The end of the game between the Rockets and Clippers could have been pretty exciting, if only the referees had made the correct call. The Clips were down by three, when Cuttino Mobley got fouled as he was attempting a three-pointer. Should have been three free throws and an opportunity for the Clippers to tie the game. Instead, Steve Javie lived up to his reputation of turning every questionable call against the home team, and said that Mobley was only in two-point territory, denying him the chance to tie the game.
It's not that Javie is a bad referee, he simply enjoys playing the role of villain to the home team. So when he's calling a game, you can expect any call that "could go either way" to go in favor of the visitors. I've discussed this before, but the difference in tonight's game-deciding decision is that it wasn't a questionable call. Mobley was clearly behind the three point line, and Javie ruled that the foul occured in the act of shooting. That's three free throws folks, no room for interpretation there. Unless you're Steve Javie I guess.




