05-29-2008, 05:12 PM
After a bunch of decades watching NBA ball, one thing I've learned is that you can take just about any game and put togeter a "highligh reel" of missed calls, make-up calls, lazy officiating, outright bad officiating, "let'em play" non-calls and on and on to make a case that whichever side you'd like to choose got "screwed" by the officials. And I've seen very few cases where the guy making the case didn't turn a blind eye to the calls that proved that the other team didn't really fare all that much better.
A conspiracy by the league? I can't see that ever happening. All it would take is (pardon the expression) one whistleblower to even *hint* at "suggestions" or pressure from the league or anyone even remotely tied to the league and the party would be over.
The press would be all over a story like that like ants on sugar and it would make the steroid scandal look like 'dog bites man'. There's just too much money on the table when it comes to a sport's reputation for being basically on the up and up for the league to start playing silly games with the officials.
A conspiracy by the league? I can't see that ever happening. All it would take is (pardon the expression) one whistleblower to even *hint* at "suggestions" or pressure from the league or anyone even remotely tied to the league and the party would be over.
The press would be all over a story like that like ants on sugar and it would make the steroid scandal look like 'dog bites man'. There's just too much money on the table when it comes to a sport's reputation for being basically on the up and up for the league to start playing silly games with the officials.