Theory: When the play-offs come around and teams are matched up, the NBA front office realizes they would make millions more if team A advances rather than team B. They then instruct the officials to call the game in a way that is advantageous to the style of play of team A. This is done by REMINDING the officials of the difference between a charge and a block, what is and is not a moving screen, or a hand-check etc, etc. This reminding increases the likelihood that the team with the style being favored (team A in our example) will win a 7-game series. This is not game fixing because team B could win, but they must overcome the officiating style preference being given to team A. I have not been smoking any crack (not recently anyway) and I put this theory to you to bash, flame, rant on or even support. But I do ask you this, what is responsible for the uneven officiating? Is it the NBA star system, is it simple human error or home court advantage or are economics and greed playing some part?
How do they make more money? The tickets money goes to each teams, the league only gets the money from tv rights, and playoffs games are going to be buy out by major networks anyways.
I don't buy the conspiracy theories when it comes to officiating. I think that, no doubt, the league office would prefer if NYC and LA had the most dominant and most marketable teams in the league because they also happen to have the biggest tv markets. But, they aren't going to mess with the integrity of the game to avoid a Milwaukee/Utah final. I just think there is very little evidence that, in a SERIES, there has been any kind of direct or overt tampering by referees. You can see occassional evidence in individual games, but it is only circumstantial and nothing that even seems all that out of the ordinary. I just think that because the marketing machine would prefer big cities and big stars over small markets and lesser knowns, it appears to the outside world that something fishy is going on. As a result, the league should absolutely address it. If they don't, they are allowing the conspiracies to take on lives of their own and that does more damage than any LA/NYC final can repair.
The second laker fans started crying about a conspiracy against them last year, I knew there was never a conspiracy of any kind for whoever.
That is the voice of reason, but I remember when I became convinced something more was going on...and it was a game I had no real personal steak in because the Rockets were not involved. It was the Lakers v. Kings in '01 or '02 game 7. I even remember an article on espn.com that spoke of officials intentionally swinging a game toward LA. I also remember Don Nelson remarking that he thought the Kings won 5 games of that series (impossible to know for sure if he was alluding to bad calls or choking but it was in the context of giving the Kings credit rather than contracting from them).
No way, even if there was something then officials helping a team is one thing. But completely rigging a whole game or a series? That has to be some grade A crack that professor is smoking
Yes, the NBA is a large conspiracy. That's why such a large market, huge revenue, sexy team as San Antonio has won 2 of the last 6 Championships.
I have always believed that the networks dictate which teams make the finals. NBC Especially. Using the techniques you mention above, officials are "told" how to officiate games in many situation. I reffed high school, college, and rec leagues. I had two college games in which a ranked team was involved and my crew was informed to keep the game close so we would not lose interest from the TV audience as nobody wants to watch a blowout. by keeping it close, you hold both teams markets and you have a shot at holding the regional or national audience. do i believe they do this in the NBA? Absolutely. DO i believe the refs are tracking how many fouls Michael of Kobe or Shaq have? You bet they do. ABC/ESPN and NBC would lose their audience in a heartbeat and they write the checks. We never fouled out a star in a game and saddling one with foul trouble is a way to keep an opposing lesser team in a game to hold ratings. Look at the finals the last 20 years. except 1981 ROX, they have all been high rated teams and showed every Sunday by the networks.
This explains why Shaq can mow down a guy standing perfectly still oven and over again and not get called for a foul. And why sometimes a foul gets called on a key player when their pinkie lightly grazes someone’s hand. One thing is certain, there are so many judgment calls in basketball and therefore many, many opportunities to influence a game. Put that with the disparity with which fouls are called within one game and from game-to-game, I have a hard time believing they couldn't be more consistent if they wanted to. Something Cuban did that was good was call for some method of grading the officiating and the officials. If an owner doesn't have any insight into official grading, then it doesn't exist or it is kept secretive.
