Here's an interesting theory from the San Antonio Express-News: Is the NBA Fixed? Is David Stearn manipulating markets? http://www.hearstnp.com/san_antonio/bea/news/stories/san/san29037.shtml Harvey: The Blazersbreak, andthere's no fix -- San Antonio Express-News -- 06/04/00 Portland's Steve Smith drove with about a half minute left, and along the way he ran into a 320-pounder with a Superman tattoo. No call. No wonder, somebody in Portland will say today. Would David Stern have ever allowed an Indiana-Portland finals? Somebody in Indiana and Miami and even San Antonio has asked the same before. No sport is as caught up in conspiracies as is this one. It goes like this: Stern picks up a phone and pulls strings. He makes sure small markets will lose to larger ones, TV execs are happy, and somebody named Kobe can't fall to somebody named Bonzi. Some players believe, too. One Spur, for example, is convinced Stern will make sure Tim Duncan and Grant Hill join up in Orlando, thus providing an East Coast show to play opposite the Lakers. The paranoia seeps everywhere. Last season when the Knicks won Game 3 of the Finals, extending the series and creating some interest, some in the Spurs' organization were convinced the league office had something to do with it. New York newspapers were just as convinced. Wasn't the lead official that day nicknamed Dick "the Knick" Bavetta? And last month at halftime of Game 3 in Phoenix, after David Robinson had gotten a few calls, a Suns official whispered this: "Stern wants a Spurs-Lakers series, doesn't he?" Stern apparently wants everything. When Steve Francis and Elton Brand tied for rookie of the year last month, some in the media wondered if that wasn't orchestrated, too. If the league tampered with the votes and called a draw, then couldn't two markets celebrate and hype next season's ticket sales? The conspiracy touches everything, including every Lakers series this season. Immediately after Sacramento wondered why Shaq was allowed to bull at will, Phoenix wondered in the next round. "The World Wrestling Federation finally has admitted what most of us already knew," an article in the Arizona Republic began last month. "Its matches are fixed. Just when will the NBA come clean?" Stern has some dirt, all right. He's blurred entertainment and sport so much that no one is sure what's real and what's an NBC ad. The league promotes so hard that it promotes doubt. Earlier this season, when a graphicartist airbrushed a tattoo off a magazine cover photo of Allen Iverson, wasn't it typical of an NBA that airbrushes its games? So the premise is believable, but the logic isn't. A conspiracy means others are involved, yet even refs who've lost their jobs over tax evasion have never uttered such a thing. Then there's the severity of the accusation. Recently someone asked Stern if a conspiracy was like saying he, his staff and the referees are crooks. "No, no. Not 'like.' It is," Stern said. "There are players who fixed games. They did time for that." Stern risks as much, along with the credibility of a billion-dollar industry, and so even one directive to even one ref makes no sense. Besides, if he wanted to manipulate large markets, how could he allow the Spurs to win two lotteries involving smart, marketable Hall of Fame centers? But that won't stop a few from wondering about Sunday. With Hack-a-Shaq about to become Mock-a-Shaq — with a huge star and a huge market both about to be trashed — Smith bounced off Shaquille O'Neal and fell to the floor without a whistle. When NBC went to Mike Dunleavy afterward, he immediately addressed that no-call. "I thought Steve made a good drive to the basket," Dunleavy said. "I thought there was some contact." There was. And if Smith had thrown in two free throws then — and if Kobe had missed his next two as he did — the Blazers would have come down with a chance to tie. But Dunleavy could have also talked about how the refs never called an illegal zone on Scottie Pippen. How Shaq played with three early fouls. And how the Blazers fell with a 16-point lead. In this series, wouldn't the loser be the one who choked last? The Lakers deserved the game. And now they draw Indiana, a team led by Reggie Miller, who said earlier this season, "I don't know if it's a small-market thing or what, but we'll never get the benefit-of-the-doubt calls like New York or L.A, the big-market teams." No wonder, somebody in Portland will say today. ------------------ Stay Cool...
SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSHHHHHH! Cool down, there buddy You say yourself, the Blazers "choked. They couldn't hit a shot. They probably would have lost anyway . . ." But enough already! Nobody likes a sore loser! The NBA refs aren't biased, they just suck. They make horrible calls all the time on both teams. It's part of the game. The Blazers don't have a go-to guy. They have a lot of talent, but no one was willing to step up and carry the team on his back. That is their weakness. That is why they lost. If you are a Blazers fan, be proud. They played a good series and simply lost to the better team. You sound like John Starks after the Rockets won their first championship with this "I think the better team lost" crap. And enough with the asterisks! There's no such thing! The Blazers and the Lakers may very well have been spanked by San Antonio if Duncan wasn't injured. Who cares? Chicago may not have won as many championships if Houston had made it to the finals. Who cares? Houston wouldn't have won any championships had we matched up with Seattle. Who the #^%@ cares?! Lose with honor my friend. The thing is, I'm sure the Lakers "know" the Pacers have no chance either. That may be enough for the Pacers to steal home-court advantage. The Lakers have a serious advantage at center, but the Pacers have a ton more play-off experience and team chemistry. They probably won't win, but don't write them off yet. ------------------
I find it weird that Rod Thorn left the NBA front office after the Heat alleged that he was involved with the conspiracy that enabled New York to beat Miami. Some say he just didn't want to deal with those allegations. But then, how convenient that the team he is going to be emplyed by receives the number one overall pick in the upcomming draft. On a related note, wasn't he with Chicago when a guy named Jordan fell into their laps with the third pick after Portland (a small market team) though desperate for a center and already had a guy named Drexler playing the two guard, passed on him?!? ------------------ Kobe needs to get off of his finace and get off on Pippen
Interesting article. I'm more convinced than ever after last night of a conspiracy. Explain the play where Shaq hammered Smith. I know you can miss calls, but that one was too easy. The ref was looking right at the play, and I actually hoped for a flagrant, yet received nothing. That was the play that ended the game, and in typical Faker fashion, they went out as cheaters. ------------------
The Cat, Give it a rest! *breaks out fire hose* SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHH Seriously though, I respect your opinion, but you keep saying the same thing over and over. I can't tell if you're just really p!$$ed, or if you're just trying to get to 1000 posts by the end of the week. If you read the article carefully, the writer is saying that the conspiracy is bull$#!+. He says, "But Dunleavy could have also talked about how the refs never called an illegal zone on Scottie Pippen. How Shaq played with three early fouls. And how the Blazers fell with a 16-point lead. In this series, wouldn't the loser be the one who choked last? The Lakers deserved the game." Also, the foul on Smith (and yes it was a foul), was not flagrant. Smith drove, Shaq jumped, his hands were straight up, and they collided. He was obviously trying to block Smith's shot and not trying to hammer Smith himself. Oh, and the goaltend call looked like bunk to me. He swatted the ball at the top of its arc (it's only goaltending, if it's knocked away on the way down). Give the Lakers their due. They held it together in the 4th; Portland didn't. With all that said, go, Pacers! ------------------
my sources have told me that david stern has a headset that has a direct link to the refs via high-techie earpieces as used in MI2 which he is able to ensure certain calls are made or not. the best example is when he saw steve smith running in to draw the foul, which was easily turned down by this method. its not hard to imagine such techniques in use...if there's money involved, its rigged. ------------------ purvis was never short.
LP- Trust me, I'm that pissed. And I will say that stuff in these kind of threads. When I'm around, people aren't going to talk about the Lakers supposedly "great comeback" and not hear what really happened, and why. LA was handed a championship and also cheated. They are not a classic team, and people don't need to talk about them like that. The one team that was better than the Fakers and clearly so let me down. They choked. They couldn't hit a shot. They probably would have lost anyway, but to push them over the top, Stern had to have his officials decide the game instead of seeing what could have happened. The Fakers may have held it together in the 4th, but I also know there were two problems in this series. Game 3 Sabonis goes for the tie and is hacked by Harper from behind. No call. Game 7 Steve Smith drives to get fouled and make it a 2 point game. No call. Those are pretty hard to ignore, and as much as I would like to say that this wasn't fixed, looking at the tape from last night I'm having a hard time doing that. Also, I'm rooting for the Pacers as hard as anyone, but I know they have no chance. The one team that was better than LA choked and got screwed. ------------------ [This message has been edited by The Cat (edited June 05, 2000).]
PurvisShort, You're only scratching the surface of the conspiracy. The NBA refs are actually state-of-the-art androids that were designed by are under direct radio control of David Stern himself. Stern and Phil Jackson, as you may already suspect, are the ringleaders of a Satanic cult that are using their evil influence to brainwash millions of poor unsuspecting individuals to purchase overpriced NBA paraphenelia and tickets. They have also recognized that the market to fund their cult is huge in NYC, so they have stockpiled that team with more evil henchmen and have placed a minor demon as their head coach. If you look really closely, you will notice how they cleverly split his horns into several slivers that strangely resemble hair plugs. Beware the evils of the Dark Church of Stern, lest ye one day find thy soul consumed and thy wallet emptied whilst wearing overpriced shoes and the ill-advised color combination of yellow and purple! ------------------ [This message has been edited by Launch Pad (edited June 06, 2000).]
OK LaunchPad- I get the idea. I will try and tone it down, but I guess my response to the comment "Who cares" would be "I care." If you hated the Fakers to the extent I do, you would understand. I'm trying to relax a little on this matter, but it'll be hard. This one hurt bad. Real bad. I'm sorry if I come off as being a sore loser or something. ------------------ Cheaters never win. Unless you play for LA that is.
Hey The Cat, I can empathize with you. I hate the Lakers too. If it makes you feel any better, go to http://www.msnbc.com/news/NBA2_Front.asp?a and read the story about how Isiah Thomas is predicting the Pacers to win. He's probably wrong, but at least we can hope ------------------
Yeah, he's probably wrong but it is hope. I still think they have no one to guard Shaq, and I also think Kobe can defensively put the clamps on Miller if he stays out of foul trouble. But, if Indiana can get Kobe in foul trouble, swarm Shaq, and have the LA 3 point shooters miss shots, then they'll have a chance. If they can steal just one of those first two games in LA, then that would make LA have to win in Indiana, which is very hard to do, especially if Indiana has the momentum. Plus you know Reggie is pumped up for his first NBA Finals in Hollywood, and if he can get 30+ points, Indiana should be able to stay close. ------------------ Cheaters never win. Unless you play for LA that is.
