There's No Way NBA is Going to let Warriors beat LA

[svart]

stop whining. refs will make bad calls. you sound now like the grizz fans from last year, or the kings ones last series.

[wco81]

Even on FT attempts, 17 for Lakers, 16 for Warriors.

15 to 23 Personal Fouls.

But Warriors didn't get in foul trouble and gave up only half the attempts of the first game.

Of course Lakers players were complaining about not getting calls.

AD had 3 fouls in the first half. Man he gets away with physical picks. He knocked down Warriors defenders at least twice on picks in the first half.

He didn't get called for one offensive foul in either game.


We will see what the officiating looks like down in LA. No Warrior in real foul trouble other than Poole. Looney had zero PFs.

[Romulus]

Did you all just watch them rig game 3? That's 2 games out of 3 that have been rigged for the Lakers. This isn't even basketball. This isn't even a sport anymore. Just hand Lebron his 5th championship.

[Old_Blue]

Did you all just watch them rig game 3? That's 2 games out of 3 that have been rigged for the Lakers. This isn't even basketball. This isn't even a sport anymore. Just hand Lebron his 5th championship.

The officiating has been suspect all season. Remember all the weird palming calls back at the start of the season? Whatever happened with that nonsense? Now, all these months later, you've got the Lakers leading the Dubs 83 to 39 in FTAs three games into a seven game series (with most of the Dubs charity stripe points coming in garbage time). That puts the Lakers on pace to get 200 FTAs (and outpace the Dubs in that category by over 100) were the series to go all seven games. 200 FTAs? Does the NBA really think this makes for good content? When will advertisers start balking at paying for ad space during fourth quarters that nobody is watching? When will slanted officiating call into question the NBA's growing entanglement with the gambling industry? I'm okay with a team losing fair and square. I'm not okay with the game being thoroughly dictated by the most subjective aspect of the game - the officiating.

[wco81]

Lakers can jump or barrel into Warriors defenders and get the calls.

They overturned one charge, maybe one offensive foul so far for AD in the series, never in foul trouble, playing all those minutes, initiating all the contact, including on setting screens.

It's Lebron's turn. They are going to keep getting the one-sided whistle all the way through the Finals.

[WarriorGM]

At this point the free throw disparity is something that should be expected. The Dubs and their fans should have come in at the start of the series with the expectation of needing to be 20+ points better than the Lakers in pure scoring. It's just how it is. The funny thing is they should be good enough to do it.

By the way this is also one reason I consider Steph a clearly better player than LeBron no matter the accolades they've received. Steph simply has a purer basketball game revolving around skill. I'm sure there are people who consider the whistle and drawing fouls as part of the game but it is not as pure as putting the ball directly into the basket. Basketball refs judging contact are so vague and wildly inconsistent that they might as well be judges in figure skating.

[Chris Porter's Hair]

Did you all just watch them rig game 3? That's 2 games out of 3 that have been rigged for the Lakers. This isn't even basketball. This isn't even a sport anymore. Just hand Lebron his 5th championship.

Then there is an easy solution. Stop. Watching.

No, I didn't watch them rig game 3. This is embarrassing.

[wco81]

It's not just the 20+ FTs in a game the Warriors have to overcome.

It means they get away with more things and Warriors can't play physically.

Lakers role players pump fake and then jump into Warrior defenders like they were Dwayne Wade in that rigged championship for the Heat.

AD knows they're getting all the calls so he tries to barrel over Green and Looney, doesn't try to go around them, and he gets the calls.

Basically took Green out of the game completely.

So how do you overcome a 20+ FT disparity without one of your best players and the rest of the team not able to play with the same force or physicality?

They can't go uphill every game, for the whole series.

My guess is it won't change on Monday and the Lakers will go up 3-1 and Warriors get game 6 at Chase and the Lakers will close it out in game 6, with another FT rigging.

It's Lebron's turn. The narrative is perfect for the NBA, a big market team getting the all-time lead in titles, to present to the networks for the new TV deal.

[beavis15205]

I wondered how the NBA would handle the writer's strike, but appears they just use the same old scripts.

[tal57]

It's not just the 20+ FTs in a game the Warriors have to overcome.

It means they get away with more things and Warriors can't play physically.

Lakers role players pump fake and then jump into Warrior defenders like they were Dwayne Wade in that rigged championship for the Heat.

AD knows they're getting all the calls so he tries to barrel over Green and Looney, doesn't try to go around them, and he gets the calls.

Basically took Green out of the game completely.

So how do you overcome a 20+ FT disparity without one of your best players and the rest of the team not able to play with the same force or physicality?

They can't go uphill every game, for the whole series.

My guess is it won't change on Monday and the Lakers will go up 3-1 and Warriors get game 6 at Chase and the Lakers will close it out in game 6, with another FT rigging.

It's Lebron's turn. The narrative is perfect for the NBA, a big market team getting the all-time lead in titles, to present to the networks for the new TV deal.

It is not just the Warriors series the league is manipulating but every series that produces huge ratings because of how many billions are involved. Thus even if they don't have the dog in fight to push to the next round, they manipulate the series to go at least 6, hopefully 7 games. This year it just happens to be all 4 series producing huge ratings thus none will be decided in less than 6 games. For example, there is no way Boston was going to win today because that series would have suddenly lost all of its luster and the league will not allow it to happen. The Warriors series is the only one when the league has the dog in fight to push into the next round, because they know the fake king craves another ring. And he basically gets what he wants. But the league doesn't want less than 6 games because of the huge LAL/GS ratings. You can write down 6 games for the LAL/GS series. Lakers take game 4, GS game 5 and Lakers game 6. I think the league will be too scared to play winner take all on the GS floor. NBA is basically glorified WWE since they ventured into the golden calf stratosphere, when at the same tine the inmates are running the asylum as in no other professional sport being close to that.

[wco81]

Shouldn't be surprised by how much the Lakers have been put on the line, both during the regular season, especially since the ASB and in the post-season.

In the Bubble, people couldn't defend AD because they were giving him fouls on the slightest contact. He went to the line a lot even though that year he was taking a lot of mid range and 3-point jump shots that year. That was his game in New Orleans and he compared himself to KD, ability to pull up for midrange.

He didn't like playing center because of the wear and tear but did it this year.

In the Bubble, Howard neutralized Jokic by being physical with him.

If the Lakers match up with Denver in the WCF, Lakers will get more FTs again and they will "shut down" or "make Jokic less efficient" by getting away with fouling him. If it's the Suns, it'll be the same thing, Monty Williams has complained about the Suns not getting enough FTs or their opponents getting too much. But AD will get a ton of FTs, maybe Reeves and Lebron too. KD or Booker might get some FTs but only one of them, not both.

Same thing with the ECF winner, no way they don't fight uphill against a big FT disparity.

No NBA media is talking about this, not just the FT disparity this season, this playoffs or historically. Sure ESPN and TNT and NBA TV won't talk about it, because they have their broadcasts to protect. But I'm talking about the experts on podcasts like The Ringer.

Lakers getting 20-30 more FTs a game is like spotting them 20 points. It's funny, the media all talk about the betting odds, because they're all sponsored by sports betting companies, Fan Duel, etc. I think some are official NBA sponsors or they advertise on the podcast and maybe on the networks doing the NBA broadcasts?

How do they handicap a big FT disparity or pretend that it doesn't even exist?

What's funny about the skeptics who say it's whining to point out the FT disparity is that there are numerous historical examples like the Lakers getting 27 FT attempts in the 4th quarter of a decisive game in that 2002 WCF series.

Or do they even deny that that game was rigged?

[Jerry Maine]

I think we're going to see a better effort from the refs, they won't take Draymond out of the game this time. They've avoided Lakers going into a 3-1 hole, now it's up to the players to win the games. I hope

Two calls against Dray were pretty clearly charges in my book but the league couldn't risk the loss in income. Totally changed the game and the players knew it, mailed it in from there

[WarriorGM]

Did you all just watch them rig game 3? That's 2 games out of 3 that have been rigged for the Lakers. This isn't even basketball. This isn't even a sport anymore. Just hand Lebron his 5th championship.

Then there is an easy solution. Stop. Watching.

I did stop watching. For 15 years I stopped watching. Only started watching again because of Steph since I noticed his shotmaking was the real deal. If Steph was treated more like other stars he'd have more games like that 62-point game which I found unusual for how many free throws Steph had and he'd be breaking the league even more than he has. Some people keep questioning how Draymond keeps getting away with yelling at the refs. I take it as the refs giving him and the team slack to make up for their reluctance to give Steph calls.

[xdrta+]

Did you all just watch them rig game 3? That's 2 games out of 3 that have been rigged for the Lakers. This isn't even basketball. This isn't even a sport anymore. Just hand Lebron his 5th championship.

Then there is an easy solution. Stop. Watching.

I did stop watching. For 15 years I stopped watching. Only started watching again because of Steph since I noticed his shotmaking was the real deal. If Steph was treated more like other stars he'd have more games like that 62-point game which I found unusual for how many free throws Steph had and he'd be breaking the league even more than he has. Some people keep questioning how Draymond keeps getting away with yelling at the refs. I take it as the refs giving him and the team slack to make up for their reluctance to give Steph calls.

Haha, you have some hilarious takes.

[ILOVEIT]

I think we're going to see a better effort from the refs, they won't take Draymond out of the game this time. They've avoided Lakers going into a 3-1 hole, now it's up to the players to win the games. I hope

Two calls against Dray were pretty clearly charges in my book but the league couldn't risk the loss in income. Totally changed the game and the players knew it, mailed it in from there

After the Lakers won game 1, someone on the talk shows said "Just saying...but look for an early second foul against AD in game 2" He was spot on. Then in game three....Draymond early calls.

It's disgusting how the refs are totally shaping the outcomes of these games.
Lakers get dominate calls...they win. Game called evenly, Warriors win.

[Old_Blue]

It's disgusting how the refs are totally shaping the outcomes of these games.
Lakers get dominate calls...they win. Game called evenly, Warriors win.

An article from the 2022 playoffs wherein the writer is expressing concern about 25.8 free-throw attempts per 100 possessions through the first 20 games of that year's playoffs:

https://theathletic.com/3265800/2022/04/22/hollinger-fouls-nba-playoffs/

Maybe someone can do the math. What are the Lakers getting so far this series...30, 35 FTAs per 100 possessions? Whatever the number is, it's preposterous.

[tal57]

The disparity in calls also doesn't always show the entire picture. The main point is when those calls are made and how they are affecting the flow of the game for both teams. If the disparity in calls is made up in the absolutely irrelevant phase of the game to somewhat even the calls when the game is practically out of reach, then it is only creating the illusion of impartial game. That is the main league tool to create the vision of impartiality within the game and what had been practiced by the league many times throughout history. However, when the zebras start taking one team out to cleaners from the outset when the game is even steven, it makes the team being raped timid on both ends, while the opponent sensing the officials are fully behind them, start playing recklessly and loose. Completely changing the makeup of the game until the game for all incentive purposes is out of reach. Then the calls even out in between for some useless makeup calls to improve the illusion of impartiality.

[wco81]

Yeah once Curry retires, I'm going to watch fewer non-Warriors games on ESPN, TNT, ABC and NBA TV.

If they do pull this off for the Lakers winning their record title and LBJ getting #5, riding on some huge FT advantage, fan should boycott the rest of the NBA as much as possible.

Warriors fandom is going to drop way off after Curry, unless they get another generational talent somehow, as the team drops to mediocrity or worse.

So Chase won't be the big money generator. Ticket prices will go down and TV ratings locally and nationally will drop.

Not sure whom the big stars would be. Zion had that chance but in a small media market, along with his injuries, probably not going to happen.

Not sure which stars under 30 sell the most jerseys now. Lakers and Warriors are big national TV draws, as are Boston, Philly and maybe the Knicks after they had this great season.

Jokic should be a big star, as Giannis is, but not sure their teams are big national TV draws, since they're from smaller markets and they're not Americans.

Phoenix has a good chance, a top 10 market, adjacent to LA and with Booker and KD.

I don't know that any of these young stars have the charisma or personality that Lebron has had or the everyman persona which made Curry more broadly appealing, especially to kids. Then there's the light-skinned thing, there's a resentment of light-skinned blacks being too big.

Maybe the generational hype will help Wemby be a big ratings draw but he's again another Euro. Probably great for ratings and jersey sales over there but not necessarily in the US.


In any event, I will be less invested now that we've seen NBA will continually pull shenanigans. I was pretty invested even in the years Warriors were bad or just not competitive. I liked seeing them trying or at least play entertaining ball and of course I still watched the NBA playoffs with the Warriors not participating.

Now I'm older and maybe too worn out by the blatant manipulation of results. Just probably not going to watch the NBA as much when the Warriors aren't in the playoffs.

NBA should still get a big bump in the TV contract though, because they provide a volume of games or dozens of hours of programming per week, for like 6-8 months a year, especially in the winter months when people are more a captive TV audience.

[brandon87]

When the referees start cheating during Game 4 the warriors should just walk off the court and back to the locker room, lead by Kerr. When the referees sh*t themselves and go running to ask them to come back they should simply say ‘no, we forfeit’.

The NBA would go into f*cking meltdown. It would be the most significant and effective act of protest and solidarity in sport since Tommie Smith and John Carlos in Mexico City, 1968.

[wco81]

No that would make the whole NBA world come down hard on the Warriors, not just the league but all the sports media.

Kerr should keep getting technicals in every game.

Maybe Curry should throw his mouthpiece every game too.