[video=youtube;5MhmGyZ7KF0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MhmGyZ7KF0[/video] What i love hearing is Laker fans acting like they get the short end of the stick. Not sure how they can say that after this video.
It really is quite amazing that we all let this obvious cheating by the NBA to go on unimpeaded. It will take a vocal mass of ticket buyers to make a stink and go on strike from buying tickets to change anything.
It's been worse in the past. Refs busted for throwing games, and shady calls/allegations from people involved in the games. The time to change the game was after the Donaghy stuff, but nobody cared, and treated him as a one-off. Meanwhile, Scott Foster is still an NBA ref.
Then, there's Violet Palmer. But, she has two different minority tags going for her so she's in like Flynn.....forever.
Whats funny is the Lakers own announcers are calling bullshit on almost all of those calls/non-calls.
If you change the reffing in the NBA, be prepared to see the game drastically altered. Some of the supposed "stars" the NBA look very plain in international ball. Yao Ming looked like a joke in the Olympics back in 2008 without the NBA refs there to coddle him.
In the 2004 Olympics, Tim Duncan tried out international play. The refs kept calling fouls and wouldn't let him play his game. He had to conserve his fouls and play weakly. The U.S. lost the Gold for the first time. He was visibly frustrated (rare for him) during games. After 3 losses and a Bronze Medal, he announced he wouldn't be playing internationally again, where he was no superstar.
They lost the gold for the first time? what, 88 didn't happen? and 72? btw, the 04 team lost because it was a poorly built team, not because of the reffing.
i'm just waiting for the league to take this video down like they did with the "Garnett is a douchebag" video.
I'm pretty sure Sterns hand picked successor is not going to find any evidence against him. And even if the new guy wants to change things and have it run 100% above board from now on, there is no benefit to going back in time and tarnishing the NBA brand by drudging up the past, he would just implement new criteria to ensure a more honest future.
The bottom line is that the majority of the owners endorse the system. Stern works for them. Cuban was the only one who really called out Stern and eventually his team won a ring. Coincidence? There are owners who are content to be quiet and have Stern make them money. Everyone knows the system is crap, but everyone is making too much money to rock the boat.