Posted on 06/04/2002 7:37:53 AM PDT by mrustow
Article argues that NBA Commissioner David Stern wanted so much for the Los Angeles Lakers to extend their two-consecutive NBA championships to a "threepeat," that he fixed the Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings.
We had the better team, there was no doubt to any objective viewer that this was the case.
But being in a "small market" I knew we were doomed from the start. We will never be able to give up the huge TV ratings that an LA series would generate.
More than anything else, I feel like we were robbed of a real chance to show what we have.
I guess the hardest part was trying to explain to my kids the difference in enforcing the rules. That there are fouls called for the Kings and a different set of standards for the Lakers.
A bad position for a Father to be in I think...
Cheers,
knews hound
You could put a bunch of punks from any court in America on the floor with an NBA team and if the refs call the game in the punks favor they have the advantage.
If you don't believe it's fixed then I'd like you to bet me on some wrestling matches.
Bing bing. Those are the rules that have garaunteed NBA officiating will be a joke forever. Anytime you see a guy with the ball run over a guy defending his teams key both rules are violated. Right of way goes to the highest salary. First thing the NBA needs to do is clean up its rule book to get rid of common situation where both teams can get called, then they need to fire all their officials because they suck even in the rare instance when the rule book is clear. Then kill David Stern, not that I think any of this is really his fault, he just irritates me on a general level.
Conspiracy theories will abound, but there must be a smoking gun for me to believe any of `em.
Or if it isn't broken, it needs to be.
The quality of the officiating is pathetic. It was only the inconsistancy of calling in game 6 that led to the Lakers even making it to game 7.
Those refs may not be "on the take", but they are not professional calibre and regardless of the talent of the Lakers, had the refs not called as they called, the Lakers would be the ones crying in their suds.
First of all the Lakers have won no threepeat. I doubt that the Nets will give LA much trouble, but just as the Kings did and the Sixers last year, the Lakers are vulnerable to an athletic team that moves the ball and can shoot from every spot on the floor. The trophy isn't handed out until the games are won.
Whatever David Stern wants, he gets, riggggght! How many of you really believe he DIDN"T want a Boston vs. LA match up? Come on now, let's see a show of hands!
Game 6, bad calls huh? Every time a Laker was touched, there was a foul? Like the drive Kobe made for a reverse dunk and Webber GRABBED HIS ARM and made the ball fly straight up. Oh yeah, there was no call on that play. Never mind. How about all those touches on the arm by Bibby every time a Laker took a shot? Oh yeah, no calls there either.
Did this guy cry in all the other games when the Kings got way more calls? I guess that's OK since after all they were the more aggressive team, right? Was he screaming like I was when Vlade GRABBED SHAQ BY THE JERSEY and no call was made? I think not.
Now we come to the part where this guy really shows his ignorance. On the inbounds play where Bibby got his nose whacked, Bibby was using the classic move a guard tries in desperate situations. Position yourself in front of your man, force a collision, and pull the offensive player toward you to make it look like a charge. The right call would have been a foul BEFORE THE BALL WAS INBOUNDED, resulting in free throws for LA plus the ball out of bounds! But this guy is too dumb to know it. Look at the replay and you'll see Bibby's right arm wrap around Kobe's back. Anybody's who's played the game could spot it a mile away.
Next we get into the funny stuff. Yeah, Jerry West "tampered" with O'Neal. He never had any thoughts of leaving the Magic till that wicked man, who's profile just happens to be the NBA logo, put evil thoughts in his head. Then comes the capper- Jordan never caught a break from the ref's. I guess this guy's never heard of "Jordan rules".
If the Nets, however unlikely, manage to beat LA for the title it will not be because the series is fixed, it will be because they play better and want it more, the same way the Lakers beat the Kings.
C'mon. Don't let the facts get in the way of these nutjobs conspiracy theories.
I agree that Jordan received favorable officiating, but I believe the "Jordan Rules" was the defense the Piston's "Bad Boys" used to shut him down in the early 90's.
Well, if the refs would have correctly waved off Somaki Walker's three pointer before half time in Game 4, we wouldn't have seen game six or seven. Game 6 was just too obvious that the refs were instructed to make it go to seven games. Even the looks on the Kings player's and owner's faces after game 7 said "we were robbed". I feel bad for them.
I suspect that if Shaq butt bumped you, you would fly accross the court. Shaq's body makes it impossible for him to play in accordance with the rules. He thinks the rules should be bent for him because of this. I say he shouldn't even be in the league.
The Lakers had 177 fouls called on them during the series while the Kings had 174 called on them. Oh, wait a minute, that CAN'T be true, can it?
Yep, blame the series loss on terrible foul SHOOTING by the Kings, as well as their choke-down-the-stretch field-goal shooting.
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