Was LeBron Fouled on the Last Shot in Game 2?

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Jason Maxiell eats babies in a cavalier manner
Published 5/25/2007 by Matt Watson at Detroit Bad Boys
... Fortunately, the Pistons dominated the third quarter (yet again), erasing most of Cleveland’s lead while setting the stage to take over the game for good in the fourth. And while much of the post-game conversation will center on whether or not LeBron James was fouled on the final shot of the game, the non-call was consistent with how much of the game was officiated.

The Debriefing: Fists Full of SchruteBucks II
Published 5/25/2007 by mjd at FanHouse
... Quickly on Cavs/Pistons Game 2 ... Yes, LeBron was fouled on that last play . Pretty clearly, in my opinion. But at the same time, if you checked out the postgame show, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson have a point: in the last seconds of a game, on the road, you cannot expect to get that call. And to me, it looked like LeBron's primary goal on that play was to get a call, as opposed to actually scoring. Never a good idea. If memory serves correctly, Rip Hamilton tried that last year in the last seconds of a playoff game against the Heat, and it didn't work for him, either. I love Anderson Varejao as a bench player, but he has no right to complain about any call an official makes. Ever. If he's called for a Flagrant 2 for asking Chauncey Billups how his kids are doing in school, Varejao can't complain. Sorry. I will never have any officiating sympathy for people who flop that much. The

FanHouse Memo: MJD's Handing Out SchruteBucks
Published 5/25/2007 by dcsportsguy at Mr. Irrelevant
... And was LBJ fouled on that last play? I'd say yes and no, respectively.

Yes, LeBron Was Fouled and Yes, the Cavs Can Still Win the Series
Published 5/25/2007 by TheBigLead at The Big Lead
... So he was definitely fouled on the last possession. Rip got him twice – contact at the foul line that prevented LeBron from getting to the hoop, and then Hamilton (who has vastly improved his defense from his days in Washington) stuck both arms out as LeBron rose up to shoot, getting him on the elbow. Anyway, the Pistons won by three and lead 2-0 in the increasingly exciting Eastern Conference finals.

Rip Hamilton Is a Better Defender Than Tayshaun Prince
Published 5/25/2007 by theassociation at The Association
... While we're here, let me just say that LeBron technically may have been fouled, but the contact was so minimal that there's no way in hell that the refs were going to give him the chance to win the game at the free throw line. Did you happen to notice in the video that both Tayshaun and Rasheed were waiting for LeBron by the time he was ready to attempt the shot? After all the criticism (justified or not) that James received for passing the ball in Game 1, I think the Pistons, like the rest of us, were pretty sure that he would be shooting this time.

Mmmm. Foul.
Published 5/25/2007 by Brian at mgoblog
... (the best video I could find is up at the Fanhouse but is not conclusive.)

A Video Case In Favor of LeBron No-Call
Published 5/25/2007 by CLV at LTD Hoops Blog
... Now from nearly every angle we've seen, it's pretty clear that Rip Hamilton makes significant contact with LeBron James. The question is, did his contact warrent a foul, especially considering how much contact was being allowed by the referees for the entireity of the game?

Rasheed Wallace Thinks Varejao's Flopping Should Be a Technical Foul
Published 5/27/2007 by Brett Edwards at FanHouse
... Rasheed Wallace had a huge fourth quarter in Game 2, scoring 10 points and hitting the game-winning jumper from the baseline. It appeared as though Wallace may have pushed off a little to get some space from Cleveland's Anderson Varejao, but Varejao jumped back what seemed like 20 feet in such a blatant attempt to get a foul call, that the referees (like they did on the final play ) let the contact go without a whistle. Rasheed was asked about his "battles" with Varejao in the post-game press conference, and as you can imagine he was less than complimentary when speaking about Varejao's style of defense. I would have to agree with 'Sheed here: flopping is not defense, not in the fourth quarter, and not in any quarter. It would be great to see some kind of rule put in to deter players from trying to sell the call to the officials this way. For more of Rasheed's unique brand of honesty, I