Is the NBA both a rigged league and about to have Oklahoma and Indiana play in the NBA finals?

D.Brasco · Post #1 » by **D.Brasco** » Thu May 29, 2025 4:45 am

After the Luka and #1 draft pick situation, every other fan was saying the NBA rigs things to benefit the league. If that’s the case, you’d probably wager they’d prefer the Knicks or a team with a major superstar, rather than two small market, middle-America teams playing in their ultimate showcase.

yoadknux · Post #2 » by **yoadknux** » Thu May 29, 2025 4:50 am

they have to compensate somehow

Pachinko_ · Post #3 » by **Pachinko_** » Thu May 29, 2025 4:50 am

Not that I've done any serious reasearch but this seems like the Finals with the smallest combined fanbase ever? Maybe along with MKH-PHX one. Also, San Antonio dominating for years. It's actually admirable, good on them. I never bought the NBA is rigged theory, big markets have their own way of attracting big names naturally, they don't need NBA to help them.

gp2015 · Post #4 » by **gp2015** » Thu May 29, 2025 4:51 am

They don't want to make it look too obvious after fixing the draft lottery.

jkvonny · Post #5 » by **jkvonny** » Thu May 29, 2025 4:52 am

The NY Knicks haven't made the NBA Finals since 1999.
Last won an NBA championship in 1973.

No matter how much you can rig it for NY. They trip over themselves lol.

In all seriousness, the Knicks have been heading towards the right direction the past few years. After 2 decades of being ran terribly in the FO.
Knicks will be good for awhile.

Karate Diop · Post #6 » by **Karate Diop** » Thu May 29, 2025 4:55 am

Op is missing the point that outside Manhattan nobody wants to watch the Knicks, that's doubly true for the league's international fan base.

levon · Post #7 » by **levon** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:02 am

If developers push patches to a game, is that equivalent to the game playing itself when you put the controller down?

D.Brasco · Post #8 » by **D.Brasco** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:06 am

Karate Diop wrote:Op is missing the point that outside Manhattan nobody wants to watch the Knicks, that's doubly true for the league's international fan base.

The Knicks have supporters over the whole NY metro area which has near 20 million people. I'm not even a Knicks fan but it's laughable to claim they have no fans outside the island of Manhattan.

jkvonny · Post #9 » by **jkvonny** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:11 am

Pachinko_ wrote:Not that I've done any serious reasearch but this seems like the Finals with the smallest combined fanbase ever? Maybe along with MKH-PHX one. Also, San Antonio dominating for years. It's actually admirable, good on them. I never bought the NBA is rigged theory, big markets have their own way of attracting big names naturally, they don't need NBA to help them.

I think so. Interesting.

Yes. 2021 there was also Milwaukee/Phoenix
2007 Cleveland/San Antonio
2005 Detroit/San Antonio
1990 Portland/Detroit
Etc

jkvonny · Post #10 » by **jkvonny** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:13 am

D.Brasco wrote:
Karate Diop wrote:Op is missing the point that outside Manhattan nobody wants to watch the Knicks, that's doubly true for the league's international fan base.

The Knicks have supporters over the whole NY metro area which has near 20 million people. I'm not even a Knicks fan but it's laughable to claim they have no fans outside the island of Manhattan.

I think he was being a smart azz.
Nets fan lol

D.Brasco · Post #11 » by **D.Brasco** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:14 am

jkvonny wrote:
Pachinko_ wrote:Not that I've done any serious reasearch but this seems like the Finals with the smallest combined fanbase ever? Maybe along with MKH-PHX one. Also, San Antonio dominating for years. It's actually admirable, good on them. I never bought the NBA is rigged theory, big markets have their own way of attracting big names naturally, they don't need NBA to help them.

I think so. Interesting.

Yes. 2021 there was also Milwaukee/Phoenix
2007 Cleveland/San Antonio
2005 Detroit/San Antonio
1990 Portland/Detroit
Etc

Cleveland was unique in that they had LeBron at that time, a huge superstar. Half the Cavs fans at that time were really just LeBron fans.

NZB2323 · Post #12 » by **NZB2323** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:14 am

yoadknux wrote:they have to compensate somehow

There’s always an explanation. Some people just want to believe in a conspiracy and it doesn’t matter what the evidence is.

RoteSchroder · Post #13 » by **RoteSchroder** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:33 am

NZB2323 wrote:
yoadknux wrote:they have to compensate somehow

There’s always an explanation. Some people just want to believe in a conspiracy and it doesn’t matter what the evidence is.

the "evidence" being used here seems to be the same on both sides

"something didn't happen the way I think it should have happened, therefore the NBA is rigged/not rigged!"

anyone using this as "evidence" is an idiot

Effigy · Post #14 » by **Effigy** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:43 am

I haven’t seen anyone who says that everything the league does is rigged. That wouldn’t even make sense. They pick and choose their spots.

Revived · Post #15 » by **Revived** » Thu May 29, 2025 5:48 am

If you don’t think the draft lottery is rigged after seeing Cavs win #1 pick after LeBron left their team, then Pelicans winning #1 pick after AD left their team and now Mavs winning it after Luka left their team, then I’m sorry but you’re extremely naive and possibly foolish.

If the Bucks lose Giannis this summer and if they get a lottery pick in next year’s draft, I’m going to take a second mortgage out and bet that on the Bucks winning the lottery. It may become the easiest $$ I’ve made in my life.

Broadcaster · Post #16 » by **Broadcaster** » Thu May 29, 2025 6:01 am

I think it’s possible to have an influence without scripting everything.

Hugi Mancura · Post #17 » by **Hugi Mancura** » Thu May 29, 2025 6:10 am

NBA might have different needs than you think. Old stars like LeBron, Curry and KD are out of the league, so NBA need new young stars to keep selling the league. SGA is good new star, so is Ant, or Brunson, or Haliburton. Strange 4 teams with upcoming young stars are in conference finals...

Well, those teams do deserve to be in conference finals, maybe Minnesota got an easy route.

RIPskaterdude · Post #18 » by **RIPskaterdude** » Thu May 29, 2025 6:18 am

The NBA literally controls the draft, and they can influence games with the refs, but only if the game is close. OKC took it out of the NBA's hands, and Knicks choked away G1.

NBA_is_cringe · Post #19 » by **NBA_is_cringe** » Thu May 29, 2025 6:24 am

in addition to what everyone else said, making sga a star is the nba's biggest priority, so yes they want okc in the finals

Free Rider · Post #20 » by **Free Rider** » Thu May 29, 2025 6:29 am

I don’t believe the league is rigged and I think a lot of bitching about the draft is fans trying to cope with the outcome of their teams losing out on the next great draft prospect. That said the league rigging the draft and a OKC/IND Finals aren’t mutually exclusive concepts. You can argue that the NBA puts its thumb on the scale for the draft and the two best teams in the league are in the Finals. One doesn’t necessarily preclude the other.