Anyone see this piece on NBA conspiracies?

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Thought it was pretty interesting

But over 25 or so years in this profession, I like to deal in things that us fancy-pants reporters call "facts." Here are some:

The San Antonio Spurs have won four NBA titles since 1999.

The Spurs are ratings death.

You would think someone as all-powerful as Stern -- who can, apparantly, control the tides -- would have a better batting average. How is it that a city like Portland (the 23rd-largest TV market) has been in as many Finals over the last 35 years (two) as New York City?
The Playoffs are when the shoe companies and other high-end companies roll out the new ads featuring the game's superstars. They did it for Vince Carter; they did it for Tracy McGrady; they'll do it for Ricky Rubio or whoever the next flavor of the month is. Kevin Garnett didn't play a second in the Playoffs, but his new Gatorade spot has been in heavy rotation for weeks.
How, then, do the crazies explain away Orlando's 3-1 series lead over The Chosen One, and the Nuggets giving the Lakers all they can handle?

Article Link

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I wouldn't be surprised if there are some "things" that the league office does in order to get the "best" match up available. Ahh well.
 
i was watching ball with my dad the last couple days (he rarely watches the nba anymore, prob since larry/magic/mj days) and he was saying why this guy,lebron, was getting some calls at the end of the orlando game. he asked me is the nba trying to push him in the finals?

also, last night he was saying, there's no need to watch the lakers game after seeing the billups foul. you can tell they gonna screw the nuggets when thegame is on the line. he even pointed out the refs targeting nene the whole night..

one of the worst games i ever saw was a 2003 twolves/lakers playoff gm. refs were calling some bs foul on twolves and actually forced the gm into overtime. thetwolves still pulled out the win, but that was one of the worst officiated gm i ever saw. i remember nt blowing up after that gm, even laker fans admitted howpoorly the gm was being called.
http://everything2.com/title/The%20NBA%20Playoff%20Conspiracy
-talks about the larry johnson 4pt play
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2003 - Los Angeles vs. Minnesota, Game 4. In the middle of the 2003 season the NBA declared that the first round of the playoffs, which up until that point had been decided by a best of five series, would be extended to best of seven. This is considered by many to help the Lakers, as they had been playing poorly for most of the season and now the team that must face them needs to beat them four times instead of three and must play an extra game in Los Angeles. Minnesota killed the Lakers for most of the game, but as the second half progressed the officiating began to turn towards L.A and the team made a comeback. There was a 25-6 disparity in free throws awarded in the third and fourth quarters. Then, with 23 seconds left, Kobe Bryant was given a four-point play much like Larry Johnson in 1999. Kobe was given two more free throws on the Lakers final possession, but he missed one, sending the game into overtime where Minnesota was able to prevail 114-110.
 
i don't doubt that the refs have some influence, maybe for specific games. tim donaghey is proof of that. however, you cannot deny that teams like thepistons and spurs winning so many championships, 'boring' teams for ratings, makes it hard to believe in full blown conspiracies.
 
^ obviously, the nba arent fixing gms to that extent. they prob tell refs to "look out" for certain teams/players giving them a certain advantage. ifyou have talent to overcome this, like the spurs, then you will be able to play through the bs calls.

if the nba was into fixing things, nyk wouldnt be where they are at
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but we all know patrick ewing to ny was rigged
 
Heres my take.....

Openly "create" the matchups they want and rig things? No.

"Nudge" things along from time to time for the teams or players they would like to succeed for everyone's benefit? Very possible.

Sometimes that will work sometimes it will not. They might nudge things for the Cavs against the Magic but if the Magic play superior basketball and beat themup then theres nothing the league can do.

This is a business. Everyone is in it for the money. The league's TV contracts pay the big bucks....and those TV execs openly admit in public they hope thelarge market teams win. That has always made me cringe. And then you have the refs who even if they arent being told "what" to do they still arehuman beings who get caught up in the hype....and the superstars typically get the calls.

Lastly....The league also knows that integrity is the #1 key in keeping fans so that is why i still hold out some hope in all this. But who knows.
 
You would think someone as all-powerful as Stern -- who can, apparantly, control the tides -- would have a better batting average. How is it that a city like Portland (the 23rd-largest TV market) has been in as many Finals over the last 35 years (two) as New York City?


Portland made the finals twice in a span of 3 seasons.. In 1989-90 and 1991-92.

In 1989-90, here are the teams they beat in the playoffs:

Lost NBA Finals (4-1) versus Detroit Pistons
Won NBA Western Conference Finals (4-2) versus Phoenix Suns
Won NBA Western Conference Semifinals (4-3) versus San Antonio Spurs
Won NBA Western Conference First Round (3-0) versus Dallas Mavericks

None of the three teams they beat were that much worthy of having in the NBA finals in terms of ratings over the Blazers. The same can be said about the1991-92 squad:

Lost NBA Finals (4-2) versus Chicago Bulls
Won NBA Western Conference Finals (4-2) versus Utah Jazz
Won NBA Western Conference Semifinals (4-1) versus Phoenix Suns
Won NBA Western Conference First Round (3-1) versus Los Angeles Lakers

Obviously, you can say that the Lakers would've been a bigger ratings draw, but that was the season when they lost Magic and had no true superstars, unlikePortland who had Drexler. In fact, the 1991-92 Bulls Vs Blazers finals was PERFECT to have in terms of hype. It was the 1991-92 version of the LeBron Vs Kobefinals. MJ won MVP and Drexler finished second in MVP voting. There was a huge individual rivalry between the two, who played the same position. Whywould've Stern wanted to prevent a finals like this...

Not to mention that the Blazers were flat out a better basketball team than the teams they beat on their way to these two finals appearances..

Now, as for Knicks.. You can most definitely argue that Stern could've played a part in their advancement to the finals. Show me a single call/non-callfrom the Blazers path to their two finals that is as controversial as these two:

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But more than this, how about the 1985 NBA draft? That was most definitely rigged. I don't want to go looking for the vid again, but Stern definitely gotthe #1 pick to the Knicks.
 
Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

But more than this, how about the 1985 NBA draft? That was most definitely rigged. I don't want to go looking for the vid again, but Stern definitely got the #1 pick to the Knicks.
 
Originally Posted by 731balla

Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

But more than this, how about the 1985 NBA draft? That was most definitely rigged. I don't want to go looking for the vid again, but Stern definitely got the #1 pick to the Knicks.
good video
 
Mateen Cleaves wrote:
Originally Posted by 731balla

Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

But more than this, how about the 1985 NBA draft? That was most definitely rigged. I don't want to go looking for the vid again, but Stern definitely got the #1 pick to the Knicks.
good video



theres conspiracies in�every sport...this�ewing to the knicks is one of them
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Originally Posted by 731balla

Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

But more than this, how about the 1985 NBA draft? That was most definitely rigged. I don't want to go looking for the vid again, but Stern definitely got the #1 pick to the Knicks.
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sheesh
 
they had a mark on the envelope and only sterns glasses could see it, lol
 
The article is from nba.com, of course it's going to be against conspiracy theories.
 
Originally Posted by pr0phecy718

but Lebron James or Yao Ming weren't rigged to go to the knicks in those drafts
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Money must not have been right in the Knicks Organization. They must have not come "correct" to stern.

LOL

I'm not getting on sides or anything. I don't know if there are conspiracies or not. I just love Basketball. Just thought the video was funny.

Besides all of this, this was the first draft ever...
 
731balla wrote:
Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

But more than this, how about the 1985 NBA draft? That was most definitely rigged. I don't want to go looking for the vid again, but Stern definitely got the #1 pick to the Knicks.




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cold envelope....
 
Originally Posted by 731balla

Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

But more than this, how about the 1985 NBA draft? That was most definitely rigged. I don't want to go looking for the vid again, but Stern definitely got the #1 pick to the Knicks.


Wow! I didn't know they had the jersey printed up.
 
Lebron or Yao didnt get rigged to go to NY because after that draft people saw how they set it up and since that draft have used the ping-pong balls
 
You would think it's all about the ratings but there's so much money going around the entire league it comes in all shapes and forms
 
I still think the NBA of the past 5 years has not necessarily been rigged but orchestrated, kinda like how the WWE has a script and the wrestlers know what theoutcome has to be but the moves are up to them.

The 2006 Finals was VERY wrong. Shoot, that year's entire playoffs were extremely suspect. I hadn't been as upset in my entire life of watchingbasketball as I was watching the 06 playoffs.

I think Stern and co. understand the ebbs and flows of basketball, and they know how to manipulate it.

I don't know the exact science of what they're doing but they're orchestrating the game to some degree.
 
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