Let's look at a few examples from just the last few days from some Lakers & Clippers games (since that's what I watch): <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mVjf18427DQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Here we have a play in the last moments. The NBA has this unwritten statement that they don't make "cheap" calls at the end of a game. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mVjf18427DQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Here we have two plays in the last moments. The first one looks sort of "cheap" to me (in fact, I don't see any contact but Kobe sure gesticulates wildly). The second one looks like a lot of contact but the NBA doesn't make those sorts of calls, right? <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OiQwwyHDIx8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Hmm, maybe they do make these calls? Isn't this pretty much the exact same play as the Cousins one, in the same situation (last seconds of a game)? <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4mlUPUd9kOc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> And what was it about not making "cheap" calls to end a game? I mean seriously, if all this can happen in a couple of days, how many games is the league blowing each year? Where is the consistency? Where is the accountability? And no, issuing an apology the next day doesn't really count since it does nothing.
Sorry, the second vid is supposed to be: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oAx4c6aszkk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
there have been some terrible calls and non calls lately, and the Lakers officiating is pretty curious sometimes. but as far as the Clippers, what would the conspiracy be? do you suspect the NBA doesn't want the Clippers to gain home court advantage? Wants them out in rd1? It's LA, CP3, Blake Griffin.
I've never believed it before but the calls with the Lakers are getting ridiculous. And then there's that Game 6 of the '02 WC Finals which was something you wouldn't believe if you didn't watch it with your own eyes. I didn't watch your vids but if you're saying there's a conspiracy against the Clippers then that doesn't make any sense. While they dont have the "brand" of teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics it wouldn't make any sense for the NBA not to want them to be good.
I'm not saying there is a conspiracy one way or the other, but that the inconsistency in reffing is why people think this way. For example, I'm perfectly fine with the Cousins no-call but only if the Kobe and Griffin plays are also no-calls. I don't think the refs are deliberately trying to fix the game but they are definitely swayed by the fans (which is why HCA is such a big deal) and since there are so many Laker cockroach fans everywhere that may explain why they seem to get a lot more bogus calls than any other team as well. You guys really should watch the second video though.. I didn't realize how bad that call was until seeing the replay. Kobe has a lot of nerve chuckling after games about how he is old-school and how refs won't call cheap fouls after putting on a performance like that.
yeah, i see your point. As to the ones you listed, i have no problems with the Cousins non-call. I'm not even sure it's a foul. And if there is time not to call marginal contact, it's when Cousins is trying to play for a foul at the 3pt line. Just a silly situation and a 50/50 call at best. Griffin one looks grey area as well. It's either a flop, or a shove with the right hand, or both. It'd be incredibly hard to call in real time. The Salmons call and the Rubio non call are atrocious, though.
The only suspect one is the foul on Kobe after throwing a tantrum in my humble opinion. The last 24 seconds, a lot of things are consistently not called in the NBA so I'm not surprised at the non-calls.
Pretend you run the NBA, not one of the owners who own an NBA team. Now, let's say you can make billions of dollars by letting gambling (the Vegas lines) influence the outcome of games. Is it ethical for you to do it? I think it's unethical for you not to do it and make billions of dollars every year. Gambling revenue is not illegal. It's taxed at a higher rate (if it's reported), but it's not illegal. Do you think the government is going to step in and stop the NBA from achieving the American dream? It's not about who gets homecourt advantage. The entire concept of homecourt advantage is just an excuse for the officials to make biased calls if needed. Star calls are another excuse. LeBron knows what it takes to get to the line, but when they stop giving him calls (and they need the other team to win or cover the spread) he raises his hands and objects. It's all about the money.
Oh yeah, and flopping wouldn't be part of Soccer or the NBA if gambling income wasn't a factor. You think they want fans to hate the sport for no reason? If they wanted it out of the game it would already be gone. It gives the officials more control over the outcome of the game, so it's not going anywhere.
The school you went to considered ethics extraneous didn't it? If you think the goal of ethics is to make money, you've missed the mark by about the radius of the galaxy.
It's not conspiracy, it the refs, they suck at knowing when to blow whistles. Also the home court and Stars tend to get advantages, as we all know.
While I admittedly think Kobe is the most overrated player in the history of the game and that his legions of fans are mostly morons, I'm not pushing an agenda here. I just happen to watch Laker and Clipper games and in the past week there have been a few atrocious examples of officiating. I'm sure if you look back through the history you can find plenty of examples of the Lakers getting screwed over (there was the Dahntay Jones non-foul although IMO that was pretty overblown because the crybaby took it to the media, and I know Paul has certainly gotten a few cheap calls in his day). The point is that this stuff happens ALL THE TIME, and when the proclaimed best refs in the world make so many egregious errors, isn't it time to revise the sport? My problem is simply one of consistency. Outside of superstar or team bias, or sheer incompetence, how is it possible that Kobe can get an "air foul" in the waning moments of a game yet Rubio can't get a call on much, much worse contact. If it's bias, that needs to be cleaned up because it's the same thing as rigging a sport (just in gentler terms). If it's incompetence, that needs to be cleaned up because these refs are effectively deciding games in which a lot of money (as well as glory) swings on the outcome. I'm not sure which is worse.
But given that, how the heck do they make the call on that Griffin play? Looking at it even in slow mo, it's really impossible to see what's going on there, but that's like a textbook definition of a non-call... especially in the last few seconds (if the NBA really wants to take that approach of refs not deciding games). To put it another way, there's no way in hell that ref makes that call in LA. But when the location is influencing the sport that much (literally the difference between a win and a loss for two teams desperately fighting for playoff seeding), there's something wrong with the rules.
You're missing the point. I'm not saying there is a conspiracy; and if there is some funny business, it certainly isn't overt as there's no way Stern & his cronies would risk everything on a scheme that would have to involve hundreds of people. What I am saying is that the kind of reffing we've seen in just the last week is how the conspiracy talks start. Looking at the videos I posted, it's undeniable that the league is lacking consistency, and in a sport that hinges on judgement calls, consistency is of paramount importance. Honestly, I think the league needs to pull the entire "old guard" of refs and bring in new officials who are audited by a third party with 100% performance transparency. Officials who blow too many calls will be demoted or fired, which will give them an incentive to not **** up.
