Celts win--Garnett does pushups after getting fouled.

[RiffRandell]

Man, I wish I was at the Garden--the crowd went wild.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/story/2012-06-02/Garnett-comes-to-life-to-spearhead-Celtics/55339160/1

[joeybee12]

1. Yup, and who says the Lakers are Showtime...

Last edited Sat Jun 2, 2012, 06:43 AM - Edit history (1)

When you got a floor show like this!

[Upton]

2. If they'd only won game 2..

the Celtics would have LeBonds and his mercenary buddies on the ropes. The missed call on Rondo, etc., again demonstrates how the officials can change an entire series..

[joeybee12]

3. Officials acting on Stern's orders...

Most fixed of all the professional sports...rivals wrestling.

[Upton]

4. That's the way I look at it..

I've felt the NBA was fixed since the 2002 Western Conference Finals....

[joeybee12]

5. Lebron making it to the finals gets better ratings...

And a better storyline.

[JonLP24]

6. Except Soccer

Now every league probably isn't fixed but there is a hell of a lot of match fixing going on.

Here's a story that just came out yesterday - this is quite common.

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/7998343/fifa-guatemala-investigate-match-fixing-scandal

Mercenaries.... LOL. They're all mercenaries. It's a job, we're all mercenaries.

[joeybee12]

7. Yeesh! If FIFA is involved then it must be REALLY bad...

If ever there was an organization that would turn a blind eye...

[Upton]

8. You're comparing the NBA to Guatemalan soccer match fixing?

Okay...seems a bit much, but, works for me.

I see you're a Heat fan. I didn't realize that...what part of Florida are you from?

[JonLP24]

9. Guatemala

is far from the only place match fixing is going on. It's just the latest example.

I never said I was a Heat fan. I root for the Suns.

[Upton]

10. What's happening in Guatemala

is hardly the standard by which to be measuring the amount of match fixing going on in soccer...or anything else for that matter.

Don't you consider the NBA to play the best basketball in the world? Then why not compare it to the best of the soccer leagues? Your argument would make more sense looking at the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga etc..in comparison.

Thing is Jon, by citing match fixing in soccer as a way to justify fixed games in the NBA, you're only confirming my point>> the NBA is fixed.

[JonLP24]

11. Oh wow

I don't know where to start with these illogical arguments.

OK - I wasn't using Guatemala as a standard by measuring the amount of match fixing going on, just using it as the latest example. My argument was that it was so common that there is an example of one case just yesterday.


This is a few days ago - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303807404577432492849832320.html

Admittedly it is more common in Asia but there are examples in Europe.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/european/2012/0528/322624-arrests-made-in-match-fixing-probe/

I wasn't citing examples in soccer as a way to justify fixed games in NBA. Was arguing the point NBA is most fixed next to professional wrestling by rebutting w/ soccer. I don't buy that the NBA is fixed so I wasn't justifying that it is. The example you cited, 2003 WCF. Fisher got tagged w/ two phantom fouls in the first period and the calls against the Kings were fair. If you recall Fisher himself was in foul trouble. It was a poorly officiated game overall. Plus Delaney worked that game, I don't buy that someone who would have a hand in bringing down the NJ mob would be a willing participant in fixing games.

So if the NBA is fixing the Heat to be in the finals, why did Boston win? Oh, they won despite the fixing - then why did they shoot more foul shots than the Heat?

[Upton]

12. No, I'm talking about the 2002 WCF..specifically game 6

Former ref Tim Donaghy detailed how the NBA fixes games. Yeah sure he's "disgraced" and all that, but without specifically naming names, he sure makes it clear what he's talking about....and when these allegations came out in 2008, a lot of folks, including myself, just figured we knew it all the time.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401

Michael Wilbon, whom I suspect you trust more than Donaghy, wrote on game 6:

"I wrote down in my notebook six calls that were stunningly incorrect, all against Sacramento, all in the fourth quarter when the Lakers made five baskets and 21 foul shots to hold on to their championship."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_NBA_Playoffs

You just keep on naively trusting David Stern...

[JonLP24]

13. I was speaking about game 6 2002 WCF

Sorry about the 2003 error.

Donaghy was involved in fixing games for point spread purposes & possibly o/u. He didn't work that game and don't buy most of the mud he's slinging. Your argument is fixing games are going on and still going on in favor of Stern's interests. Barkley denied one of the accusations Donaghy threw his way and I trust Barkley way more than him.

Wilbon didn't write down those phantom calls on Derek Fishers in the first quarter. Like I said it was poorly officiated all the way around.

In 1996 Arizona State played a home game against USC in college football. In the 4th quarter the USC QB threw the ball to a covered WR where the ball clearly bounced off the turf to the USC player falling down then when the ball was on the turf, it was at that time under an ASU player. Here is the kicker - the ref raised his arms to signal touchdown while the ball was under the ASU player before the USC player reached over and slid the ball over. Was college football fixed then? Because that was a stunningly incorrect call is college football fixed now? This is basically what the argument is when it comes the NBA. There was incorrect calls - that Donaghy didn't work - which means the NBA is fixed and is fixed now.

BTW - Stern is a jackass but this isn't the reason unless there is proof rather than someone slinging mud who was involved in a spread fixing scandal irrelevant to Stern's interests.