maybe they league thought itd be better to see the old teamates/best buddies play each other (suns/mavs), i think if we played seattle we would have crushed em. true we had our chances but i felt that game 5 we were cheated.. i dont remember games 3 and 4 too much
If you want to take this conspiracy theory to a new level: hidden deals. I can't see Stern turning down a large sum of money even if it compromises the integrity of the game, and some people have deep pockets. My point, however, was that Yao's international status doesn't mean that Houston trumps any other team in the finals, monetarily wise.
Isn't this the traditional conspiracy argument of "Oh, we can't prove our argument because Stern/The Man/Bush/Obama/Jooz are so good at hiding it."?
I'm still trying to figure out why he wouldn't want Yao in the finals over the teams that made it in. Maybe thats my problem with this issue, maybe I'm using logic or seeing real money vs fantasy world and little man syndrome.
Precisely. That's the fun of conspiracy theories, THEY COULD BE HIDING ANYTHING D: D: D: Boston and L.A.? Two of the most storied franchises in the NBA? Rematch of '08? Michael Jordan Jr.? Outside of those from China and Houston, who really wants to see Yao in the finals over Kobe? I'm probably more of a skeptic than a believer at this point when it comes to these conspiracy theories, but there's no harm in speculating and definitely no need to insult.
For all those who are stating "move on", you seem to assume that this is an issue with fans being upset the Rockets got some bad calls. Thats not it at all. This issue goes much deeper than simply poor officiating. This is a troubling accusation against the league office that states they are dictating gameplay and affecting game outcomes. The reason? Money. Pure and simple. Until a series goes at least 5 games...it is losing money. It breaks even at 5 and for every game past 5 another 5 million in revenue is earned. This means a 7 game series earns approximately 15 million more in revenue than a 4 game series. Of COURSE the NBA wants longer series. That 2005 series was all set up for a 4 game sweep....why do you think the league officials suddenly asked for closer scrutiny of Yao's picks? To please Mark Cuban? Does that mean the Rockets couldn't have won? No of course not. And I don't believe the NBA necessarily cared which team moved on. But in their desire to ensure a longer series, the NBA slowed down the momentum the Rockets had going in that series and I believe gave the Mavericks back their confidence and eventually steamrolled Houston. And, its not just Houston that got screwed. The very next year, Dallas themselves faced the same thing in the finals vs. Miami. Also, Sacramento in the 2002 western conference finals. There are others. Yes this issue has been raised by a convicted criminal and a disgraced referee. Its fair to be suspicious of anything he states. Yet at the same time its hard to ignore the facts that Donaghy has taken and passed lie detector tests and was praised by the FBI as being as honest and cooperative as could be expected during his own troubles. When combined with my own thoughts and views on NBA officiating over the past decade...I simply came to the conclusion that there is something there worth investigating. I'm not holding my breath....
They didn't necessarily want Dallas to win, they wanted to extend the series to more money (my guess). That meant that Houston had to lost games 3 and 4. That's also why everything went our way in game 6.
I know. I remember being depressed that we didn't have Juwon Howard, and that if we did we would have moved on to the 2nd round. LOL. J Howard.....wow. Sad. I loved Sura though, and JB. Fun team.
http://www.nba.com/games/20050428/DALHOU/recap.html Dallas 106, Houston 102 Dallas Gets Defensive in Win Box Score | Rockets Home | Mavericks Home HOUSTON, April 28 (Ticker) -- Staring an insurmountable deficit in the face, the Dallas Mavericks looked to their defense. Shutting down Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks used a 20-0 run and climbed back into their Western Conference first-round series against the Houston Rockets with a 106-102 victory. NBA TV highlights from Mavericks-Rockets: 300k News conference: 300k Entering the postseason among the NBA's hottest teams, the fourth-seeded Mavericks played poorly in surprisingly losing the first two games of the series at home. They were looking at a 3-0 series deficit, something no team in NBA history has overcome. All-Star Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley both struggled badly in the first two games, while McGrady clearly was the star. Yao also came up big in Game Two on Monday, scoring 33 points on 13-of-14 shooting. Nowitzki and Finley had their best games in this one, but it was the defense - something that has become better under new coach Avery Johnson - that lifted the Mavericks back into the series and continued the home-court disadvantage. "We had two of our worst games, defensively, to start this series," Johnson said. "Our captains (Finley and Nowitzki) stepped up big tonight." "The biggest key was defense, and we wanted to contest every shot they put up," Finley said. "It's a formidable position we have put ourselves in. Our defensive effort that we had tonight was needed for us to continue the series." After a Mike James layup with 9:31 remaining gave the Rockets an 88-80 lead, they were held without a point for the next 6:47. Finley and Nowitzki scored the first seven points of the surge and Jason Terry hit two free throws with six minutes remaining to give the Mavericks the lead for good. Josh Howard capped the burst with a three-point play and jumper, giving Dallas a 100-88 lead with 2:58 to go. Bob Sura finally ended the Rockets' drought with a 3-pointer 14 seconds later. Nowitzki scored 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting and Finley added 20 for the Mavericks, who are trying to become only the third team in NBA history to win a best-of-seven series after dropping the first two games at home. In the first two games, Nowitzki made just 13-of-41 shots while Finley scored a total of 15 points. "I had a tough first two games," Nowitzki said. "I've got to stay aggressive for us to be successful. In the first two games, I never found my rhythm. Today was a lot better. When my confidence is up, I'm a different player." The Mavericks also received a boost off the bench from Jerry Stackhouse, who scored 18 points in 37 minutes. Dallas' bench did receive a blow when versatile forward Keith Van Horn went down with what appeared to be a serious left ankle injury early in the second quarter. McGrady scored 23 points in the first three quarters but was limited to just one basket in the fourth, a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left when the outcome already was decided. He finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists. "Obviously it was very disappointing on our part," McGrady said. "We pretty much had the game under control in the fourth quarter and for some reason we stopped executing. We didn't play defense, they were making shots." Yao also was a non-factor in the fourth quarter, scoring his only points with seven-tenths of a second remaining. He battled early foul trouble and collected 15 points and 10 rebounds. In each of the first two games, the Rockets played well in the fourth quarter, shooting 59 percent and 69 percent. In the final period of this one, they shot just 28 percent (5-of-18). "We had a lead in the fourth quarter at home, and we got hammered," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "That says a lot about Dallas, and I'm sure as we analyze and watch, we'll be disappointed in ourselves." Sura had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who host Game Four on Saturday. "We just didn't play well enough to win," Sura said. "When they were down 10, they kept fighting. They got themselves back in it. There's no question about it." Showing some urgency, the Mavericks played well early and scored the final eight points of the first quarter to take a 32-27 lead. Stackhouse's two free throws with 7:18 left in the second quarter gave the Mavericks their biggest lead of the half at 43-33. Nowitzki scored 14 points and Finley 11 in the half as Dallas settled for a 54-49 advantage at the break. McGrady made a jumper and layup to start the third quarter, triggering a 21-6 surge that David Wesley capped with a 3-pointer, giving the Rockets a 70-60 lead with 5:39 remaining in the period. Wesley, who scored a total of 12 points in the first two games, netted nine of his 17 in the third quarter that ended with Houston holding an 83-78 lead. Terry added 13 points and six assists for the Mavs, who shot 48.5 percent (33-of-68) and made 32-of-37 free throws. Houston shot 45 percent (36-of-80) and went 13-of-25 from the arc. Take care of business and this series is over.
You'd think that officiating in the NHL would be more of an issue since they decide when teams play 4v5 or 3v5...but somehow I still find myself cursing the refs in the NBA more than the NHL. It's not even about bias, I can see when they make a terrible call for a team I'm rooting for.
what, i can't believe this. there is a team that's worse than the Lakers !!! and Cuban's actions are acutally worse than the Lakers pulling off the Gasol trade !
oh yes it does. If Yao's NBA team is in the Finals, there would be more people in China watching TV than the entire population of North America. imagine the advertising revenue. If the the NBA is rigged and stern is only interested in $$$, Stern would have this match up in the Finals. Yao's team vs. the NYK. consider these facts a very small TV market team, San Antonio, has won 4 rings in the last 10 years the team in the largest TV market in the US, NYK, has not won a ring is almost 40 years these facts blows the conspiracy theory out of water
That team just gave out. Get over it. They were fun to watch, it was amazing the transformation JVG made that year. remember after the trade, the Rockets still had Jim Jackson and Mo Taylor LOL. Brent, Wesley, Sura, gave it their all that season, made an exciting team to watch, age caught up to them at the end. I kind of regret it, I didn't enjoy it that much, still mourning over the trade of stevie.
I think that may already be the case. The NBA is already being broadcast in China, and I'm pretty sure it includes the entirety of the playoffs. You can argue that Yao in the finals would get more people in China to watch, and I agree with you, but I don't think the number would increase enough to bring in SO MUCH MOAR advertising revenue. On the flip side, how many Americans want to see Yao vs. the New York Knicks starring David Lee in the finals? LeBron, an international icon himself, netted some pretty abysmal ratings in his only finals appearance. This year? Game 4 had the highest rating since 2004. I'm fine with your points otherwise, but please don't use the YAO MAKES SO MUCH MOAR MONEYZ FOR NBA argument.
