grab while being bodied by Anderson.

"I caught the ball, and (Anderson) was trying to make a play on the ball, just like the play before when they called me for a foul," Blake Griffin said. "He hit me, but I didn't fall to ground."

Asked whether falling to the Ford Center floor would have drawn an Anderson foul, Griffin replied, "I don't know. I'm not going to fall to the ground over something like that."

Griffin knew if he'd tumbled over, he could never have gotten off the last-second 3-pointer that missed to signal OSU's 71-70 victory. But, in the aftermath, he also knew there had been a lot of contact.

Asked if falling seemed to be the key to the two plays, and the two officials' decisions, Griffin replied: "I would say that. Yes."

Asked if there seemed to be full-body contact by Anderson on the long inbound pass, Capel replied, "You can write it."

Regardless, the Sooners were forced to live with the result, an early exit from the Big 12 Tournament, the end of their five-game OU-OSU winning streak, and their fourth loss in six games heading into next week's NCAA Tournament.

And while it's often said that struggling teams don't seem to get many calls, or breaks, that karma conspires against them...

"It wasn't so much karma as it was the guys that were controlling the game," Griffin said on his way out of the Ford Center Thursday night.

I must say that I have not been this angry at referees since the Oregon game. We got screwed, pure and simple.

[NormanPride]

Capel needs to concentrate on getting his guards involved in the offense, not the terrible Big 12 officiating. And Blake needs to re-learn his passing out of double teams that he was famous for last year. His turnovers on O are killing us.

[IronHorseSooner]

The announcers and refs were more concerned on what seemed to be a non-issue which was the clock. Not only did the team look like they were off, but so did the officials. You can also add in Blake getting hacked about two minutes prior to that by Eaton under the basket. We shouldn't have been in the situation where blown calls would have mattered, but, still, those were bad.

[jdsooner]

In tournament play, wins are tough to come by and officiating makes a huge difference. I do not understand the reluctance to recognize that the officials determined the outcome of that game. I would have gladly taken a one point win.

Travis Ford has been whining about officiating all year and he finally got what he wanted. Add to that the physical abuse Griffin had endured. The way the Big 12 teams handle him is to beat the hell out of him.

[HappyClappyMackBrown]

blah, blah, blah. Blaming it on Ref's is loser talk. Maybee if OU didn't **** the bed the whole game this wouldn't have happened?

They choked, plain and simple. Can't blame it on the refs.... I hope this team does well in the tourney and they have the talent to make a final four run. Unfortunately they also have the flaws that leaves the possibility of them not making the sweet 16.

[SoonerFanInAustin]

I agree with HappyClappy....

The refs didn't allow Eaton to drive into the lane all freaking night long...I know he is quick, but can someone from our team please stop a drive just once....we are screwed if it Blake, because that will lead to a slam dunk....

[John Kochtoston]

Yep.

If our guards play well, and we don't turn the ball over 19 ****ing times, we win by 15. Everyone knows Big 12 officials are horrible. Why leave it up to them?

[TahoeSOONER]

Excuses represent failure. Capel and crew need to look in the mirror and stop pointing the finger over two iffy calls, that's loser talk.

This team is talented enough to keep it from getting to that and I for one don't like that whiney BS.

Pokes needed the game and they played like it. Just a thought, how about stop reaching and move your feet to keep these guards out of the doe boy soft middle of the lane.

Put up or shut up time, NO EXCUSES!

BOOMER!

[Jock Ewing]

Capel and Griffin forgot about the terrible non travel the ref missed on Warren that was right in front of him.

[schlanker]

I also agree with Happy Clappy. If you take care of biznass then you dont get into these situations.

The defense was horrendous.

[Pricetag]

Capel and Griffin forgot about the terrible non travel the ref missed on Warren that was right in front of him.

The only way that is a travel is if the refs refuse to acknowledge the timeout, and why would they do that? It was just something for the announcers to talk about and ee-TAHN to whine about.

[soonerfan28]

Thew silver lining is that we now have more time to figure out the problem and we're not going to face a good team as a 15 seed. We need the time off and we weren't the only top 10 team to lose yesterday. Pitt and UCONN both lost and they're still projected as 1 seeds. We can't go 3/19 from behind the arc and have 19 turnovers and expect to win. Johnson couldn't make a decent pass if his life depended on it and I would rather have Leary running the offense or have Willie run it with Davis and Crocker at the 2 and 3.

[SoonerShark]

As Al and Jim said on the Sports Animal: with 2.3 seconds left call two fouls or call none. If Blake's contact is called a foul then Cowpuss' contact was a foul. Should Blake have shot 2 or 3 shots with 0.0 on the clock?

[jdsooner]

Fairness and consistency is all I ask.
Fairness and consistency is not what we received.

Al and Jim were right in saying that the officials blew it and I am right too. I hate to get screwed by incompetent officials. Griffin should have been on the line at the end.

[Rogue]

Meh. I prefer that the team rest a few days.
This year it's about something bigger than a conference tourney in the midwest.
Thanks, coach Capel!

[GrapevineSooner]

The refs might have blown these two calls at the end. But they didn't turn the ball over multiple times, nor did they (as HappyClappy pointed out) give OSU damn near free reign in the lane without so much as a pat on the *** on our part. Which, I suppose, you can also attribute to suspect perimeter D.

Big 12 officiating sucks, we already know that. You can't act surprised when you put yourself in a position to get screwed...and you get screwed.

[HappyClappyMackBrown]

Well if Al and Jim said it, it must be true....

C'mon, those guys are hacks.

[stoopified]

Well if Al and Jim said it, it must be true....

C'mon, those guys are hacks.

Even tools are right once in a great while,and these guys are WWWAAAYYY overdue.

Besides IF you watch the game you know they are right.It is also true that the game should NRVER have come down to bad calls.

[jdsooner]

Well if Al and Jim said it, it must be true....

C'mon, those guys are hacks.

And what are you? Obviously, you are the person who knows it all.
You need to call Traber and tell him that YOU are the Ultimate!

[OU_Sooners75]

Excuses represent failure. Capel and crew need to look in the mirror and stop pointing the finger over two iffy calls, that's loser talk.

This team is talented enough to keep it from getting to that and I for one don't like that whiney BS.

Pokes needed the game and they played like it. Just a thought, how about stop reaching and move your feet to keep these guards out of the doe boy soft middle of the lane.

Put up or shut up time, NO EXCUSES!

BOOMER!

Excuses can also represent the truth.

Had the calls been made correctly, OU wins the game. That sir, is not failure...that is absolute fact.