No one who loves the game of basketball, ever wants to believe that the outcomes of NBA games are staged. You want to believe that the refs, despite how shitty they are at times, are doing their jobs and the players are deciding the game. There have been whispers for years that the NBA has “fixed” certain games so that certain series are extended. Those whispers are now turning into yells!
Tim Donaghy, the NBA ref who just plead guilty to some fed charges, is now singing like a bird. He’s telling the feds that in 2002, the NBA “advised” some refs to make sure a certain series went 7 games. Only one series went 7 games in 2002 and that series was the Lakers vs Kings Western Conference Finals series. In case you forgot, its the series where this shot happened…
Well if you remember, the Lakers were trailing in the 4th quarter of Game 6 and then the refs went whistle crazy. It was unbelievable! The Lakers shot 27 freethrows, yeah that’s right, 27 freethrows in the 4th quarter alone!!! It was so damn blatant, it was hard to believe what I was watching! As a professed Laker hater, that game was really unwatchable because I didn’t want to see Shaq/Kobe in the finals again. This video gives you a little bit mor detail on that game…
This really makes you wonder about the results of other series and other games. Does the NBA have their refs call games a certain way to create certain matchups? I hate to admit it, but I think they do and that really pisses me off. As a fan, you want to see the best players on the biggest stage decide the games. Its a damn shame when 3 short funny looking white dudes determine the results of a playoff game no less.
Think about Game 3 of the finals last night. Was there any doubt in anyone’s mind that Kobe was going to shoot somewhere around 20 freethrows? Don’t you have the feeling that regardless of what the Celtics did, the Lakers were going to win that game? There was no way you were going to wake up, eat your cap’n crunch and see this series at 3-0. Too much money too be made by a Lakers-Celtics classic game 7. Plus I need them to breakout that Robert Parrish/Kurt Rambis “There’s only one” split screen commercial…
Hell, they did Magic and Bird, why not Rambis and The Chief???
Now the validity of this series and every single call from here on out is going to be scrutinized and dissected. Especially the officials involved with that 2002 series, who have already officiated in the 1st two games. I’m eager to see how it all plays out and hoping, for the sake of the game I love, that everything is on the up and up.
Dick Bavetta, Joey Crawford we got our eyes on you!!!
1 Comment
June 12, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I totally agree with you. I think the NBA is shady. 27 freethrows in the 4th quarter? That’s absolutely ridiculous. I don’t think it could get anymore obvious than that. Also, game 2 of this years finals was a bit off. The calls they made for Boston was insane and like you said everybody knew game 3 would be lop-sided in favor of the Lakers. The NBA is becoming predictable.