Celtics v. Lakers...There's A Shock

The NBA Finals are set. It’s the Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Is anyone really surprised? Now I realize, the Celtics didn’t have a great season. They looked old at times. They were the four seed and were supposed to be a decisive notch below Cleveland and Orlando in the East. So maybe there is a little surprise there.

But this is the NBA. Big markets find a way to get there. Whether it’s crooked referees, rigged ping pong ball drawings, or shady trades and player acquisitions, the NBA has found a way to always have at least one big market in the Finals almost every year during David Stern’s reign as commissioner.

I know that most people looked at me as a wacko when it comes to this stuff. Their arguments include 1) how can an entire league be rigged?. 2) if it was rigged, why have the New York Knicks stunk for so long?, 3) money is made when series go seven games, not when big markets make it (which is a complete joke) or 4) how do you explain the San Antonio Spurs? Okay, that last one is difficult, although San Antonio is a huge television market. It ranks in the top ten even though from a population standpoint, it is not.

All of the rest of these arguments hold no water. Looking at these other three points in reverse order: 3) Of course the league makes more money in riveting 7-game series, but they also make a ton of money when big markets are in the mix. Compare any 7-game series with L.A. with a 7-game series without L.A. and the first one makes more. In fact, I would be willing to bet that a 5-game series with L.A. and let’s say someone like Dallas gets better ratings than a highly contested and exciting 7-game series between Utah and Portland.

2) Why have the New York Knicks stunk for so long? Two reasons. First of all, even David Stern can’t fix organizations that have made so many bad decisions. And second of all, Stern doesn’t want to make it too obvious that the fix is on. He has had the occasional strong Knicks team in 1994 and 1999. He has also subtly had the New York market in the mix this past decade with the New Jersey Nets appearing in two Finals. Let’s face it, New Jersey is just a giant suburb of New York.

Finally, how can an entire league be rigged? Well, you make the a couple key draft lotteries go the right way. You tie the hands of teams like Utah and Memphis to make stupid moves to give up Derek Fischer and Paul Gasol to the L.A. Lakers and twist it to make it look rational. You pay off referees. Don’t tell me that Tim Donaghy was an isolated incident. That Sacramento v. L.A. Lakers game wasn’t the only game decided by referees. Being a Bucks fan, I am all too aware of Game 6 of the Philadelphia v. Milwaukee Eastern Conference Finals where the referees gave the game to the 76ers. Even Ray Allen attested to that. I know that Glenn Robinson could have changed all of that by hitting a shot at the buzzer, but the referees were clearly calling that game in favor of Philly.

If you still think I’m wacko, just look at the bottom line. Year after year, big markets make the NBA Finals. In the past 30 years, there has been one NBA Finals featuring two teams not in the Top 10 market size: San Antonio vs. Cleveland. Just one! The odds of that happening are astronomical. The fix is in ladies and gentlemen. David Stern is running one big reality television show and is bringing in the big bucks.