By EconMatters
It has long been speculated that the NBA assigns certain refs to officiate games to get outcomes they want for either prolonging a series to get more game and advertising revenue or providing refereeing advantage where necessary to make certain more marketable NBA Finals take place which brings in higher ratings, more media coverage, and thus more money. I always say when in doubt, just follow the money trail.
This goes all the way back to the famous Lakers-Kings game 6 refereeing shenanigans where the NBA makes much more money if the large media market and sexy team the Los Angeles lakers advance to the NBA finals versus the small market Sacramento Kings without the likes of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
Well even the casual NBA fan could see that the fix was on in the NBA last night as the NBA refs completely changed the tenor of the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors game last night right as the cash cow marketing machine Golden State Warriors where on the verge of being run out of the building.
The NBA is a often called a “Make or Miss League” because of the fact that if one team misses the level of talent is such that there is an immediate advantage gained by the defensive team that transitions to offense because this sets up a fast break the other direction against a defense that hasn't had time to set up its defense.
Well the lesser known truth is that the NBA has become a “Call Fouls or Don't Call Fouls League” which has the same result because if one team is allowed to foul the other team attacking or driving to the basket, or reach in and foul and cause a turnover, or body slam an opponent to the ground causing a missed shot these all set up fast break opportunities and often 4 on 5 scenarios on the other side of the court leading to easy baskets or wide open three pointers.
It was pretty obvious last night that the Houston Rockets were playing 5 on 8 from the start of the second quarter through the pivotal third quarter. The Houston Rockets made 8 out of 12 three pointers in the first quarter and were well on their way to upsetting the NBA`s Dream Team the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were desperate they went into desperation mode, their only option at that point was to overplay the three point line, force the rockets to drive to the basket, and foul on every play, hoping that the referees would give them the benefit of the doubt. After All, they are the Dream Team, the favored media darling, the marketing cash cow for the league, there is no way the NBA referees will let them lose this series!
This was the strategy, but the Golden State Warriors didn't really have to hope the referees would oblige, just look at Game 2 of the Pelicans Series in the previous round at Oracle Arena, the fix was on in that game, and the small media market Pelicans Team would have won that game if the NBA Refs didn't step in and determine that game in favor of the Warriors.
So the Warrior players know through experience that they can camp out in the lane with Draymond Green and not get an illegal defense call, knock players to the floor, set illegal moving screens on offense, reach in from behind when they are beat causing turnovers, and hand check and hold on every drive to the basket because they are going to get the “Dream Team Treatment” in the end from the referees. The warriors are actually pretty bad on defense if you call the game legitimately, they have a bunch of offensive players who are slight in build and can't guard a ham sandwich besides the licensed thug that is Draymond Green. They have no hope for stopping drives to the bucket with a 6 foot 7 inch center the only thing standing in front of a made hoop on the defensive end of the floor.
Golden State`s only defensive option to stop other teams from driving at will to the basket is to foul on every single drive! Steph Curry and Draymond Green would foul out by halftime if Warrior games were ever officiated correctly. Steph cannot keep anybody in front of him, and reach fouls/hand checks on every single drive and Draymond grabs and holds much taller guys under the basket, and comes in to body slam opposing players as they blow past Steph Curry on every drive. The Golden State Warriors have always been given preferential treatment on the defensive end of the court because of the Branding of the Team and what this means to the NBA coffers from a money perspective. They are very good offensively, and easy for the NBA to Sell to the public, so give them the benefit of the doubt on the defensive end of the court. In other words, for the sake of the NBA let them get away with employing a fouling on every drive strategy on defense, and we will just not make the call the majority of the time. They literally foul on every drive to the basket because they have no legitimate rim protection, and no other legitimate way to stop other teams from relentlessly attacking the basket except for routinely fouling on drives, thus daring the refs to make the call and upset the league office and revenue dollars of the NBA Marketing Machine.
The Golden State Warriors strategy is simple they can`t stop anybody driving legitimately, they have no center to speak of to protect the rim, so their only real option as a defensive strategy is to foul on every play, expect the referees to only call 15% of the actual fouls maybe 20% on a bad day, get away with and benefit from the other 60% where the other team is fouled but not called, and live with the miracle shots the opposing team makes on the other 20% that happen to go in through superhuman effort. All this relies on the Branding Effect that they are the Golden State Warriors, the NBA Dream Team, there is no way the NBA is going to allow the Cash Marketing Cow that is the Dream Team not advance to the NBA Finals - we are entitled to preferential refereeing when necessary! And it sure was necessary last night, good job NBA you pulled out all the stops last night - you were going to make that happen one way or another just like you did to the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 NBA Playoffs!
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http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05-27/nba-rigged
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