Like many of you I believe the Rox got screwed by the refs in the last game and believe the officiating has been thoroughly awful. At the same time I'm hearing a lot of y'all talk about a conspiracy in the NBA against the Rox and favoring stars. I'm not sure about favoring Rox but I think there is very clear evidence of favortism towards particular stars. So for those of y'all who are MAD AS HELL ABOUT THIS what are you going to do about it? Sending email complaints, calling the refs out by yelling "flopper" everytime Dirk touches the ball, booing the refs and things like that in the end might make the game more entertaining but aren't going to do anything. David Stern and the league probably like that because it provides for more drama on TV broadcasts. There is one thing as fans that we can do that would force the NBA to change. Boycott the NBA. The NBA is a business and what keeps it going is the money that we fans put into it going to games, watching games on TV, buying merchandise and any other range of activities that enrich the NBA coffers. If we were to stop doing that, even on a small scale that gains a lot of attention you'll see David Stern and the NBA leadership cracking down on referees. The NBA and the rest of pro-sports know this which is why baseball is cracking down on steriods and the NBA on Ron Artest because they know that the perception of their athletes as cheaters and thugs alienate fans. So if a bunch of fans stand up and say they think the product the NBA is putting out is shoddy and corrupt and they want nothing to do with it the NBA will change. I'm not making this suggestion lightly because for die hard fans like us this is the nuclear option. We pay attention to the NBA because we love our team and the Rox are part of the NBA. So if the Toyota Center was a 1/4 full for game 6 and ratings were through the floor as people stayed away from watching a fixed game that would hurt the Rox too but would also get the league's attention. But if you truly believe that the league is inherently biased why keep on giving your money to the league? What I'm suggesting is for all of y'all who are convinced of conspiracy to consider how far are you willing to go to get the league to change.
I have been posting this,, really joking, kind of, but I wouldn't mind seeing some political work done behind teh scenes- Get Team Yao on a plane to Bejing, get with the governement and get the Chinese Govt. on the phone with Washington, time to play politics, let's make this an International Incedent. Put pressure on David Stern from the highest levels... His apology could be worded like this- "After further investigation we have found that while no directive came from the NBA office in regards to the officiating of Yao Ming, we have also found reasons for Mr. Van Gundy's concerns that have been corrected at the appropriate level. We have reduced his fine to $10,000.00 for criticizing the officials and breaking NBA policy." No further comments at this time.
Boycotting the NBA will hurt Les Alexander and the Rockets more than David Stern. This is not a smart way of punishing the league. The best way is to just keep e-mailing the league over and over again a million times and have the CHINESE media/fans protesting the treatment of Yao by the refs, and then things will straighten out. I think the Chinese fans over in China (not here) have a lot of leverage/power that they have not yet been willing to exercise. A nice organized street protest will get the league's attention. If they allege racism or something against the NBA, that will get things done. Stern doesn't want the CCP to be pissed off at him and the league. They should take lessons from the anti-Japanese protests there in recent weeks
The problem is that nobody from within the organization is willing to talk and expose the league for the fraud it is because they are all receiving conditional pensions and forward royalties. Not to mention that they are likely scared shhtless at the lawsuits and retaliation they would get from the league office. Stern's cabal is iron-clad.
Cmon guys, this is the price for getting winning the lotto a few years ago. We will get a title shot when Stern says so, but until then we need to be patient and keep buying Tmac jerseys. Somebody gimme a klondike bar.
They already have all the promos created that advertise "Nash v. Nowitzki, Flair v. Flail, who will prevail?" It's a marketing masterpiece that doesn't bode well for the Rockets.
Of course this will hurt Les and the Rox because they are part of the league which is why this is the nuclear option. The NBA is about money and anything that threatens the cash flow will draw their attention. They get tons of email already and a few tons more from irrate Rox fans are going to change their minds because last week they were getting tons from Mavs fans. I agree with you and rhester that the Chinese fans can play a big role. Stern very much wants the NBA to tap into the vast China market and anything that would threaten that would also get his attention. That said though it sounds like you're asking the Chinese to do the dirty work for you, have them boycott and protest while you still go and watch games here. If people are serious about the league being corrupt and being controlled by a conspiracy Rox fans here in the US should also be willing to stand up rather than just relying on Chinese fans to it for them.
That's a bunch of cr/|p. The ultimate NBA marketing matchup is Shaq v. Yao. Period. NBA gets that, 6 billion ppl watch the finals. How could the NBA even consider wanting a different outcome. Face it, Cuban is paying the refs for the edge.
Play the Race Card: see Stern Sweat! The Chinese fans are the key to a favorable resolution to the JVG controversy. As to improving the officiating, the owners need to agree on a course of correction. Stern will do what they want or he will be an ex-commissioner. The owners run this league.
Yeah, I don't buy the marketing excuse either. Heat vs. Rockets would be the best matchup in the last 5 years. Giant vs. Giant Brother vs. Brother McGrady vs. Florida Sick dunker vs. Sick Dunker What else could you ask for?
All of a sudden, everything makes sense. My brain has just been smashed by a lemon wrapped around a gold brick. It's so simple, yet now so obvious. All this time I was thinking that Yao and Tmac, two marketable stars, should not get screwed like this, while the NBA obviously wants their goldenboy vs goldenboy matchup. Don't worry folks. Our time will come when the 2nd round matchups are aligned correctly. This is only year 1 for us. Yao will get better, our chemistry will get better, and we'll get some better players.
Yao vs. Shaq Van Gundy vs. Van Gundy TMac vs. Wade Houston vs. Damon Jones Mutombo vs. Mourning Weisbrod vs. Kobe So many media crazed stories. . .
There is some merit to this and I was thinking about starting a new thread for this. We should each consider individually writing to our Congressman over concerns that NBA games may be fixed, or the league offices attempt to manipulate the officiating for certain players. Nothing would chap Sterns ass more than some member of Congress in front of a microphone warning of an investigation in game fixing, violations of the Lanham Act etc. I'm deadly serious. If anyone knows of a Congressman who is a hoops fan, please post. I'll be the first to write.
Tiger, it wasn't funny at the first time you said it, even you also added the smily face. It's even worse the second time. If you don't know about the background of those anti-Japanese protests. I can help you a little bit out. There were 30 Million Chinese lives lost during those 8 years in WWII, when Japan invaded China. Those prosecuted and hung war criminals (by Americans, Britans, Russians, and Chinese) are still memorized in Japan, and those government officials still take turns to visit and pay their respect. You can imagine what Jewish people's reaction would be if German government officials do similar things to those Nazis. I would suggest you not to compare that kind of outrage to fixed games and terrible officiating. Peace.
Don't boycott the Rockets - that would only put them out of business. If you want to make a statement, and you have tickets to game 6, voice your opinion in a sign. Let the league know how much you hate the refs or David Stern.
My way of protesting is by recording NBA licensed telvised broadcasts without the express written permission of the NBA!!!!! HAHAHA! I'm a rebel.
First of all, I would agree that Stern would love Yao vs. Shaq, & Van Gundy brother finals as a marketing matchup in the finals --- if he believed we could make it to the finals. But he doesn't think so. I believe that he sees the Nash vs. his old team, hyperspeed, high-scoring, no-defense Phoenix-Dallas series as his "premier" second round matchup. Do I believe that is enough to have predetermined that the referees should make sure the Mavericks win? No. I won't go that far with the conspiracy beliefs. I'm basically in agreement with what Van Gundy actually said -- not that there was (at least before the $100K fine) a conspiracy to screw the Rockets per se. However, last night's game looked a lot like the referee equivalent of the player who is called for a ticky-tack foul and goes down to the other end, clobbers an opponent, turns to the referee and says "Now THAT was a foul!" It realy felt like the referees were saying to us: "Now THAT was a bad (biased) call!" As for the nuclear option -- it may not be necessary. It looks like to me -- even more so today than yesterday -- that the NBA will be dropping the nuclear bomb on itself. If Stern is so arrogant as to over-react like this -- "I will CRUSH that uppity little Van Gundy!", I am sure he will take the same attitude into the labor negotiations. He will attempt to crush the players' union. If so, next year's NBA season could look a lot like this year's NHL season!
