I Knew It....

This is probably a day or two late, but I figured what better time to discuss a wretched, rat-infested, corrupt sport than when I am watching its "championship series". People much smarter than I, and well, I, have been saying the NBA was fixed for years. Now Tim Donaghy comes out and says that the NBA told refs to basically help certain teams with star players win so that ratings and tickets sales would go up.

Anybody that lives in Wisconsin is keenly aware that the NBA is rigged. The 2001 Eastern Conference Finals is all I needed to see. I heard on the radio this morning that in the 00-01 season, Dikembe Mutombo "who want to sex Mutombo?", then the center for the Sixers, and pretty good at the time, had averaged 6.5 free throw attempts per game that season. In game 7 against the Bucks he shot NINETEEN. Also in that series, Scott Williams was suspended for game 7 for a flagrant foul. That season, the Sixers had Allen Iverson in his prime, and the NBA surely wanted an AI v. Kobe/Shaq finals. The last thing the NBA would have wanted was Milwaukee (the 33rd largest TV market) to win, when it could have #4. Even the Bucks Ray Allen said, "The bottom line is about making money." The NBA promptly slapped he and then-coach George Karl with $85,000 in fines.

And the thought that Dick Bavetta was helping the NBA fix games? C'mon now. Its not as if Dick Bavetta has refereed every game I've ever seen where it was obvious that the NBA needed one team to win so he shows up to call 40 fouls against the other team.

For David Stern to sit there and say that Donaghy is obviously lying and is trying to help himself is basically Stern saying to the American public that you are fucking stupid and can't see.

This is why the NBA will never be more than a passing interest for me. I can tolerate fantasy basketball, a playoff game involving Chris Paul and the Finals and that is it. I pretty much watch the Finals because of a lack of anything else on.

Game 7

I watched about 90% of the Cavs-Celtics game yesterday. Not very entertaining at all until the 4th Quarter. LeBron, as good as he was, had about the least impressive 45 point game I've seen. He forced a ton of threes, which were ill advised. Neither team could make an open shot. If this would have been tonight's Hornets-Spurs game, it would have been about 135-133 instead of the much lower score. To LeBron's credit, he was playing with 4 6th graders out there. His supporting cast is horrible, even though it is better than it was last year. There isn't a single person on that team that you could count on to make a wide open 3 (and they got a ton of them yesterday). I could not be any less impressed with a number one seed than I am with Boston right now. They might beat Detriot, but there is no way they get past whomever comes out of the West. Kobe, Chris Paul or Tony Parker/Manu Ginobili will destroy the Celts. Pierce was great yesterday, KG was surprisingly quiet, but hit shots when it mattered, the flies covering Ray Allen's corpse made a few clutch FT's (seriously, he was on the bench for the majority of the 4th qtr.)

Tonight's game ought to be much more entertaining. No Brewer game, or any TV to affect its uninterrupted viewing. Also, it starts before midnight, which is always good.

God help us if we get anybody v. The Spurs in the Finals again.