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

[The Master]

why do you think there are only 2 scenarios: 0 (means no rigging at all) and 10 (means rigging all the time)? there are lot of numbers in between 0 and 10. By default NBA does not rig; but in some special cases, it does like the Luka situation where Mavs were compensated later by getting the #1 draft pick. This is not a new thing; it has happened before and will continue to happen as long as fans does not unite and campaign against this practice and demand NBA to be totally fair.

So the league/Mavs decided to injure AD in the first game for Mavs and then to tear ACL of Kyrie? Because this is why they got 1st draft pick in the first place. And yet they were a game away from making the playoffs.

Yeah, we have the biggest parity ever in the history of the NBA, both in terms of number of teams winning titles (7 in the last 7 years) as well as non-big market teams winning titles regularly (Cleveland, Toronto*, Bucks, Nuggets, OKC/Indiana - none of these teams is in top10 of organization value estimations).

If the league is rigged, the NBA is doing an amazing job.

[DimesandKnicks]

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.

Watch the games, sometimes it sounds like there are more Knick fan's at away games than home fans

[DimesandKnicks]

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.

Better it be sports cuz mannn

[ChumboChappati]

why do you think there are only 2 scenarios: 0 (means no rigging at all) and 10 (means rigging all the time)? there are lot of numbers in between 0 and 10. By default NBA does not rig; but in some special cases, it does like the Luka situation where Mavs were compensated later by getting the #1 draft pick. This is not a new thing; it has happened before and will continue to happen as long as fans does not unite and campaign against this practice and demand NBA to be totally fair.

So the league/Mavs decided to injure AD in the first game for Mavs and then to tear ACL of Kyrie? Because this is why they got 1st draft pick in the first place. And yet they were a game away from making the playoffs.

Yeah, we have the biggest parity ever in the history of the NBA, both in terms of number of teams winning titles (7 in the last 7 years) as well as non-big market teams winning titles regularly (Cleveland, Toronto*, Bucks, Nuggets, OKC/Indiana - none of these teams is in top10 of organization value estimations).

If the league is rigged, the NBA is doing an amazing job.

if you continue to want to live in a fool's paradise, it is your choice; we simply cannot teach intelligence

[druggas]

why do you think there are only 2 scenarios: 0 (means no rigging at all) and 10 (means rigging all the time)? there are lot of numbers in between 0 and 10. By default NBA does not rig; but in some special cases, it does like the Luka situation where Mavs were compensated later by getting the #1 draft pick. This is not a new thing; it has happened before and will continue to happen as long as fans does not unite and campaign against this practice and demand NBA to be totally fair.

So the league/Mavs decided to injure AD in the first game for Mavs and then to tear ACL of Kyrie? Because this is why they got 1st draft pick in the first place. And yet they were a game away from making the playoffs.

Yeah, we have the biggest parity ever in the history of the NBA, both in terms of number of teams winning titles (7 in the last 7 years) as well as non-big market teams winning titles regularly (Cleveland, Toronto*, Bucks, Nuggets, OKC/Indiana - none of these teams is in top10 of organization value estimations).

If the league is rigged, the NBA is doing an amazing job.

if you continue to want to live in a fool's paradise, it is your choice; we simply cannot teach intelligence

Oh the irony.

[Ice Man]

Anybody who does data analysis for a living knows that you can "prove" any thesis if you select only items that support your narrative and discard those that do not, as NBA rigging theorists do in saying "Oh, they only do it sometimes."

Then again, anybody who does data analysis for a living isn't an NBA rigging theorist.

[jefe]

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.

Why didn't the Grizz win the lottery in 2008 after trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers?

[Karate Diop]

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.

Watch the games, sometimes it sounds like there are more Knick fan's at away games than home fans

There's a core base of east coast fans who are insanely dedicated, having stuck with the franchise through a prolonged period of comically bad ineptitute, but outside of them, the Knicks just aren't a draw.

They're not the Yankees or Cowboys despite how they try to position themselves...

[SA37]

The NBA can be "rigged" and have unexpected outcomes, like an OKC-Pacers Final or something to that extent.

People who think the NBA is rigged don't think it is WWE-rigged; they generally think some teams are given preferential treatment, whether we're talking about allocating the #1 pick to a certain team or certain trades going down. Even if we assume some of that is true, there are so many variables that can't be accounted for, like injuries, unexpected players breaking out (who thought Jokic, SGA, or Giannis would be the amongst the top-5 best players in the league at any point in their careers?), or players demanding trades or leaving via FA.

The other point I'd make is that the league benefits if certain teams do well because more celebrities start showing up to games (look at all the celebs that have come out of the shadows as Knick fans) and that can generate interest beyond those who are already interested in basketball. It's a lot less likely celebs are going to want to hang out in OKC, Cleveland, Milwaukee, or Indianapolis and go to those games versus other more palatable cities, like New York, LA, Atlanta, or Chicago.

[Michael Bradley]

The NBA rigging Luka/#1 pick doesn’t mean they rig everything, and I don’t think anyone ever argued that.

[druggas]

You really think the NBA rigged the draft for Dallas, after they traded away their generational talent?

That's the hill you're going to die on?

[NZB2323]

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

The person who makes the accusation has to provide the evidence. There’s no evidence I can provide that I’m not a robot. There’s no evidence you can provide that you’re not a pedophile.

[ocelot17]

The games aren’t even close. It has to be somewhat competitive to be able to rig or else it would be too obvious.

[dhsilv2]

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.

The NBA has done everything reasonably possible to create parity and now we are seeing their obvious intentions playing out.

I've never seen any sign the NBA wanted major markets in the finals. If anything, it seems the league has always pushed against that while wanting big NAMES to be in those cities.

Only ESPN thinks there's a desire for the refs to fix games for the big markets. The league itself has unquestionably gone the opposite direction.

[nate33]

I don't think the NBA is rigged in every single series at all times like professional wrestling. I do think that occasionally, the NBA rigs things for their long term advantage.

I think they will occasionally tell refs to call games tight or loose to advantage or disadvantage a team in order to extend a series. And I definitely think they rig the lottery from time to time. Certainly Patrick Ewing to the Knicks was rigged. And I strongly suspect Cooper Flagg to Dallas was rigged after the league leaned on Dallas to send Luka to LA.

[dhsilv2]

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.

When did lottery rigging begin ? When LeBron left or before ?

How about when Shaq left Orlando. Or Barkley left the suns. Durant leaving Brooklyn? Or he’s to small but Davis is important enough ? Leonard left Toronto after winning a chip, raptors got what ? Save yourself the money or don’t and let me laugh at you when you take such a stupid bet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The talk of rigging the lottery started with Patrick Ewing...how does one post here and not know that?

[Handlez]

Not everything is rigged.

How many times do we need to go over this?

It's impossible to rig everything.

However, some things are most definitely rigged.

[scrabbarista]

It's only the people who don't believe in rigging who think anyone believes everything is rigged every time.

No one actually believes that.

[DavidSterned]

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.

When did lottery rigging begin ? When LeBron left or before ?

How about when Shaq left Orlando. Or Barkley left the suns. Durant leaving Brooklyn? Or he’s to small but Davis is important enough ? Leonard left Toronto after winning a chip, raptors got what ? Save yourself the money or don’t and let me laugh at you when you take such a stupid bet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Literally none of those teams were even in the lottery the year after those guys left.

[RoteSchroder]

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

The person who makes the accusation has to provide the evidence. There’s no evidence I can provide that I’m not a robot. There’s no evidence you can provide that you’re not a pedophile.

Yet, neither side is providing evidence, so it shouldn’t be used to make one point or another.

But let’s use your analogy and say ppl accused you of doing pedo things when you were in a room with a bunch of kids. They’re suspicious because you act pervy around kids, but some think it’s perfectly normal (e.g. Joe Biden’s behavior)

You claim that you were in a room full of witnesses consisting of Epstein and his friends. You even have video footage of what goes on in there, except you and the kid are behind some curtains in the video, obstructed from view.

Sure it’s far fetched to think that anything would happen considering there are witnesses and a video recording, but ppl are still suspicious.

Your response is “oh look, I kissed a grown woman, why in the world would I do that if I’m a pedo? This is evidence that nothing happened!”

I’m just saying it ain’t evidence and your response is dumb af