76ers Robbed At Whistlepoint

The 76ers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, 90-89, but then David Stern called up and said he wanted the Cavs to have home-court advantage in the first round so Lebron James will be in the playoffs longer, so the referees went back and made up a foul in order to screwjob the 76ers out of a win, 91-90.

Okay, maybe that’s not how it happened. But if the referees can review a foul call to see if it occurred before the expiration of the clock — which was definitely true, though I don’t think it was a foul — why can’t they go back and review Lebron James for taking more steps down the lane than the Art Museum has? The loss means the 76ers are locked in to the No. 7 seed and will play the Detroit Pistons in the first round.

The team was visibly pissed after the game; Andre Miller kicked the ball up into the air á la Nick Nolte in Blue Chips and then threw the ball into the stands. But the best part is when a fan yells right before the second free throw to the referee: “That’s robbery! You should go to jail for that!”

Tremendously entertaining (and so Philly) video after the jump.

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Villanova Jobbed… Should We Be Happy?

As a Philadelphia college basketball fan, I hate Villanova. That doesn’t mean I never root for Villanova — I went to a Philly school, but it wasn’t St. Joe’s — but they are my least favorite team of the Philly schools. They’re Villanova, of course.

Last night, though, the Wildcats lost to Georgetown on a call that’d make you think the ref had money on the Hoyas (Latin for “Whats”). Here’s what went down on the final play:

With the score tied at 53-53, Scottie Reynolds’ driving layup was blocked by Jeremiah Rivers in the game’s dying seconds and Jonathan Wallace came out of a ferocious scrum with the loose ball. As he turned to launch a heave at the buzzer, Corey Stokes went out to block him and got just the slightest piece of Wallace’s jersey.

The whistle blew with one tenth of a second left.

Wallace strode to the foul line and calmly sank two free throws to give Georgetown a 55-53 win.

As much as I’d like to see Villanova beat Georgetown… well, ha ha, this is a pretty hilarious way to lose a game. Better luck next time, Mainliners!

Villanova-Georgetown postgame [Soft Pretzel Logic]
Villanova - Late foul spoils Villanova’s chance against Georgetown [Daily News]

Phillies Win Despite Worst Call In Baseball History

The Phillies won big last night over the Mets, 9-2, in a series they probably have to sweep, or at least sweep the games Adam Eaton isn’t pitching. They didn’t get any help from umpire “Cowboy” Joe West — is he a pro wrestler or something? — who made this Tim Donaghy-level horrible call in the first inning because he was too lazy to get into position.

We’re entering the end of baseball’s regular season and the beginning of football’s, i.e. one of the best sports times of the year. That the Phillies are still kinda-sorta in it makes it all the better. Let’s just hope the umpires don’t try to screw the Phillies out of another win like in Houston earlier this year.