Do you not think something was fishy in that Kings Lakers game? It's hard not to. I don't think there is a huge conspiracy or anything, but I find it hard to believe that that game particular game was called fairly. I do feel that there's a magnifying glass on the NBA right now, and things better seem on the up and up. As Mike Golic (sp?) was saying, this is the biggest problem in professional sports. Forget steroids -- those give someone an unfair advantage, but at least the games themselves still have integrity. Bonds can take all the steroids he wants, it didn't seem to help the Giants.
No because I know its fixed and me rooting for him doesn't mean anything. OTOH I don't believe the NBA is fixed. If it was I wouldn't watch, attend games or buy NBA merchandise because me doing that is my tacit acceptance of it. What I don't get is people who say it is a conspiracy yet still support it. I mean if you believe it is fixed you rooting for the Rockets is meaningless.
Sure that appeared to be a terribly called game but I also remember the Kings missing a lot of free throws in regulation in game 7 and losing the game in OT. Unless the Kings were in on the fix they lost the series. My point is if people truly believe NBA games are fixed there is no reason to watch the games. Watching the games only contributes to the NBA business as usual since they look at things like ratings and attendence to see how successful they are. I've said this before and will say it again. The only real way to force a change in the NBA is to boycott. So far I haven't seen anyone taking that up.
There should never be a game 7. I don't know if stern wanted the lakers to advance but he sure like to milk it to a game7 since that was the best playoff series of that year. And to answer your question....It's an addiction to why we still watch it. Can't let go of something you learn to love and appreciate.
That's why David Stern gets away with it. He knows 20,000 people are going to show up to the arenas either way, fixed or not. He knows that people are going to watch games on television either way, fixed or not. If there were to be a major fan boycott of the NBA, then maybe we'd see better officiating. And by major boycott, I do mean a nationwide boycott. A local boycott of a single team would only result in the relocation of that team to another city who lusts for an NBA franchise. Seeing how there is no way to 'beat the system', everyone eventually gives in and watches the games anyway. It's kind of like how George Orwell's 'Nineteen-Eighty-Four' ends after Winston Smith is released from the Ministry of Love.
So our strategy is get completely overwhelmed by a superior opponent but be saved by Gandalf at the very end? Ok I guess...
Clever analogy. I agree with your point that if the only way to get things changed in the NBA is a big boycott. That said I don't believe there is a conspiracy. I believe there are some terribly called game and also believe that there are some corrupt refs and other league officials. IMO though that doesn't lead to a completely corrupt league and still believe that for the most part the best team wins and not the most popular or the one that Stern likes the most.
refs fixing games is always possible. stern being behind it all is a long shot. people make a big deal over the knicks envelope having a folded corner. the thing was just being tossed around inside of that bubble. it could very easily have gotten creased during the tumble.
The only conspiracy there is is to get some of the series to Game 7. I honestly don't think there is a big conspiracy to get the teams they want to win the Championship. I will say this, though. That Game 6 in 2002 was one of the most obvious and pathetic attempts at rigging a game I've ever seen. You can't watch that 4th quarter and honestly say that the refs didn't completely screw over the Kings.
I'm kind of neutral on the matter to be honest. I honestly don't believe that refs 'fix' games in the sense that we'd like to believe they do, but I'm dead certain that they make lousy calls in order to frustrate players, thus throwing their game off a little. In other words, they do not fix the games, but that doesn't mean they don't try to give a team a slight edge over the other. Basketball is more a mental battle than anything else IMO. I just got a crazy thought though. What will happen if the Lakers lose to the Rockets? In all honesty. Will Kobe rant about wanting to get traded again? Will he opt out of his contract? (He has an early-termination option.) Will Phil Jackson retire? (or get fired?) With an expiring contract in Lamar Odom, do they re-sign him? Will the team be completely dissolved again as it was after the 2004 playoffs? All these are questions to consider when it comes down to officiating.
The trouble is, each subsequent call in that game especially in the 4th only confounded the one made previous. It was like, this is a questionable call, do the right thing and give the Kings the benefit THIS time. All it would have taken was one or two of the 12 or 13 bad/nocalls made to be made properly for the Kings to have been in position to win that game. I mean, how many judgement calls can go against one team in one quarter? They say it evens out, and for the most part it does. Usually you can't point to every bad/nocall made in a game and say it favored one team over the other, by THAT wide of a margin.
Well that is the outcome of the film yes but I'm talking about defending the home court and hope for the best in game 7 when you know our middle market team is out # by the mass media/fan base favorite team in the world. On another note. Gotta love them SUPER STARS CALLS and make up calls and why is this goon back? It's like releasing a sex offenders on our streets again. Oh wait it's one of stern's trusty right hand man <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gNS7tH29Dgk&=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gNS7tH29Dgk&=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
i always think we got screwed out of game 5 against the mavs...anyone got a compilation of the fouls against us?
I think we should all go buy one of these... http://www.cafepress.com/redsarmy.290645799 Closer up...
I would if it wasn't also Celtics stuff. I remember during the '86 series there were shirts that said "Beat LA" and "Hit the Road Jack" with a picture of Jack Nicholson crossed out. I always wanted one of those shirts.
Karma usually stems from something uncontrollable.. Refs can control this game. I think what you mean is miracle.
Omg.. watching this again makes me worry about this series. how Joey Crawford can blow his whistle on the most ridiculous crap, yet the NBA won't blow the whistle on him.
HAH if that steam your blood then this will make it boil <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wMbeofvM1L0&=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wMbeofvM1L0&=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/QUOTE]
That was just nutts. Even if it wasn't fixed, it still is the greatest tragedy in sports. So many of those players were in their prime, and since that series have gone downhill. Sad. Beat the Fakers.
