The NBA Fix

I knew going in to the Los Angeles-Houston series what was going to happen. Actually, I knew going in to the playoffs what was going to happen. Anyone who pays attention would too.

Coming in to the 2009 playoffs, one need only look at the top Eastern Conference team and the top Western Conference team, then recognize who both teams' star player is, to figure out who would be playing in the finals.

That's because the NBA is a business first and a basketball league second. Just imagine the money a Kobe vs LeBron NBA Finals would generate. How could you possibly pass that up if you're the NBA?

The fix has been on in the NBA for a while. That's why I can't take it seriously. And that's why I'm not upset about what is going on in the Los Angeles-Houston series despite my obvious hometown emotional investment in the series. I'm just not surprised by what is happening.

Game 1 Houston shocked Los Angeles and probably the NBA as well. That explains why Joey Crawford was given Game 2. Game 2 was garbage and I won't even bother going in to it.

Here in Game 3, the officiating was alright for the most part, but then Artest gets ejected for a regular foul that you see every game. How is that a Flagrant 2 and what Sasha Vujacic did to Von Wafer is only a foul? The fix is on. That's obvious no matter what happens with the review of Artest's foul on Pau Gasol. But if his Flagrant 2 isn't reversed, it'll be blatantly obvious.

Why doesn't the NBA just take a look at the teams over the summer, decide which two they want to play in the finals that particular year, then just play a seven game series and save us a lot of time and drama? Don't even play the regular season or the playoffs. Just go straight to the finals.

I expect to get a flood of Laker fans here. I don't expect much agreement from them about the fix. Why go against the flow when it favors you, right? But hopefully there can also be some intelligent discussion of the fix being on.

[edit on 5/9/09 by NovusOrdoMundi]

While I agree with you to an extent..the part about the NBA asking high rating and "good games" to go as far as possible, i don't think the NBA is the sole patrician. Take a look at who backs merchandising, ticketing and miscellaneous sales at the arenas and worldwide.

I just don't see anything that supports a "fix". Even with the boost in ratings that a LeBron vs. Kobe finals would bring, no professional sporting league would jeopardize everything for such a short-term boost. It would involve too many people and it just would not happen.

In the East, the Cavaliers are lucky to not be down 3-0. I haven't seen anything by the officials in that series that suggests they are pulling for Cleveland.

Thoughts?

i agree that the nba want kobe and lebron in the finals, for obvious reasons. i also agree about the referees, but its like this every playoffs, they call little touch fouls, and they are always quick to give a T. personally i would like to see denver in the finals, even though kobe is one of my favorite players, he reminds me so much of MJ, he's like a mirror image. and orlando is giving cleveland it's moneys worth. can't wait to see how they call game 4, thats the game to watch if your suspicious. will they help lebron out or not.

I think you guys don't understand how a true fix in sports is done. it is not done be going to the commish. It is done by talking to the refs. Look at the RECORD number of calls in this playoff block. It has been game changinf one-sided calls. to either allow for a comeback or to surpress a comeback. A good 70% of the calls from both series at present have been garbage or non-existent calls. Don't even get me started on the BS rollin calls as well as the blatant pushing calls that have gone uncalled.Hell even ESPN commentators have let slip a comment or 2. The NBA refs are not untouchable as we all know and times are tough...maybe for the organized crime families of the world too.

[edit on 25-5-2009 by djvexd]

[edit on 25-5-2009 by djvexd]

reply to post by djvexd


The calls..... are the key..

But WHO is behind them?

MJ got the extra step when he was MONEY....

traveling? Not MJ... same with King James...

Though he might get 2 extra steps now and then

It's not the same NBA I loved way back when...

When I watched Game 1 or 2 the other night, late in the fourth LeBron was called on a travel as he drove the lane in an attempt to tie the game. ...might have even been in game 3. Not 100% sure what game it was, but the call was made.

The media makes a big deal of these things and it is the same in every sport.

In the NHL, certain penalties are called against some players and not others. In MLB, the strike zone is a little larger for some pitchers than others. In the NBA, some players are allowed the odd extra step here and there. The league protects their best players and while they do not flaunt this.. rarely do they make an effort to hide it. Do we hear the players screaming every day about it? Nope, because they acknowledge it as well.

It has been a simple fact in almost every major sporting league for as long as the media has been reporting their day to day business.

So I don't think it carries any merit to say that Kobe or LeBron are called for less fouls, travels, or any other violation and correlate that to an actual fix.

reply to post by chissler


Psst... you have to watch the WHOLE season...

Preferential treatment of the NBA stars, is not a media creation..

WHO created it? WHO stands to GAIN from it?

It is old news, and it might have been going on when I was an NBA fan for all I know..

It just is a little TOO obvious for me at the moment, so I may hold a grudge


Disclaimer: I have NO dog in this hunt

Just observing

Carry on, and Good luck to those with a dog in the hunt

After watching last night's game, certainly a few questionable calls went for the Cavaliers and a few others against the Magic. Still not enough to make a believer out of me, but if I was a Magic fan I'd be screaming to the high heavens.

The non-foul call at the end of regulation last night probably would have resulted in my needing of a new television, or at the very least a new remote. I do believe Howard yanked on his arm to make it look like there was more contact.. but none of that would matter if I was a Magic fan.

reply to post by chissler


Lebron took about 5 steps on that travel call. The ref's had no choice but to call it. The guy travels all the time but it needs to be VERY blatant before the officials will call it.

I agree with the OP. The fix is in in the NBA. It isn't just preferential treatment for the superstars, it is manipulation trying to get a desired outcome. The people behind it can't be very happy with Orlando. Call all the fouls you want, but they keep hitting the 3's. If they go cold from behind the arc, the desired outcome happens and we get to see Lebron and Kobe.

I very well could be overly paranoid, but I think objectively looking at the game without any real ties to any team involved and you can see it happen. When they let one team maul the other without calling fouls and turn around and call every ticky-tack foul on the other, they are steering the outcome.

Let's not forget that it wasn't very long ago that a ref in the NBA was arrested for fixing games. I seriously doubt that he was alone.


How can you NOT call that?


[edit on 27-5-2009 by Karlhungis]

As a hockey official for over 10 years and a baseball umpire for almost 15 years, you can not take something as subjective as it and correlate it to a fix. It is far too subjective for it to substantiate anything of the sort.

I just don't buy it.

If there was ever a fix, it would have to stretch beyond the officials on the court.

The short-term boost of a LeBron/Kobe finals is non-existent when you weigh it against the risk of being caught in a fix. This is the league that only a year or two ago has busted it's officials for fixing games. If something like this existed, do you think those officials would be falling on the sword? Not a chance. The blame game would have begun. It didn't.

the risk of being caught in a fix.........you mean the risk of being caught and putting it all on one Rogue official

this is the typical rationale for those not thinking a fix is possible.....now i don't know if the fix is in......but i do know you have to watch a whole entire season to see which players get the calls and not reason that they are called fair b/c the king takes a five step walk thru to the rim and gets called on it.....

now who is benefitting........the most......? advertisers? merchandisers?

reply to post by chissler


The NHL, in my opinion, has the best officiating in sports. MLB has iffy strike zones sometimes, but it's hard to really fix a baseball game. The NFL used to have good officiating but it is starting to look like it is heading down the path of the NBA.

So when I accuse the NBA of being fixed, this isn't something I see in every sport. In the NBA, it's like they don't even try to hide the fact that their officiating is intentionally terrible. At times it's so blatant that you can't help but laugh, even if it's against your own team.

Now, the NBA can't completely fix a game. I realize that. Things happen; the teams they favor can go on cold streaks. The teams they don't can go on hot streaks. All the touch fouls in the world can't undo that, and in the end, the favored team has to do something with the opportunities given to them. But simply because the scoreboard may not reflect the fix doesn't mean the fix wasn't on. A perfect example of that is Orlando is up 3-2 over Cleveland.

On another note...

Denver sucks.

Isn't it funny how the Jazz are allegedly so great...then they get knocked out in 5?

And the Nuggets are some force to be reckoned with in the West...then they get knocked out in 6?

But the Rockets - a team without Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, and Tracy McGrady - beat a Trail Blazers team everyone expected to easily advance to the second round and took a supposedly 'loaded' Lakers team to 7 games, and they're labeled as 'weak' and an 'average' team by NBA "experts"?

The Rockets were the most undermanned team in the Western Conference playoffs this year, and they gave the Western Conference champs the most trouble. How can anyone honestly say they aren't that good of a team?

This is why I can't stand listening to these so-called "experts" on ESPN. They jump on bandwagons and don't look at the facts.