Is this a possibility or am I just crazy?

[fearless]

Is it possible that league owners and/or David Stern could decide that a Lakers/Celtics final is best for the league and simply order the players and/or refs to make it happen?

I'm not the only one who thinks this stuff goes on, read this:

http://www.orangepower.com/archive/index.php/t-24271.html

[ritehook]

The NBA has long encouraged the skewing of results of big games in order to boost ratings.

Last year, a prominent player (someone will recall who) said publicly that NBA finessed Cleveland into the playoffs, so that the the big kid star of the Cavs could be showcased to America.

Rules were always bent for the superstars. For instance,the kind of things that Michael got away with would have ordinary players fouling out by halftime.

NFL did this also for a number of years, bad calling on the field to get a "dream team" into the Superbowl. Not so much the last year or so, after a lot of outrage came their way due to it.

But wheres NFL is all about "team," NBA is all about "superstar." And NBA will give the fans what NBA thinks the fans want. The great majority of them, that is. Not the gamblers, who tend, curiously enough, to be the ones loudest in the calls for fairness and lack of bias on the part of sports officials.

[TeamPlayer]

YES, but it's done more subtle with a wink-wink.

The NBA grades all the referres and keeps track of every call they make in a database. They then assign referees to games/playoff series based on how favorable they treat particular players/teams.

So if the league determines that they prefer LeBron James and the Cavs to defeat the Wizards, you can bet they'll assign a referee crew that was more favorable to Lebron during the regular season.

And you better believe that the referees pick up on this. They don't need to be told directly to favor the star players. They figure it out when they see another crew get the choice assignment of a big time playoff game despite lesser qualifications and/or ability.

[The_Kid]

Sure it's possible. Everybody and their mother knows that Stern wants a Celtics/Lakers final.

[TeamPlayer]

Seriously, Stern should be a politician because every time his lips move, you know he's lying. I want to vomit every time I see his fat face interviewed on television.

[SBR Lou]

Disgraced basketball referee Tim Donaghy told investigators in the NBA betting probe that relationships among officials, coaches and players "affected the outcome of games," his attorney said. The league said the charges were unfounded.

[topcat]

Is it possible that league owners and/or David Stern could decide that a Lakers/Celtics final is best for the league and simply order the players and/or refs to make it happen?

I'm not the only one who thinks this stuff goes on, read this:

http://www.orangepower.com/archive/i...p/t-24271.html

read my other post about who i think will be in the championship game,and win.lakers will win.the league,the refs, i think will make it happ en.the ratings will go through the roof.

[topcat]

Disgraced basketball referee Tim Donaghy told investigators in the NBA betting probe that relationships among officials, coaches and players "affected the outcome of games," his attorney said. The league said the charges were unfounded.

anybody that dosent believe that the nba is rigged,are ****ing fools.

[ritehook]

YES, but it's done more subtle with a wink-wink.

The NBA grades all the referres and keeps track of every call they make in a database. They then assign referees to games/playoff series based on how favorable they treat particular players/teams.

So if the league determines that they prefer LeBron James and the Cavs to defeat the Wizards, you can bet they'll assign a referee crew that was more favorable to Lebron during the regular season.

And you better believe that the referees pick up on this. They don't need to be told directly to favor the star players. They figure it out when they see another crew get the choice assignment of a big time playoff game despite lesser qualifications and/or ability.

Intelligent post. I'd say that this is basically how it works. Very subtle.

And NBA and NFL are afraid ( they keep saying) that legalized sports betting will corrupt their game!!!

Actually, it will more likely keep their game honest.

[DrunkenLullaby]

I used to be a full-blown conspiracy theorist.

However, for the life of me I can not name one reason why Detroit and San Antonio both advancing to at least the conference finals, if not the NBA finals or NBA title would be in any way desirable for the league, so I've come to the conclusion that they actually do let the better team win the series.

[TeamPlayer]

Detroit and San Antonio bring history and intrigue to the conference finals as in....let's see if the two best teams of this decade can be knocked off the mountain top by the Lakers and Celtics who bring even more history with them. New Orleans and Orland can wait.

But it's all a farce because Stern wants a Lakers vs Celtics final that will rekindle images of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and Bill Russell and Jerry West. Just watch the games. Gurantee you that the Celtics and Lakers will get all the close calls in any close game that could be in doubt. And I guarantee you that Kobe, Pierce, Garnet, Gasol will not foul out no matter how many times they foul other players

[DaveRabbit]

I'm not one to support the institutions but wasn't the Patriots v Packers suppostly the best scenario for the powers that be?

At this stage it ain't necessary for anyone to get involve.

[DrunkenLullaby]

Detroit and San Antonio bring history and intrigue to the conference finals as in....let's see if the two best teams of this decade can be knocked off the mountain top by the Lakers and Celtics who bring even more history with them. New Orleans and Orland can wait.

What did Detroit & San Antonio bring the last 5 years or so? That is my point.

Remember San Antonio vs Cleveland? Neither do I, because I wasn't interested in watching.

[Ganchrow]

The NBA grades all the referres and keeps track of every call they make in a database. They then assign referees to games/playoff series based on how favorable they treat particular players/teams.

This is an extraordinary claim.

Do you have any hard evidence to support it?

[topcat]

This is an extraordinary claim.

Do you have any hard evidence to support it?

i dont believe it.you just cant keep track of the powers to be.people have known for years not to touch jordan,magic,and bird.its kinda funny how these three players took the nba to new heights.it werent wilkins,drexler.great players,but they couldnt carry the league.i am the biggest human highlight film fan around.

[raydog]

wiseguys run pro sports. ask gold

[topcat]

What did Detroit & San Antonio bring the last 5 years or so? That is my point.

Remember San Antonio vs Cleveland? Neither do I, because I wasn't interested in watching.

their is a great player called king james,who does he play for?i believe its the shity cleveland team.they try to build james,like hes the new jordan.the san antonio team have the perfect roll models.players that dont get in trouble,on,and off the court.browen is called a dirty player though.with tony married to the woman who plays on the desperate house wives.it brings a kinda glamor to the spurs.the detroit team brings a hard work ethic,and a big fan base.people like to watch wallace do something crazy,it entertains some people.the new wave of athlete.

[topcat]

wiseguys run pro sports. ask gold

i will alway think so,until the day i die.the refs can c all a charge,a walk,and people are yelling how stupid the refs are.are they stupid?do they want to make extra money on the side?do they owe someone a favor?ive seen refs pull out a flag before the play started.how many time do you say they could holding on any play.stuff that makes me think.

[fearless]

wiseguys run pro sports. ask gold

The movie "The Departed" really opened my eyes! I swear that what's going on in that movie must be going on everywhere, in every aspect of society. And when it comes to refereeing, what would be better than to have people on the inside that no one would suspect? I'm sure there are many, many, if not all of them. Read these quotes by Bill Russel:

"I've always thought the most likely targets of gamblers would be the referees. They make peanuts, they're highly abused both by the fans and players, and they have more control over a game than anyone else. Moreover, the normal incompetence of NBA referees would be a perfect disguise for a corrupt one. It seems to me that the NBA has gone out of its way to keep its referees poor and incompetent - and I mean clear around-the-barn-out-of-the-way."

"It seems to me that the NBA has gone out of its way to keep its referees poor and incompetent...for years I tried to get the league to hire a black referee and recommended more than a dozen good ones. They always found a way not to hire the ones I recommended, but at the same time officials kept telling me they were looking for "qualified black referees." They always used that adjective: referees were either plain referees or were "qualified Negro referees." Finally, in frustration I sent in the name of a referee who was famous as a bumbling idiot, so the NBA hired him, of course, and he was terrible. He couldn't tell a rulebook from a slide rule, and was a walking argument against affirmative action. The protests against him were so universal that I finally got a call asking why I'd recommended him. "I got tired of recommending 'qualified black referees,'" I said, "So I decided to recommend an unqualified one for a change, and that's the one you picked."

http://www.orangepower.com/archive/index.php/t-24271.html

[seaborneq]

That's the way I bet it. Lakers-Celtics final.