The entire season is being rigged to set up a Lakers showdown with either the Celtics or the Cavs.

[Old_Blue]

Am I the only one that feels this way? You just know the NBA's Nosferatu of a Commissioner would blood spooge his pants to have either a throwback Finals featuring the Lakers and Celtics or a LeBron then and now Finals featuring the Lakers and Cavs. I'm a Dubs fan, but I absolutely respect what SGA is doing in OKC and know the old dogs around the League are nearing retirement. That said, I can definitely see OKC, the Dubs and everyone else in the Western Conference getting free throw steamrolled in a blatant attempt to showplace LeBron one last time before he finally becomes immune to the effects of steroids. And, don't even get me started on that sham of a trade sending Luka to the Lakers in exchange for what's left of AD's body. For this reason, I am preemptively calling bull$hit.

[Romulus]

Can't see the Lakers beating OKC. Not in the real world at least. But yeah, they'll have the refs in their back pocket probably shooting free throws 4 to 1. So, yes, it's possible they'll tilt that series enough to get the Lakers to the finals. Don't we all realize the league desperately wants Lebron to get another title before he retires? Seems pretty obvious.

[HiRez]

Yeah, a team would have to utterly dominate the Lakers to have a chance. In a tight game/series, forget it, you're not winning. Not just LeBron, but now Doncic as well. AD was good but he's not a top-5 player. OKC has a ton of talent, but not really the same "star power" and of course they will always be a small-market team. NBA wants that juicy L.A. audience.

[Upperclass]

Lakers vs Celts. No matter how the players perform.. OKC nor the Cavs have a chance in the playoffs v Boston/LAL. The Warriors can beat any of those teams due to the style of basketball that Curry/Butler play

[DonaldSanders]

If you believe the league is rigged, why are you watching?

Refs have been found to be involved in sports betting in the past, which I is likely an ongoing issue. But I really doubt the league itself is trying to rig anything.

[ILOVEIT]

Well if the Warriors can' beat them....it's a Warriors problem.

[marthafokker]

Eagles made sure refs couldn't rig the Super Bowl. Whichever team needs to do that to call off the refs.

[TrueFan420]

Eagles made sure refs couldn't rig the Super Bowl. Whichever team needs to do that to call off the refs.

I mean the league so bad with their calls in the Chiefs favor that literally everyone was screaming it before the playoffs even started that the refs were going to hand it to them that they actually officiated it straight up. There were missed calls on both sides but not a bunch of huge momentum swinging flags for the Chiefs. They certainly got help getting there tho.

[wco81]

If you believe the league is rigged, why are you watching?

Refs have been found to be involved in sports betting in the past, which I is likely an ongoing issue. But I really doubt the league itself is trying to rig anything.

Lakers FT rate speaks for itself.

When Austin Reaves is getting double-digit FTAs per game.

But this crap has been going on for decades or have we forgotten the Lakers getting like 30 FTs in the 4th quarter of a WCF playoffs game?

[CM17]

i got a feeling this is lebron's last season - why else would he want to play every game and only missed home games so far? And it wouldn't surprise me if the league is trying to make it as successful as possible.

[Jester_]

I feel like you guys don't understand how hard it is to do large scale international corporate fraud at this scale lol

[michaelm]

I feel like you guys don't understand how hard it is to do large scale international corporate fraud at this scale lol

Successful secret conspiracies are certainly difficult.

I could see the Luka to the Lakers move having been encouraged, aided by the new Dallas owners not wanting to pay him, possibly to ensure a near term future for a historically popular franchise but not much past that. Luka and LeBron challenging for a title this year if it does eventuate is not something which could have been predicted or anticipated for multiple reasons including LeBron’s age, his and the Lakers form previously this year, Luka’s health, even Luka’s attitude both in general and to the move if it was involuntary to any extent, whether they would meld etc, etc. The referees are employees of the NBA and even if not instructed probably have some tendencies which favour the business of the NBA like play-off series going longer and maybe the Lakers winning would qualify for that, and I guess they are mostly fans to some extent as well, and definitely prone to giving superstar calls.

[Onus]

i got a feeling this is lebron's last season - why else would he want to play every game and only missed home games so far? And it wouldn't surprise me if the league is trying to make it as successful as possible.

There's no shot. With Luka on his team he has a great chance to get 5 or 6. Luka is going to extend Bron's career for however much longer he wants.

[statsman]

Of course it is being rigged. Everyone here should log off their RealGM accounts and don't return until around 2030.

[wco81]

People wonder how they will deal with monster centers like Jokic

It will come down to how much contact they're allowed versus how much the other team isn't allowed.

Think of the Bulls, how they didn't get dominated by Ewing, who often got in foul trouble against them in playoffs series and meanwhile their centers like Cartwright and Longley held up because they got a friendly whistle on both ends of the court

[Onus]

People wonder how they will deal with monster centers like Jokic

It will come down to how much contact they're allowed versus how much the other team isn't allowed.

Think of the Bulls, how they didn't get dominated by Ewing, who often got in foul trouble against them in playoffs series and meanwhile their centers like Cartwright and Longley held up because they got a friendly whistle on both ends of the court

Really the league is lucky that the Nuggets ownership is cheap and the front office is ass.

[wco81]

Actually in the Bubble, Dwight Howard pushed Jokic around for the WCF of that "tournament."

He would get in Jokic's face as they ran down to the other end of the court.

Lakers don't have anyone as big as Howard but they can have Hachimura and Jamison try to muscle Jokic around if they face Denver in the playoffs, with Lebron and Luka also trying to grapple with them since they have a lot of mass.

Any other players try to push back on a player like Jokic and they'd get in foul trouble.

But when is the last time Lebron fouled out of any game? For such a physical player, he rarely gets in foul trouble. Curry has more fouls called against him.

[Onus]

Actually in the Bubble, Dwight Howard pushed Jokic around for the WCF of that "tournament."

He would get in Jokic's face as they ran down to the other end of the court.

Lakers don't have anyone as big as Howard but they can have Hachimura and Jamison try to muscle Jokic around if they face Denver in the playoffs, with Lebron and Luka also trying to grapple with them since they have a lot of mass.

Any other players try to push back on a player like Jokic and they'd get in foul trouble.

But when is the last time Lebron fouled out of any game? For such a physical player, he rarely gets in foul trouble. Curry has more fouls called against him.

The lakers aren't really small. They might not have a 7' but Rui, Lebron, Luka all have a lot of mass and Rui and Lebron have 7' wingspans. Add in DFS, Vando, Hayes and they all have + wingspans while all being very mobile. I've been saying it but they will be our hardest test to make the finals.

[tal57]

I feel like you guys don't understand how hard it is to do large scale international corporate fraud at this scale lol

Successful secret conspiracies are certainly difficult.

I could see the Luka to the Lakers move having been encouraged, aided by the new Dallas owners not wanting to pay him, possibly to ensure a near term future for a historically popular franchise but not much past that. Luka and LeBron challenging for title this year if it does eventuate is not something which could have been predicted or anticipated for multiple reasons including LeBron’s age, his and the Lakers form previously this year, Luka’s health, even Luka’s attitude both in general and to the move if it was involuntary to any extent, whether they would meld etc, etc. The referees are both employees of the NBA and even if not instructed probably have some tendencies which favour the business of the NBA like play-off series going longer and maybe the Lakers winning would qualify for that, and I guess they are mostly fans to some extent as well, and definitely prone to giving superstar calls.

The league is not sitting there, masterminding and orchestrating the rigging. Because firstly they don't have to and secondly, it would have brought up ungodly scandal if it was somehow uncovered that rigging was definitely directed from upstairs.
Besides, as any human being, referees having their own tendencies licking and disliking certain players, favoring superstars, being caught in the moment, home crowds, and all the other psychological minutia, the league doesn't have to explicitly instruct them what to do because as mentioned, referees are the NBA employees.
That last statement is the driving force because it is leading to what benefiting the league the most. What are the matchups of the storied franchises, size of markets, teams packed with superstars and a few other factors lead to? The most advantageous ratings, and not just in US but globally. What does that mean? Anything in this life that had reached the status of the golden calf with its gazillions must be maintained. In such a conglomerate as the NBA is, the skilled employees who have at most interest in maintaining that financial health don't need to be directed at what must be done. Obviously, the teams themselves can ruin that thought, injuries or one team unexpectedly ambushes or avalanches the other. But in the very even matchups, a lot of times the choice prevails. And it doesn't have to be manipulated in some kind of obvious or devious ways. Some questionable offensive calls, some defensive calls, huge disparity of FSs through 3 quarters, then evening it out in the 4th when beaten up team is practically out of it. Looking up at the end of the game and there is not much indicating favoritism. Oh, and by the way, we know who is largely running the NBA behind Silver and who badly wants at least that 5th ring to match Kobe and get much closer to Michael. Thus, even without that 6th ring enter the undoubtful GOAT argument.

[Zvaart]

There is a funny topic on GB where OP is stating that Jimmy to the dubs was also a rig job fom the league, right after they finished rigging it for the Lakers.