Re: distractions...

[Daystar6@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-06-09 01:00:40 EDT, you write:

<< >1.  I have noticed an increasing amount of those long, white balloons
 >being waved by fans sitting behind the backboard when the visiting team
 >is shooting free throws.  Illegal, I'm sure not, but it doesn't seem
 >like good sportsmanship to me.  You would think the league would
 >prohibit it as it looks very distracting.  (I must admit I thought it
 >was funny the time someone unrolled a life sized poster of a girl when
 >Larry Bird was shooting a free throw and he laughed out loud).
 
 And he hit the free throws!!!
 
 Pete >>


Hey, I was at that game.  Or at least I was at one of the games it happened at
if it happened more than once.  It was against the Clippers about 8 years ago.
Probably the best game I've ever seen in person.  When bird saw the poster he
laughed and pointed at it and jokingly complained to the refs about it.  He
then sank the free throws.  Later in the game Bird ended up back at the free
throw line with just a couple of seconds left.  The Celtics were either down
by 1 or it was tied (can't remember).  The crowd was yelling and screaming to
try to distract Bird and he just stuck out his arms and basically told the
crowd to bring it on.  He then hit both free throws.  The Clippers got the
ball to Ron Harper and he hit a 3 at the buzzer while falling out of bounds,
but they said he shot it after the buzzer and it didn't count - Celtics win.
Great game!

And I don't agree that waiving balloons or anything else is unsportsmanlike.
It just makes the game more exciting for the fans.  And in reality if the
player just focuses on the rim nothing else will distract him.  They play
enough games to where they can get used to balloons in the background.

Jeff