If the refs really decide the games why aren't the bucks in the playoffs. Why don't we have the battle of LA? Why do the nuggets have more FTs then LA? Why didn't LA make the playoffs last year?
You could lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. But I don't think they wanted a difficult path for the Lakers this season anyway. With the other two major contenders dispatched, the Lakers have a pretty easy path. I think the idea is to get LeBron this championship plus at least 2 more. That will give him 6 like Jordan. Because he doesn't have the stamina that he once did and the Lakers really are vulnerable, I think they will push for no more than 5 games in each series. The NBA can't mess around (see, D. House). You'll see. Last year was a rest year and a year for LeBron to get accustomed to life in Hollywood and all the strangeness that goes along with it. The league also needed a year to set the chessboard up for the next few seasons. Something crazy will probably happen to the Lakers' roster this offseason. Stay tuned. All that said, you could also say that the Clippers and Bucks were exposed and the Lakers can't control any of that. You could say that legends will always find themselves contending for championships. You could say that LeBron knows his limitations and will ensure that the series don't extend beyond 5 games. You could say that legends will also attract the best talent. That's all more likely, but I like the conspiracy theories better.
He does it regularly though. Harden and his team have lost elimination games to the Warriors minus Curry (pre-Durant!), the Warriors minus Durant, and the Spurs minus Kawhi. Harden has looked awful and/or disinterested in many of those. The only Top-4 seed he's ever beaten as a Rocket was the #3 Clippers - the Rockets came back from a 3-1 deficit, but Harden had to be benched in one of those games because the team played so much better without him. To his credit, he was great in the other 2 games of those games in the comeback, but this is a pattern with him, and we can't blame it on refs.
The players still have to play. I don't believe the refs absolutely decide the games. But do they have bias? You bet. Free throw disparity is only one indicator. Just like player performance, you can't just point to one statistical number and say how well a guy played. Same with officiating. You have to see the big picture and watch the games. A few key plays can change the course of a game. Last night, Denver attacked a lot and got more fouls. (Look at their low 3pt attempts number.) There were still plenty of hacking from the Lakers that would usually be called but were not called. The sudden allowance of physical play in the 4th quarter caused the near collapse of the Nuggets. If not for some big shots by Murray at the end, Denver looked to lose that game. (What could the refs do when a guy hit shots like that?)
So basically, no matter what happens, conspiracy theorists can always point to a few selective plays as proof of ref bias. That's convenient - also par for the course for conspiracies.
It's not flat earth or the illuminati. It's just a business recognizing that the success of certain players or teams is good for the league as a whole and acting to help ensure certain outcomes. What makes it fun, even for me, is that players and teams have to perform since the NBA could only do so much.
That's not fair, and not what I claim. In fact, I don't want to be labeled a conspiracy theorist. Like I said, the refs don't determine the result. But if you asked me whether they're a factor, I would say hell yes. In that sense, there are 13, not 10, people on the floor that affect the outcome. Granted, refs do not affect the games as much as the players do. But they definitely play a role. It's kind of like the difference between the stars and the role players. Winning mostly are determined by how the stars perform. But the role players contribute. That should not be the case for officiating. But it is the reality. After watching the league for nearly four decades, especially after the 2002 Lakers-KIngs series, I am convinced that (1) some players are favored by officiating; (2) some teams get those favored players much more frequently than other teams; and (3) the league knows about ref biases but turns a blind eye on the problem. They always defend and protect the officials. Look how long it took for them to admit flopping was a problem and began to do something about it. The Donaghy scandal was pretty much swept under the rug. They care about their business image than the integrity of the game.
Gasol was his friend and they won chip together. I bet Kobe hated Dwight and rest of the clowns and now they gonna self-claim that they're his successors? Give me a break
thank you for corroborating that you are a out-of-touch out-of-towner. Gasol has lived in LA, his adopted home in the US, for almost 10 yrs. he has been involved in several civil / philanthropic endeavors in the City of Angels.
lebron wants more FTs https://www.latimes.com/sports/lake...game-four?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true
This is the most entitled I've seen Lebron. I forget which games it felt like he was legitimately an official.
