The Official "The NBA Wants the Lakers to Win" Thread and Poll

[drprestwood]

Thoughts?
David Aldridge sure seems to think the NBA wants the Lakers to win. This isn't a new discussion...I certainly remember it after game 3 of the 2003 Lakers/Wolves series.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playof...vid&id=1808516
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Give Me a Break (Malone Got One)
By David Aldridge
Special to ESPN.com

This is ridiculous.

Not suspending Karl Malone for Game 3 for his elbow to Darrick Martin's noggin gives aid and comfort to every Looney Tunes wing-nut conspiracy theorist who thinks it's preordained that the Forum Blue and Gold will be the West's representative in the Finals. No fewer than two coaches and three personnel guys at the Detroit-Indiana series had the same reaction within seconds of hearing that the league was only fining Malone $7,500: You know who they want in the Finals.

How can I counter that argument?

Believe me, I want to.

I know how hard the refs work, and when they do make mistakes, it's because they're human beings, not because they have a Nassau on the road team. I know the commish always points out that fixing games is a felony that would subject a lawyer such as himself to disbarment. But how on earth can Malone skate when the Kings' Anthony Peeler did the exact same thing to Kevin Garnett eight days ago, and (rightly) was deactivated for two games -- including the decisive Game 7 of the Minnesota-Sacramento series? I don't think Malone should have gotten two games, but he had to get one.

Look, I love Karl Malone. He's one of the great players of all time and he's on the short list of the most decent people to have graced a court. He has almost always been generous with his time to most reporters. (He wouldn't talk before games sometimes, but if you waited him out after a game, you got really good stuff.)

But what he did Sunday was vicious and unnecessary, with the game having long since been decided. It certainly looked like Malone was trying to either send a message for Game 3 or finish what had become a chippy fourth quarter for both teams. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't recall Martin instigating anything, and even if he did, he's a 6-foot, 190-pound guard.

I would not feel so strongly about this if the league A) hadn't been so adamant over the years about condemning any contact above the shoulder, whether it came from a punch or an elbow. The league's various chieftans of discipline have all said the same thing: windup, contact and follow-through are a flagrant foul, subject to suspension. And even if there's some question about whether to suspend a guy, this brings me to B).

The league always says that patterns of behavior are taken into account when disciplining players; i.e., if you do something once, you get disciplined X. You do something twice, you get disciplined X-plus. And so on. This escalating scale certainly seemed to be in place (correctly) with Dennis Rodman and Dikembe Mutombo. How many times over the years have we seen The Mailman hit somebody in the head? Isiah Thomas, Steve Nash, Brian Grant and David Robinson come to mind. Every time, Malone is utterly unrepentant, and that's his right. But the league shouldn't condone that kind of behavior.

I'm sure if I called Stu Jackson, he'd give me a rational, detailed reason why Malone gets to be introduced by my man Lawrence Tanter at Staples on Tuesday in the starting lineup. But this time, I don't buy it.

In this case, I'll believe my lying eyes.

[Karros270]

It's good business for the league to want the Lakers to win. I don't know if Malone wasn't suspended because he's a Laker or because of who he is. If Malone was on the Wolves and the situation was reversed I still don't think he'd be suspended.

[benchwarmer]

Malone wasn't suspended because he is a Laker. It's very obvious to me. In Utah, he did very simular things, and got suspended every time.

The $7,500 fine is chump change. What kind of punishment is that? I mean for a guy that has made over 70 million dollars, thats just like taking my lunch money for work. Come on Stu..dont be so Obvious with this!

[tim_uwrf]

I'm a Wolves fan and even though I think the fine should have been more, I don't think Malone should have been suspended. He didn't hit him above the shoulders, he ran through him very hard. What happened to Malone at the game should have happened - an ejection. A $7,500 fine isn't enough however.

I do believe you that the NBA wants the Lakers to win though - I'll say that until the Timberwolves win.

[LivnLegend]

Can you imagine Indiana vs. Minnesota? No one on either Coast would watch it.

Even so, I don't buy the conspiracy theory. The Lakers are the better team and when they knock out the 'Wolves, I don't want to hear any of this "the fix is in" garbage.

Derrick Martin got laid out when he set a pick on a guy twice as big. Bad choice. Fisher got leveled by Sprewell during a run by the Lakers. Guess what? Fisher was called for the foul.

[lukster]

mommy, make them stop!!!

cheers
lukster

[drprestwood]

LL, did you see the Malone replay in slo-mo? He fired an elbow. It wasn't just going through a pick.

I don't know that he should have been suspended for it, but it was clearly an intentional shot.

[Dwolfson20]

Of course the NBA wants the Lakers to win. That's the stupidest question I've ever heard. But they're not going to interfere with the purity of competition, sport's most sacred principle, just to see it happen.

EDIT: I'm not making any hasty judgments, but this thread smells an awful lot like the bitterness of a Wolves fan/Laker hater coming out.

[drprestwood]

Originally posted by Dwolfson20
Of course the NBA wants the Lakers to win. That's the stupidest question I've ever heard. But they're not going to interfere with the purity of competition, sport's most sacred principle, just to see it happen.

EDIT: I'm not making any hasty judgments, but this thread smells an awful lot like the bitterness of a Wolves fan/Laker hater coming out.

Come on, man, read the poll questions! That's why I provided a couple of options, allowing one for the NBA wanting the Lakers to win but not being affected by it. Also, since I posted the poll, I didn't vote in it.

I posted this because ESPN.com has a similar poll today and because of the Aldridge article. Your judgment was indeed hasty.

[Dwolfson20]

Originally posted by drprestwood
Come on, man, read the poll questions! That's why I provided a couple of options, allowing one for the NBA wanting the Lakers to win but not being affected by it. Also, since I posted the poll, I didn't vote in it.

I posted this because ESPN.com has a similar poll today and because of the Aldridge article. Your judgment was indeed hasty.

I voted for that option in the poll. I'm just saying that even asking the question is silly. And as far your position, I've noticed you being quite biased toward Minnesota teams in the past, which is why I said that. Of course, I completely understand that this is not just something you cooked up, and that a legitimate columnist has already posited it. But I do think it's a point worth raising, and if I'm wrong, I'm happy to admit such.

[tim_uwrf]

Originally posted by drprestwood
LL, did you see the Malone replay in slo-mo? He fired an elbow. It wasn't just going through a pick.

I don't know that he should have been suspended for it, but it was clearly an intentional shot.

In all fairness, if he did throw an elbow in there, Garnett should have been suspended with the same reasoning here. But since it wasn't above the shoulders, he shouldn't be suspended. What was Garnetts fine?

[Art99]

I see on the news that the Lakers are whining about how KG has only had 2 fouls called on him in the series. Well that is low but not really unusual for KG either. I don't think KG fouled out of a game all season. It will be interesting to see if he gets called for a couple quick fouls tonight. I think all the leagues want big market matchups like LA vs NY in the championship series/game. The worst abuser INMO is the NFL - refs have decided a few too many playoff games in my mind over the years.

go wolves!!!!

[Rizon]

I dont watch basketball anymore because its fixed. Thats why I watch baseball, because there are more realistic results like a guy with 2 broken arms, 6 broken ribs, a broken colarbone, broken leg, and dislocated hip walk-off-homering off the best closer in a World Series game.

[jaxmagicman]

Man if only the NHL could think of helping the teams win that they want, we wouldn't have to deal with the damn Flames and Bolts in the Stanley Cup.

[benchwarmer]

hey...Tampa is my home town team. Easy

[jaxmagicman]

Originally posted by benchwarmer
hey...Tampa is my home town team. Easy

Really because anybody who lives in Florida=SOC

[Dwolfson20]

I think having Calgary in there is awesome for the NHL.

[jaxmagicman]

Originally posted by Dwolfson20
I think having Calgary in there is awesome for the NHL.

Yeah it is awesome, but wouldn't it be better if it were say St. Louis Blues vs NY Rangers? Detroit vs Boston? Colorado vs Ottawa? Ok maybe not the last one.

[twins15]

Didn't Ray Allen pull this same shtcick a couple eyars ago when he said the NBA wnated the 76'ers to win?

[Dwolfson20]

Originally posted by jaxmagicman
Yeah it is awesome, but wouldn't it be better if it were say St. Louis Blues vs NY Rangers? Detroit vs Boston? Colorado vs Ottawa? Ok maybe not the last one.

No. I think having any of the Canadian teams there is worlds better for the league than having any American team there.