If definitive "proof" came out tomorrow that the NBA front office at any point

[Shogon]

or still to this day directed/directs ANY referees to try to extend a series or make the games more competitive...

1) Would you be surprised?

2) Would you still believe any championships meant anything whatsoever? If so, how could you ever know for sure?



At the end of the day, all of this shit is entertainment, and the NBA is a business. And they have financial incentives to try to extend a series as much as possible. And people trying to cheat in sports for various reasons has been happening since the beginning of sports and will last until the end of sports.

Anyone think the UFC doesn't create favorable matchups for monetary reasons rather than merit? Anyone think the UFC jugdes don't lean a certain way when a fight is close and it's financially in the UFC's interest to do so?

Anyone think that boxers don't take dives and judges don't take bribes and thus by extension the commissions themselves?

Why would the NBA be any different? Just because we don't have direct evidence?


I'm not saying I think the NBA is actively doing such a thing, but what I am saying is... it wouldn't surprise me personally in the least.

[FultzNationRISE]

I wouldnt be SHOCKED, but I would be surprised theyd take the risk of directly manipulating outcomes for one team or another.

I think the biggest thing is that refs are clearly instructed to call a certain AMOUNT of fouls for the simple reason that basketball is tiring as hell and without regular breaks for free throws players are going to get gassed quickly and the game becomes very sloppy which is something that in a way compares to a run on sentence that just keeps going non stop and at some point it’s just like my goodness can we add a few little breaks into this thing with a comma or a period or whatever to catch out breath ya know?

So theres no doubt in my mind the NBA wants refs consistently calling fouls for that purpose, whether fouls actually happened or not. And it leads to a lot of bad calls.

But as I said, for the NBA to still be systematically instructing refs to fix outcomes in an age when information so easily leaked, it would surprise me. But it wouldnt SHOCK me.

That said, refs have their own natural biases, and I dont think theres any way to eliminate that.

[1987_Lakers]

During David Stern's era? Probably not, dude came off as a sleazeball at times.

Silver seems like a good dude, the repercussions of them getting caught fixing games would be too much, don't see how they would risk it.

[GimmeThat]

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

[ImKobe]

Certain teams & players have always got the benefit of the whistle because the league wants them to succeed in order to have better ratings. There might not be a direct order or an agreement to extend a particular series, but the same teams & players always seem to get calls that others do not.

[HylianNightmare]

Wouldn't change a thing

[BarberSchool]

During David Stern's era? Probably not, dude came off as a sleazeball at times.

Silver seems like a good dude, the repercussions of them getting caught fixing games would be too much, don't see how they would risk it.
Silver is mild mannered, f@ggish, and likely incapable of masculinity, verbal or effective physical aggression, but don’t be fooled …. Psychologically, Silver is probably extremely aggressive and vengeful, with a giant chip on his weak shoulder.

Silver is like the alien piloting the human corpse in Men-In-Black.

[warriorfan]

Adam Silver did it in the 2016 Finals


It makes sense for them though. How many millions get left on the table when it’s a sweep vs a 6 or 7 game series? Like op said it’s a business.

[Jasper]

I'm not saying I think the NBA is actively doing such a thing, but what I am saying is... it wouldn't surprise me personally in the least.

10 4

Any pro sport worhy of watching is a billion or more dollar business.... that is why I hate the NFL,, it is fixed 101

[ArbitraryWater]

for now?

absolutely

stern era?


100% not