Yup, clear bias in favor of the Lakers.

Lakers were better than the Orlando team that Van Gundy gambled and played in the Finals --- playing Nelson at point  is when Orlando is at their best --- but nelson was not at his best....so the Magic was not going to win that series with Nelson getting time and alston totally cracking up /breaking down as a result of Nelson coming back into the mix

As for the FTs....LA's strategy was to HACK howard...that cannot even be considered as a discrepancy

But finally, I do not think this series was rigged at all.....I do think LA (Kobe) benefitted from two or three late calls...but not enough to say the series was rigged.

I just think Donaghy may have more to say and that is why I created the thread...only as FYI for forum readers

In my opinion, this years NBA Finals was not rigged.

I did not record the games like I normally record all Super Bowls...but these games replayed on ESPN during the early morning hours as well as on NBA TV and I watched quite a few replayed games.

The way you can track bogus fouls (made up or erroneous foul calls) is when the TV crew plays the replay and everyone can clearly see there was little or no contact on the called foul......and then the icing on top of the cake that it was a bogus call is when the TV analyst proclaims to the TV viewing audience "FOLKS I AM SORRY BUT THAT WAS NOT A FOUL."

That did not happen too much in this series....it was said (in my opinion) in favor of LA as they (Kobe) tend to get the benefit of the doubt from the referees particularly late in ball games when the games are being decided.......

as for your FT stat analysis, LA. tended to HACK and make hard fouls if someone was about to get a layup from the 1st QTR til the 4th QTR ...Orlando did not HACK as hard or foul players going in for layups or dunk shots or foul as consistently as LA...which may be another reason why they lost the series.

Now, I do think the Cleveland - Orlando series was "fishy" in favor of Cleveland, but the refs could not help that Cavs team defeat a better shooting Orlando team.   It would have been totally obvious to everyone what they were doing if they continued to try to keep the Cavs in those games and extend that series.

But keep it real, I did not see many phatom or bogus foul calls that were called against LA...when they committed a foul...even the replay acknowledged that if a foul was called against a Laker player.......no matter how much they cried about it....even the TV analyst said......STOP CRYING, that was clearly a foul.

If refs really wanted to rig this thing against LA...both Kobe and Gasol would have been in foul trouble the way Howard and Turkulu got in foul trouble.......but I am not saying this series was rigged against Orlando or LA;

Van Gundy gambled (like us) with his lineup and he lost.....there is nothing "rigged" about that.

But make no mistake about it, the refs conduct is fishy......and I think Donaghy will enlighten us more and more about this stuff..................and he may even reveal who the true sweet-heart NBA teams are of the mob.......I think their #1 sweet-heart team starts with a "L" and ends with an "A"...........

It's not like the Lakers are the only team to "hack" in the NBA. If anything everyone calls them "soft" and "finesse". This isn't Boston, Cleveland or Houstone we're talking about. 

So to get zero.  zip. nada. free throws in a quarter is troubling. Trust me, if the Lakers lost, every Laker would be screaming bloody murder about the refs. The problem was they won. 

G4 of the 09 NBA Finals made G6 of the 02 WCF look fairly called. In that game, it was 27-9 FT edge to the Lakers, but 8 were in the 2 minutes when the Kings were in hack-a-shaq mode.

Even Laker-hater Bill Simmons admits the Lakers got jobbed in G4. He said he couldn't really fault the Kobe elbow non-call in OT b/c the Magic got all the calls in the 4Q til the end of OT. This is Simmons, whose last article tries to undermine Kobe.

I agree the NBA seems fishy, but it tries to sabotage the Lakers as well. But honestly, it's probably hard to see that as a Laker hater. As a Laker fan, I try to rationalize that G6 of the WCF was fair, but in the end I can't.

Howard was the defensive player of the year...but they fouled him out of about three games vs. Cleveland....but it did not help Cleveland...I do not think you are refuting that the Cav-Magic series was fishy

But, you appear to be in denial about LA.;  How many games did Kobe, who you must admit is very agressive on offense fighting for position and on defense (throwing elbows and moving his arms etc..etc..etc... they ALLOW him to play)......they do not call those fouls on him.....but when Howard dips just a little bit...and Gasol FLYS to the floor (classic flop) it is an offensive foul on Howard

The refs do things in subtle ways......usually it does not come down to calling Kobe for an elbow.......but "riddle me this Composite" if Howard threw that same elbow against Gasol, do you think he would have been called for it...............in my opinion the answer to that question is an emphatic Y.E.S.

I said a million times that the Finals series was not rigged but your boys (L.A.) benefit from bogus calls, questionable calls and non-calls more than any other team in the NBA

I just hope some of these refs other than just Donaghy comes forward and puts some meat and potatoes to this story so that it will not make me look like I am not being objective hear --- which I clearly am.

Time will tell....

If that happened the whole game, Orlando would have 68 FTs while the Lakers have.... 0 FTs.

Just how blatant of an example do you need?

Let me frame it differently, CT. If the Lakers got 17 FTs and Orlando got 0 you would be screaming bloody murder that the refs are trying to rig the game in favor of the Lakers.

I'm not disagreeing that NBA refs are the worst in all 3 sports. I also agree that the Lakers get the benefit.  A lot.  (G6 of the 02 WCF; non-call on Fisher's foul on Brent Barry in G4 of the 08 WCF).  (As an aside Kings missed 15 out of 30 FTs in G7 of the 02 WCF; yes, they should've won G6, but they only have themselves to blame for G7)

I'm just saying the Lakers also get screwed over at times.  17-0 FTs in blatant.  Watch the 04 NBA Finals carefully.  Every ticky-tack contact against Hamilton & Billups gets called while Tayshaun & Co. get to mug Kobe.  Lakers got no calls in G2 of the 08 Finals too.

Composite,

You and I will have to agree to disagree.

The truth about your truth, my truth and anyone else's truth is as follows:

Poeple see what they what to see

Hear what they want to hear

Believe what they want to believe

Then they believe eveything else

THEN THERE IS THE TRUTH!!

"taken from the movie The International"

It means this, you cite a fact about the free throws...and in your opinion you think the NBA and refs were throwing the game for Orlando () ......I instead look at how the refs are treating Kobe's agressiveness and Howard's agressiveness  is one player permitted to play and is the other not allowed to play....and whistles blow when they do the slightest thing which was the case with Howard not bryant.

But most importantly, when the game is at winning time, is the refs calling the game consistently on both sides.......and in my truth...the answer to that is no.....While it is true that LA creates their own luck & they are good...but it is also true when the other team is just as good and it is an even matchup it is frustrating to the other team when the refs take it from the other team and LA gets the ref advantage by getting a favorable whistle during winning time.

Just my opinion and my version of the truth

I wait for some of these refs to speak up like Donaghy about these games.....I beleive they will admit that LA gets and got a favorble whistle