Over the Grant Hill

I got worldwide family all over the earth

And I worry bout em all for whatever it's worth...

The Nugs v Suns game in Phoenix last night must've been caught in some weird cosmic time continuum, especially the refs' thought process. Because I swore Grant Hill from his Duke and/or Pistons' days was getting some pretty good calls out there.

Late in the game, Hill takes the ball 3/4 of the floor (showing surprising speed and agility- tough to do with a walker) and manuevers through the low post. JR Smith gets to Hill, slids into position just outside the semicircle and appears to be set, taking the charge. The 1992 refs don't see it that way, as Hill barrels over Smith, and then awards Hill plus one on Smith's blocking call.

By comparision, Chauncey Billups is whistled for a charge on Steve Nash a few possessions later 20 feet away from the basket. NBA: It's Consistent!

Later, Hill is on the low block when he goes up with the ball. Nothing bad here, except that he also comes down with the ball. In every civilized basketball playing country on earth that would be travelling. Not for Grant Hill and the wonder refs at US Airways Arena, that's just a heady play taught at Duke.

This highlights a glaring Nugs' shortcoming: this team gets the least amount of "respect" and "veteran calls" in the entire league. That in itself is a problem, but it is a reality. George Karl might need to go Earl Weaver on some of these refs and loosen up the whistles a bit. If we were gonna give Grant such respect and all the calls, we should've at least forced him to rock the high fade from his early Duke days.

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