NBA : Conspiracy Theories (Some Have Facts,Some Ridiculous)

Analysis : Part 1

As we saw , the NBA decided on Boston-Chicago's Game 7 Match-Up that Boston Celtics point guard Rajon

"Greatest Point Guard in the League" Rondo will not be further reprimanded for his

throwing of Chicago Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich in Game Six .

The NBA, which could have suspended Rondo for Game Seven, decided the play will

stand as a flagrant foul.

Let the hypocrisy begin.

In the same week, Stern decided, upon further review, that Orlando Magic center

Dwight Howard's elbow-punch warranted a one-game suspension.

But just that night before, Rondo (yes, the same Rondo) gave Bulls center Brad Miller

a fish-hook he will never forget, though that didn't earn a suspension.

Something isn't kosher here.

Let's take a look at some of Stern's most notable double standards, which are

particularly strange considering none of them have favored the superstars of the

league.

During a Playoff series in May 2007, San Antonio Spurs forward Robert "Will Smith"

Horry body-checked Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash into the scorer's table.

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The hit forced Stern to slap a two-game suspension on Horry.

And in that same game—within seconds of the hit—Phoenix Suns forwards Amar'e

Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were given one-game suspensions for "leaving the

immediate vicinity of the bench."

In other words, they stood up.

Comparing that ruckus to the one that occurred in Game Six, Rondo should receive

a two-game suspension, and Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro (among several others)

should receive a one-game suspension for leaving the bench area. Actually, Del

Negro sprinted the length of the court.

Instead, they get nothing.

Maybe Stern isn't the only incompetent one involved here. Who is the official

overseeing all of this action, you may ask?

That'd be Joey Crawford, a.k.a. Tim Duncan's mortal enemy.

In a 2007 series between the Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks, Crawford got into a

war of words with Duncan. After Duncan complained about an offensive foul call,

Crawford gave him a technical.

Okay, just doing his job.

But then, after Duncan found a later foul call bogus—while sitting on the

bench—Crawford gave him his second tech, which forces ejection.

It was all because Duncan laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Crawford then reportedly offered to square off one-on-one with Duncan, which led

to an indefinite suspension from Stern.

And long before that, Crawford showed his inability to officiate correctly when 120

personal fouls, nine technical fouls, and two ejections took place in just two games

of the 2003 Playoffs.

It is the perfect storm of hypocrisy and incompetency.

So what could be the reasoning behind letting the boys play this time around and

giving Rondo no further punishment?

It is obviously not based on Rajon being a good boy before this; his lashing of Miller,

which required stitches, is evidence of his demeanor.

To me, it has to be two things:

1. Rondo vs. Rose is generating too much interest

Somebody tell me how many times the media have said this is a "classic duel of young point guards"?

Stern may be a dummy, but he is no fool. He knows how much money the competition is racking in, and I can't think of a bigger money glutton than the commissioner.

Suspending Rondo for that pivotal Game Seven would lower the ratings far too low for his liking, whereas leaving him in generates more viewers. Cue the Dr. Evil laugh.

2. Bulls-Celtics is turning into a born-again rivalry

Rondo is not going against only Rose; he now has a target on his back that Hinrich, Miller, and the city of Chicago are all aiming at. With the venomous feelings he produces, and the fact that his entire team backs him, you have an all-out brawl brewing between two teams in that season-deciding game.

Paul Pierce shattered the inside of his nose, Hinrich has a gash above his right eye, Miller is constantly tonguing at thread in his mouth—this is an MMA fight with an orange ball.

By leaving the biggest culprit in, you are re-living Bulls-Pistons and Celtics-Lakers. To Stern, that's more important than the rules.

Last edited by MikeMan™ on Tue May 26, 2009 6:53 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Why do I have a strong feeling that what you wrote above was written before game 7?

Anyway, I'll have to agree with most parts, especially where you said Joey Crawford failed to officiate correctly. His calls were always questionable to me. Also have to agree that Rondo vs. Rose is generating a lot of money and so as the Bulls vs. Celtics as a whole especially since the Bulls were able to push the C's to the limit.

Nevertheless, those long writing of yours still gives the impression that game 7 hasn't been played yet.

MikeMan, you're just trying to reach your 1000th post as quickly as possible.

It's not a conspiracy theory, it's the truth and league doesn't hide it.

There is a strong entertainment aspect to the business.

The NBA is suffering from low ratings ever since the lockout.

It has always been like that though... it's something you accept as a fan of the sport. The NBA isn't as "real" as we'd like it to be. The regular season is rather evenly matched out, but the playoffs are always one sided.

The league wants a LeBron/Kobe final. They're publicizing it, they're not hiding it. It's obvious. That's the final that will make them the most money, by far, and that's the final they will try to obtain.

It's up to the other teams (Magic and Nuggets in this case) to step up their game right now in order to get to the playoffs. It's part of the game. That's why being the underdogs really does put you in a clear disadvantage.

Either learn to live with it or stop watching basketball... that's all I can really say.

MikeMan, you're just trying to reach your 1000th post as quickly as possible.

What the F*ck are you talking about !?
If I reach my 1000th Post maybe on my next post , what am I gonna get !?
A $500 Prize or something !? A grand prize of being a Member of the 1000th Post Club !? ( BullSht )
I just want to share my opinions and
Share All The Things That I See And Know That You Don't See And You Don't Know .

Last edited by MikeMan™ on Tue May 26, 2009 4:48 am, edited 2 times in total.

If I had that $500 Prize of Reaching My 1000th Post ( which I don't care about ) ( that goes to you Oakrhum )and I needed to get advice on who to bet that money on for an NBA

Playoff game who would I go to?

Not the great RJ Bell at Pregame.com.
Not anyone on ESPN (some please shut down their NBA Shoot Around show ASAP).
Not Lee Cordova (it is best you don't know who he is or what he does).

I would go straight to:
JOEY CRAWFORD



Because it is pretty obvious that he and the rest of his merry men of referees already know who they want to win the game, so why not go straight

to the source?

When former NBA ref Tim Donaghy got busted by Feds and it came out that he was involved in some shadiness I will be honest I wasn't surprised.

NBA refs have more control over the outcome of a game than any other official in sports.

When Napoleon Stern declared after a thorough investigation (yeah right) that Donaghy was acting alone and it was an isolated incident I thought

that was a bunch of foolishness.

If the answers to a test comes up messing in a college class of 100 students do you really believe only one student looked at the answers?

These are the same refs that got in trouble for downgrading their first class airline tickets to coach so they could pocket some extra cash, so you

want me to believe that Donaghy was the only ref involved in shady activities?

If the NBA wanted to ease the fears of the general public this post season has been doing the exact opposite.

The only word I could use to describe the officiating is:

ATROCIOUS

I understand what is at stake. I understand the potential windfall of a Lakers vs. Cavs NBA Finals, but the lengths they are going through to make

that happen is turning me into a Nuggets and Magic fan.

The Lakers vs. Nuggets series has been bad, but the Magic vs. Cavs series is on the level of the 2006 Heat vs. Mavericks NBA Finals which was the

worst officiated series of all time.


The fact they are up 2-1 (should be 3-0 if it wasn't for Lebron's crazy shot) is amazing if you think about it (if I hear that Kanye West song one

more time Ron Artest and I are going to grab a table leg).

There were about ten loose balls that went out of bounds in last night game and nine was ruled to be the Cavs ball. The words "Charge" and

"Lebron" don't seem to go in the same sentence together. Poor Dwight Howard is wondering where is the "Star System" for him since he seems to

have two fouls before we can even comment on how bad Craig Sager's suit is.

Meanwhile everyone is scared to ask Napoleon Stern what he is going to do about it. Napoleon Stern is too busy trying to talk down to people and

act like he is smarter than everybody (his interview with Leslie Salters during the NBA Draft Lottery was deplorable he should apologize to her).

We are watching some great athletes and some great games in these NBA Playoffs but isn't sad the only thing people wanted me to talk about today

are the refs?

That isn't amazing .

lol MikeMan take it easy bro and Relax

if I hear that Kanye West song one more time Ron Artest and I are going to grab a table leg

Poor Dwight Howard is wondering where is the "Star System" for him since he seems to have two fouls before we can even comment on how bad Craig Sager's suit is.

Oh man, you're too funny.

You're making a lot of sense to me though, I've always think the same about how the refs have influenced the game in one way or another.
It's pretty obvious that the NBA (well, to be more specific, David Stern) wanted a Lakers vs. Cavs finals because those teams will make them the most money, but basketball isn't that easy to manipulate. I dont think they're manipulating situations to get exactly what they wants, but some of the actions taken by the referees and the league are definitely questionable. The suspension thingy in round 1 for instance. It just doesn't smell right. Like you said, it would have been 3-0 already if it wasn't for LeBron's amazing buzzer beating three that won game 2. But still, LeBron made that shot and saved the game, so it isn't really safe to say that the league set that up because they cant order a buzzer beating three pointer to be made or miss. I think the NBA is still a fair place for basketball, though (I will say this again and again) it is starting to become like the WWE, according to Rasheed Wallace.

Anyway, just watch the game for fun, dont get into it that much, you cant expect the game to be as clean as the 70's anymore since the world has changed. It's not all about business back then, it's still not all about business now but the word "business" has definitely been taken into account more than it has been in the last 3 decades. So yeah, just watch it for fun, the game was supposed to be fun. And oh, avoid double posting too.

So the NBA is powerful enough to rig the NBA Finals for over 60 years without the truth being revealed in the form of a shocking exposé or embarrassing public admission, but they can't control one rogue team (the Orlando Magic) from interfering with their plans for a Lakers/Cavaliers Finals? I don't buy it.

That's not to say I think the officials are above criticism or that the league doesn't make inconsistent rulings when it comes to suspensions and the like. It's great that referees have been held a little more accountable since the Donaghy scandal, I do think that should be increased even further however with more rigorous screening and as some journalists have suggested, making them take part in post-game press conferences where these issues can be raised and they have to answer questions about certain calls out in the open. A little more transparency wouldn't go astray.

I just have a hard time buying into the conspiracy theories because of all the times they don't fit. If the league is rigging the Playoffs, why have we had Spurs/Nets, Spurs/Pistons, Spurs/Cavs and even Mavericks/Heat in the Finals? Why have they instituted a replay to determine whether shots came after the buzzer or not? Why did the Pistons beat the Lakers in 2004? How do lone teams defy the league's plans if it's powerful enough to rig everything? How come the inner workings of this plot haven't come out?

In all fairness, I can't disprove the conspiracy theories beyond a shadow of a doubt any more than they can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt at this juncture. Unless anyone in this Forum has actual inside knowledge, all we can throw out there are interesting points to ponder, some paranoia, a few counter points and a healthy dose of skepticism. However, I would suggest that if the NBA is rigged, they could be doing
a lot better job of it.

@Andrew, I think they try their best to fix games, but it doesn't always go their way.
They can't make it obvious, they just throw in or let go of a couple of calls. They can't truly fix a game, just the circumstances.

Sorry, I still don't buy it. If the league was all-powerful and there really was a conspiracy afoot, they'd find a means of doing a better job of it and we wouldn't see small market teams or matchups that are destined to garner low ratings in the NBA Finals. Like I said, I find it difficult to believe the NBA would be able to rig things for over 60 years and not get caught out with definitive evidence, but they're not competent enough to stop some "rogue" teams here and there bucking the system.

I dont think the NBA rig things back in the 60s-90s though. The game was clean back then. I still think it's relatively clean nowdays but maybe not as clean as it was?

The general sentiment of the conspiracy theory and variations of it have existed before the current decade though. I see the points that the conspiracy makes, if nothing else it highlights problems with officiating and rulings on disciplinary action but without more concrete evidence I remain a skeptic.

If this conspiracy gayness is indeed true, it seems like David Stern wants a Denver Nuggets - Cleveland Cavaliers championship series.

If the league is rigging the Playoffs, why have we had Spurs/Nets, Spurs/Pistons, Spurs/Cavs and even Mavericks/Heat in the Finals?

2003 : The self-proclaimed “King of Akron” LeBron James declared for the NBA Draft,
the Cleveland Cavaliers got the #1 pick?
2008 : How about the Chicago Bulls picking first this year where Derrick Rose (being from Chicago) has decided to come out despite the team basically having a slim-to-none chance of even getting the top pick?
1985 : Patrick Ewing, the biggest prize in college basketball went to the New York Knicks, the leagues biggest market in the first ever draft lottery.
Is there no such thing as traveling anymore? What is a foul these days? How come everyone in the NBA is actually an inch or two shorter than listed in real life? Tim Donaghy? The NBA is so focused on being global and that’s why the San Antonio
Spurs have won the NBA Championship 4 times because isn’t their team essentially the United Nations? Which also explains the Cavs vs Spurs in 2007 Finals because LeBron James’ Nike affiliation has made him China’s most popular non-asian athlete (which coincidentally hosted the Olympics). And the biggest of them all, Lakers vs Celtics in last years NBA Finals! How convenient that the rivalry that pretty much shaped the league had been played out again 20 years after their last title meeting. Ratings and revenue my friends…ratings and revenue. I’m crazy right? OK…

2008 NBA Finals : Paul Pierce “injuring” his knee in game one? Carried off the court, taken back to the locker room in a wheel chair and then coming back a la Willis Reed? Fake. The Los Angeles Lakers only shooting 10 free throws in game 2? Fixed. We can even go back to game 4 of the Spurs/Lakers series. That no call on Derek Fisher at the end? Hmmm… There really is somebody in the grassy knoll, and his name is David Stern.
The Lakers/Celtics series went in 6 games with the final game being played in Boston and the Celtics ended up hanging banner 17. No way is the league going to let Los Angeles beat Boston when the Lakers just won a title 6 years ago and the Celtics haven’t won in 22 years! Gladly , I didn't bet for the best player on the planet a.k.a Kobe Bryant, because even he ain’t more powerful than Commissioner Stern a.k.a The NBA.

The self-proclaimed “King of Akron” LeBron James declared for the NBA Draft,
the Cleveland Cavaliers got the #1 pick?

What are you trying to interpret? Some teams has to get the #1 pick. What's up with the Cavaliers getting it? If the Wizards got the #1 pick that year LeBron would probably be playing for them now.

How about the Chicago Bulls picking first this year where Derrick Rose (being from Chicago) has decided to come out despite the team basically having a slim-to-none chance of even getting the top pick?

Now I dont buy that stuff. They draw ping pong balls for a reason. It was unlikely for the Bulls to win the first pick, but they won it from the lottery and you cant argue that the procedure is biased. It's completely random and it was highly unlikely for the Bulls to get the top pick but there is always the chance that they do even if it's only one in a thousand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Lottery

Are you saying that all the ping pong balls were numbered 1 so that the Chicago Bulls get the top pick on purpose?

How convenient that the rivalry that pretty much shaped the league had been played out again 20 years after their last title meeting. Ratings and revenue my friends…ratings and revenue.

Isn't it because the Celtics and the Lakers were the best teams in the East and West last season? Isn't is sensible for the best team from the East and West to meet each other in the finals anyway? Regardless of how the Celtics became the best team last season (damn that massive trades that brought the Big Three together) they were still the best team and so was the Lakers. It sounds reasonable enough for me for the two best teams to meet in the finals.

No way is the league going to let Los Angeles beat Boston when the Lakers just won a title 6 years ago and the Celtics haven’t won in 22 years!

So the Celtics didn't win because they were a better team? This thought that the league gave the title to Boston last year rather than the Lakers because Boston haven't won a title in 22 years and Lakers only 6 years is extremely idiculous, you were making some sense before but I'm starting to think otherwise now.

2003 : The self-proclaimed “King of Akron” LeBron James declared for the NBA Draft,
the Cleveland Cavaliers got the #1 pick?

The Cavaliers, along with the Nuggets, had the best odds of winning the lottery in 2003. And they did. That's hardly a conspiracy. Furthermore, the results of the 2003 Draft Lottery are completely irrelevant to the NBA rigging the NBA Finals and the Playoffs.

2008 : How about the Chicago Bulls picking first this year where Derrick Rose (being from Chicago) has decided to come out despite the team basically having a slim-to-none chance of even getting the top pick?

Again, what has this got to do with the NBA Finals or Playoffs? Absolutely nothing, it's completely irrelevant. But since you bring it up, they are not the only team to beat the odds and leap into the top three. The Blazers getting the top pick in 2007 are a good example of that. Admittedly they had better odds than the Bulls but they had significantly worse odds than the Grizzles, Celtics and Bucks who dropped out of the top three that year.

1985 : Patrick Ewing, the biggest prize in college basketball went to the New York Knicks, the leagues biggest market in the first ever draft lottery.

That one's always going to be a talking point but nothing conclusive has been proven, leaving it mostly bitter paranoia. The Knicks wouldn't make the Finals again until 1994 and never won a championship with Ewing. And again, irrelevant to the NBA rigging the Finals and Playoffs.

Is there no such thing as traveling anymore?

The NBA has pretty relaxed travel calls for everyone. Hardly a conspiracy for any particular player or team.

What is a foul these days?

Yeah, there's some inconsistency at times...across the entire league and usually favouring all star players. Again, hardly a conspiracy for any specific player or team.

How come everyone in the NBA is actually an inch or two shorter than listed in real life?

Are you serious? You're really, really, really, really grasping at straws on that one. The main difference is players being measured while wearing shoes as opposed to them being measured without shoes. Nowhere near being a conspiracy, completely and utterly irrelevant to the NBA rigging the Finals or Playoffs. An absolutely laughable argument, I'm sorry.

Tim Donaghy?

What about him? Until it can be proven that he wasn't acting alone, he's just a rogue criminal who got in hot water with the mob and jeopardised the integrity of the game. Alone. Not on David Stern's orders, unless you can prove it. And "Because I said so, you are brainwashed" is NOT proving it.

The NBA is so focused on being global and that’s why the San Antonio
Spurs have won the NBA Championship 4 times because isn’t their team essentially the United Nations? Which also explains the Cavs vs Spurs in 2007 Finals because LeBron James’ Nike affiliation has made him China’s most popular non-asian athlete (which coincidentally hosted the Olympics).

Prove it. Give me hard evidence of these things beyond paranoid rantings. The 2007 Finals rated extremely poorly. Why would the NBA rig a Finals that was going to rate so poorly just to sell some merchandise in China? And why wouldn't they have the Cavaliers win, if they're so intent on rigging LeBron to be the league's biggest hero?

And the biggest of them all, Lakers vs Celtics in last years NBA Finals! How convenient that the rivalry that pretty much shaped the league had been played out again 20 years after their last title meeting. Ratings and revenue my friends…ratings and revenue. I’m crazy right? OK…

Yes, you are crazy. I hate to bring out the "watch the games" argument but...did you watch the NBA last year? The Celtics and the Lakers were two of the top teams in the league last season having made major acquisitions that greatly improved their rosters. It was no surprise that they made the Finals, no matter what delusional, paranoid fantasy you want to indulge.

2008 NBA Finals : Paul Pierce “injuring” his knee in game one? Carried off the court, taken back to the locker room in a wheel chair and then coming back a la Willis Reed? Fake.

Prove it. Offer me concrete proof and not just some speculative assertion that doesn't even prove that the NBA Finals is rigged. It's not the first time a player has left the court seemingly badly injured, got re-taped or shaken off a cramp or walked off a rolled ankle and then returned. The media immediately jumped to the Willis Reed comparison, and that's only natural given the vague similarities. But you cannot prove it was fake and it is not proof of a rigged series.

The Los Angeles Lakers only shooting 10 free throws in game 2? Fixed. We can even go back to game 4 of the Spurs/Lakers series. That no call on Derek Fisher at the end? Hmmm… There really is somebody in the grassy knoll, and his name is David Stern.

Prove it's fixed. Give concrete evidence. Give me completely unbiased, irrefutable proof of what you're saying and then I'll buy into the conspiracy. Until then, I'm a skeptic because I will not be swayed by strawman arguments.

The Lakers/Celtics series went in 6 games with the final game being played in Boston and the Celtics ended up hanging banner 17. No way is the league going to let Los Angeles beat Boston when the Lakers just won a title 6 years ago and the Celtics haven’t won in 22 years! Gladly , I didn't bet for the best player on the planet a.k.a Kobe Bryant, because even he ain’t more powerful than Commissioner Stern a.k.a The NBA.

I know I'm harping on this, but seriously, concrete evidence. Just saying it doesn't make it so.

Look, if you want to believe that there's a massive conspiracy, fine. But don't expect everyone to agree with you when...

...you only cite examples that prove your point, and provide no proven counterpoints for examples that do not support your theory
...you cite ridiculous and irrelevant examples, like Paul Pierce's injury, to prove that championship series are rigged
...you provide speculative answers that you cannot conclusively prove
...you completely ignore evidence (Cavs having the best odds, Lakers/Celtics being tops in their conference and playing well all season) with your points.
...you go to the tired and lazy "you're just brainwashed" argument

Now, here's the thing. A lot of things could be rigged. There could be a conspiracy. But until there's more concrete proof, irrefutable and objective evidence that supports that claim, I for one will remain a card-carrying skeptic. Neither of us can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is or there isn't a conspiracy. But in the face of a lack of hard evidence (and one person's description or opinion of an event is NOT hard evidence), I feel at best the truth is closer to the midground of the NBA having several problems with its officiating and disciplinary policy, but not to the extent of staging games and pre-planning winners.

Disparity and room for improvement? Absolutely. Incompetence? That might be fair to say too. But a sinister conspiracy and a shocking truth that the NBA is as pre-determined as professional wrestling? I doubt that. And I think it's a disservice to the players to even suggest that.

Again, if you want to believe in the conspiracies, be my guest. It's always an interesting talking point. But don't expect them to be universally accepted by everyone without some more convincing arguments and evidence and with all due respect, please don't condescend to state that anyone with an alternative point of view is ill-educated or brainwashed. If I haven't made my point clearly enough, let me summarise it as follows.

I cannot completely refute the possibility of an NBA conspiracy but there's just not enough concrete evidence for me to buy into it, so I remain a skeptic.

Bring on the white flag smiley, MikeMan.

2007 Finals because LeBron James’ Nike affiliation has made him China’s most popular non-asian athlete (which coincidentally hosted the Olympics). And the biggest of them all, Lakers vs Celtics in last years NBA Finals! How convenient that the rivalry that pretty much shaped the league had been played out again 20 years after their last title meeting. Ratings and revenue my friends…ratings and revenue. I’m crazy right? OK…

http://www.nba.com/news/chinajerseys.html
From 2007: Lebron is fifth..behind kobe and others
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/retail-restaurants/e3idfed28cc72bd8cb6ac411101179c14e5
from 2008: lebron is still #7

Stop making things up Mike: its worn thin

What's even more scary is that when we discover that Stern is actually an alien from another galaxy.

You guys are crazy. MikeMan™ is right 100%.

WWE is real.

Are you serious or was that just sarcasm?

It was about time the cat regains his ground.

David Stern is Emperor Palpatine he manipulates everything! And Lebron James is his ANakin Skywalker aka "THE COSEN ONE".

C'mon MikeMan, Why would you compare Willis Reed to The Truth?! An injury is an injury and it can't be predicted. It's just that dramatic because Celtic fans don't want to expect Pierce to be out for that Finals series.

Bring on the white flag smiley, MikeMan.

Yeah, bring it out. You have just lost in this discussion.