WildWolf2813 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 5:54 pm
Lakers in 6, but mainly because I don't think Randle shows up.
I agree with you on this, but I honestly believe the deck is just rigged against us. A Laker loss in round 1 would be a disaster for the NBA. I know this league is corrupt and they simply aren't going to let this Lebron-Luka-Tinseltown opportunity get away this year. They need the ratings, Lebron is almost done, and they have gotten away with similar things in the past. There might be an uproar about some egregious calls for a couple days, but they know that will fade away quickly. It wasn't that long ago the WNBA simply stole a championship from Minnesota for New York, and this series has far greater consequences than that one did. If you really want something close to fair and legitimate competition the NFL and NHL offer it. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but this isn't my first rodeo with this.
I think the Wolves are talented enough to take the series out of the hands of the officials. LeBron is still great but he’s 40 years old and played 46 minutes last night. Luka’s young, but looks old and beat up. He played 46 minutes last night. Donte can shoot much better than he did last night. But I also think Finch will need to ramp down Rudy’s minutes ever more. Same for Mike Conley’s minutes. Unfortunately, I don’t see Finch doing that. And I agree with Q that we just haven’t seen the improvement we should have seen in this team’s execution from the beginning of the season to now. We’re better, but not as good as we should be. It’s the same stagnant offense, which is worse yet with two of the five starters unable to contribute at all offensively. If it were up to me, I’d start Donte and Naz instead of Conley and Rudy. But I also would have given TSJ, Clark and Dilly far more minutes during the season so they’d be better prepared to step in off the bench during the playoffs.
Even with help from the officials, it will be hard for the Lakes to win three games in a row against the Wolves, which they’ll have to do to win the series. The Lakers are talented, but they’re not at the level of the Celtics, Cavs, OKC or even Denver and they’re not more talented than the Wolves. Having said all that, I agree the NBA is corrupt and I can see the officials doing everything they can to keep the Lakers going.
What I wrote in terms of the team's execution was before this series started and why I predicted we'd lose in six. But at least in the last two games, Ant and Co. have figured out how to close games and make the right plays in clutch time. It's been a very pleasant surprise. But was that just normal variance combined with Laker fatigue or is there a sustainable change? We shall see.
And I see you are on the "NBA is corrupt" train as well. I won't rehash my arguments as to why I don't think the NBA/Ref Association is colluding to tilt the scales in favor of the Lakers, but I will point out that if that were the case, they are doing a terrible job of it! We lead the series 3-1, have shot more FTAs than the Lakers, and have had two late game challenges go in our favor! That is incredibly incompetent corruption at work I must say.
Edit: And I just saw that the 2-minute report from last night showed the refs messed up by not calling a foul when Doncic got tripped up, so he should have had two FTAs. The overturned call on the Coach's Challenge was indeed the right call, so they did get that right in Minnesota's favor. So they are even worse than I thought at being corrupt!
I agree with you on this, but I honestly believe the deck is just rigged against us. A Laker loss in round 1 would be a disaster for the NBA. I know this league is corrupt and they simply aren't going to let this Lebron-Luka-Tinseltown opportunity get away this year. They need the ratings, Lebron is almost done, and they have gotten away with similar things in the past. There might be an uproar about some egregious calls for a couple days, but they know that will fade away quickly. It wasn't that long ago the WNBA simply stole a championship from Minnesota for New York, and this series has far greater consequences than that one did. If you really want something close to fair and legitimate competition the NFL and NHL offer it. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but this isn't my first rodeo with this.
I think the Wolves are talented enough to take the series out of the hands of the officials. LeBron is still great but he’s 40 years old and played 46 minutes last night. Luka’s young, but looks old and beat up. He played 46 minutes last night. Donte can shoot much better than he did last night. But I also think Finch will need to ramp down Rudy’s minutes ever more. Same for Mike Conley’s minutes. Unfortunately, I don’t see Finch doing that. And I agree with Q that we just haven’t seen the improvement we should have seen in this team’s execution from the beginning of the season to now. We’re better, but not as good as we should be. It’s the same stagnant offense, which is worse yet with two of the five starters unable to contribute at all offensively. If it were up to me, I’d start Donte and Naz instead of Conley and Rudy. But I also would have given TSJ, Clark and Dilly far more minutes during the season so they’d be better prepared to step in off the bench during the playoffs.
Even with help from the officials, it will be hard for the Lakes to win three games in a row against the Wolves, which they’ll have to do to win the series. The Lakers are talented, but they’re not at the level of the Celtics, Cavs, OKC or even Denver and they’re not more talented than the Wolves. Having said all that, I agree the NBA is corrupt and I can see the officials doing everything they can to keep the Lakers going.
What I wrote in terms of the team's execution was before this series started and why I predicted we'd lose in six. But at least in the last two games, Ant and Co. have figured out how to close games and make the right plays in clutch time. It's been a very pleasant surprise. But was that just normal variance combined with Laker fatigue or is there a sustainable change? We shall see.
And I see you are on the "NBA is corrupt" train as well. I won't rehash my arguments as to why I don't think the NBA/Ref Association is colluding to tilt the scales in favor of the Lakers, but I will point out that if that were the case, they are doing a terrible job of it! We lead the series 3-1, have shot more FTAs than the Lakers, and have had two late game challenges go in our favor! That is incredibly incompetent corruption at work I must say.
Edit: And I just saw that the 2-minute report from last night showed the refs messed up by not calling a foul when Doncic got tripped up, so he should have had two FTAs. The overturned call on the Coach's Challenge was indeed the right call, so they did get that right in Minnesota's favor. So they are even worse than I thought at being corrupt!
Q, ask the Detroit fanbase if they got New Yorked yesterday. If that's Brunson at the garden taking that shot, 3 free throws and everyone goes home happy.
I think the Wolves are talented enough to take the series out of the hands of the officials. LeBron is still great but he’s 40 years old and played 46 minutes last night. Luka’s young, but looks old and beat up. He played 46 minutes last night. Donte can shoot much better than he did last night. But I also think Finch will need to ramp down Rudy’s minutes ever more. Same for Mike Conley’s minutes. Unfortunately, I don’t see Finch doing that. And I agree with Q that we just haven’t seen the improvement we should have seen in this team’s execution from the beginning of the season to now. We’re better, but not as good as we should be. It’s the same stagnant offense, which is worse yet with two of the five starters unable to contribute at all offensively. If it were up to me, I’d start Donte and Naz instead of Conley and Rudy. But I also would have given TSJ, Clark and Dilly far more minutes during the season so they’d be better prepared to step in off the bench during the playoffs.
Even with help from the officials, it will be hard for the Lakes to win three games in a row against the Wolves, which they’ll have to do to win the series. The Lakers are talented, but they’re not at the level of the Celtics, Cavs, OKC or even Denver and they’re not more talented than the Wolves. Having said all that, I agree the NBA is corrupt and I can see the officials doing everything they can to keep the Lakers going.
What I wrote in terms of the team's execution was before this series started and why I predicted we'd lose in six. But at least in the last two games, Ant and Co. have figured out how to close games and make the right plays in clutch time. It's been a very pleasant surprise. But was that just normal variance combined with Laker fatigue or is there a sustainable change? We shall see.
And I see you are on the "NBA is corrupt" train as well. I won't rehash my arguments as to why I don't think the NBA/Ref Association is colluding to tilt the scales in favor of the Lakers, but I will point out that if that were the case, they are doing a terrible job of it! We lead the series 3-1, have shot more FTAs than the Lakers, and have had two late game challenges go in our favor! That is incredibly incompetent corruption at work I must say.
Edit: And I just saw that the 2-minute report from last night showed the refs messed up by not calling a foul when Doncic got tripped up, so he should have had two FTAs. The overturned call on the Coach's Challenge was indeed the right call, so they did get that right in Minnesota's favor. So they are even worse than I thought at being corrupt!
Q, ask the Detroit fanbase if they got New Yorked yesterday. If that's Brunson at the garden taking that shot, 3 free throws and everyone goes home happy.
Of course the Detroit fanbase is upset. The refs made a mistake and they admitted it after the game. But it's a huge leap to say that the split second decision not to call a foul there was made due to an NBA diktat to the ref crew that New York needs favorable treatment. And again, Knicks fans want to hear more about your theory that the NBA has been stacking the deck in favor of big markets since the 80s. They need a lot more evidence than one favorable no-call after a 50+ year championship drought!
At the start of the series, I hypothesized that, if there was going to be any monkey business on the part of the refs, it might be in favor of the Wolves instead of the Lakers. I had heard that bookies everywhere were panicking because they were way out of balance...they stood to lose massive amounts of money if the Lakers won, because they had so much money bet on the Lakers. My theory was some disreputable mob bookie worried about losing millions might approach refs assigned to our games and bribe them to make some favorable calls. Farfetched I know. But the NBA admitting that the refs not calling Jaden's trip of Luka at a critical moment made me say "hmmm...". Laker fans are up in arms, but I'm quite happy...let's go refs!
I said it in the game thread but it is poetic justice that the rule change on reviews that allowed that foul to be call gave us a game this year after screwing us in game 2 against Dallas last year. Even with the foul that would have been sideout LA without that rule change this year. Overall, I am not sure about how I feel about the constant reviews now in basketball, but I sure am happy we won the game. So yes, go refs!!!
What I wrote in terms of the team's execution was before this series started and why I predicted we'd lose in six. But at least in the last two games, Ant and Co. have figured out how to close games and make the right plays in clutch time. It's been a very pleasant surprise. But was that just normal variance combined with Laker fatigue or is there a sustainable change? We shall see.
And I see you are on the "NBA is corrupt" train as well. I won't rehash my arguments as to why I don't think the NBA/Ref Association is colluding to tilt the scales in favor of the Lakers, but I will point out that if that were the case, they are doing a terrible job of it! We lead the series 3-1, have shot more FTAs than the Lakers, and have had two late game challenges go in our favor! That is incredibly incompetent corruption at work I must say.
Edit: And I just saw that the 2-minute report from last night showed the refs messed up by not calling a foul when Doncic got tripped up, so he should have had two FTAs. The overturned call on the Coach's Challenge was indeed the right call, so they did get that right in Minnesota's favor. So they are even worse than I thought at being corrupt!
Q, ask the Detroit fanbase if they got New Yorked yesterday. If that's Brunson at the garden taking that shot, 3 free throws and everyone goes home happy.
Of course the Detroit fanbase is upset. The refs made a mistake and they admitted it after the game. But it's a huge leap to say that the split second decision not to call a foul there was made due to an NBA diktat to the ref crew that New York needs favorable treatment. And again, Knicks fans want to hear more about your theory that the NBA has been stacking the deck in favor of big markets since the 80s. They need a lot more evidence than one favorable no-call after a 50+ year championship drought!
Other than maybe our own Wolves and the Clippers, NY has been the most mismanaged franchise in the NBA for decades.
Q, ask the Detroit fanbase if they got New Yorked yesterday. If that's Brunson at the garden taking that shot, 3 free throws and everyone goes home happy.
Of course the Detroit fanbase is upset. The refs made a mistake and they admitted it after the game. But it's a huge leap to say that the split second decision not to call a foul there was made due to an NBA diktat to the ref crew that New York needs favorable treatment. And again, Knicks fans want to hear more about your theory that the NBA has been stacking the deck in favor of big markets since the 80s. They need a lot more evidence than one favorable no-call after a 50+ year championship drought!
Other than maybe our own Wolves and the Clippers, NY has been the most mismanaged franchise in the NBA for decades.
I don't think they have been as well managed as other legacy teams like Boston, but they have certainly had some damn good teams over the decades. They have been to the conference Semis and conference Finals multiple times and lost to the.....wait for it....Indiana Pacers in 7-game series multiple times. Why didn't the NBA put their thumb on all those close series they lost to the small-market Pacers??? It would have been so much better for the NBA!
Of course the Detroit fanbase is upset. The refs made a mistake and they admitted it after the game. But it's a huge leap to say that the split second decision not to call a foul there was made due to an NBA diktat to the ref crew that New York needs favorable treatment. And again, Knicks fans want to hear more about your theory that the NBA has been stacking the deck in favor of big markets since the 80s. They need a lot more evidence than one favorable no-call after a 50+ year championship drought!
Other than maybe our own Wolves and the Clippers, NY has been the most mismanaged franchise in the NBA for decades.
I don't think they have been as well managed as other legacy teams like Boston, but they have certainly had some damn good teams over the decades. They have been to the conference Semis and conference Finals multiple times and lost to the.....wait for it....Indiana Pacers in 7-game series multiple times. Why didn't the NBA put their thumb on all those close series they lost to the small-market Pacers??? It would have been so much better for the NBA!
I think the risk of colluding in favor of certain big market teams is very risky. These games are watched and rewatched and picked over by millions of fans. Any obvious shenanigans can do way more harm then good, having a legit "fair" competition is the backbone of any sports league. I still think Ant isn't get a fair enough whistle, same with Ju on many of their drives to the hoop. But I can't say it's rigged so far. Let see game 5. This would be the time to extend the series and make more money for the owners/league/TV.
Other than maybe our own Wolves and the Clippers, NY has been the most mismanaged franchise in the NBA for decades.
I don't think they have been as well managed as other legacy teams like Boston, but they have certainly had some damn good teams over the decades. They have been to the conference Semis and conference Finals multiple times and lost to the.....wait for it....Indiana Pacers in 7-game series multiple times. Why didn't the NBA put their thumb on all those close series they lost to the small-market Pacers??? It would have been so much better for the NBA!
I think the risk of colluding in favor of certain big market teams is very risky. These games are watched and rewatched and picked over by millions of fans. Any obvious shenanigans can do way more harm then good, having a legit "fair" competition is the backbone of any sports league. I still think Ant isn't get a fair enough whistle, same with Ju on many of their drives to the hoop. But I can't say it's rigged so far. Let see game 5. This would be the time to extend the series and make more money for the owners/league/TV.
Yeah, I've said all along that there is ref bias when it comes to certain players, but it has to do with the player, not the jersey they are wearing. Jaxson Hayes for example has collected 8 fouls in 34 minutes so far! That Laker jersey hasn't helped him a bit! On the other hand, how many calls do we need overturned that originally went in favor of LeBron?
Now let's go to a different team....SGA is allowed all sorts of shenanigans with his off arm and the way he dramatizes contact and he plays for one of the smallest markets in the NBA. Then you have Draymond, who should probably be kicked out of nearly every game he plays. So there is certainly ref bias and double standards, but that's different than pre-meditated corruption or fixing or top down diktats to favor Team A over Team B.
Of course the Detroit fanbase is upset. The refs made a mistake and they admitted it after the game. But it's a huge leap to say that the split second decision not to call a foul there was made due to an NBA diktat to the ref crew that New York needs favorable treatment. And again, Knicks fans want to hear more about your theory that the NBA has been stacking the deck in favor of big markets since the 80s. They need a lot more evidence than one favorable no-call after a 50+ year championship drought!
Other than maybe our own Wolves and the Clippers, NY has been the most mismanaged franchise in the NBA for decades.
I don't think they have been as well managed as other legacy teams like Boston, but they have certainly had some damn good teams over the decades. They have been to the conference Semis and conference Finals multiple times and lost to the.....wait for it....Indiana Pacers in 7-game series multiple times. Why didn't the NBA put their thumb on all those close series they lost to the small-market Pacers??? It would have been so much better for the NBA!
It's hard to discuss this with you Cam because I suspect you're quite a bit younger and you don't have a perspective that goes back to when Stern became commissioner. Without it I can see why you would be a doubter. But I suspect you do go back far enough to remember the 2002 Kings-Lakers series. It epitomizes what this discussion is all about. I'm not saying every series has been fixed between small and large market teams. But I think it's factual there was widespread corruption in the 80's and most of the 90's. The 2002 series may have been a turning point along with the Donaghy revelations. I've said many times it isn't nearly as prevalent today. But corruption is part of NBA history and I think it's fair to look at this series and wonder if it would happen again. No foul for the first 20 minutes of game time never happens, and neither do the Ant & Jaden stats I gave you the other day. The series isn't over yet, and I hope we get a fair shake the rest of the way.
