It's Official...

My brother, while totally insane, has hit the nail right on the head. The NBA is fixed. Not to the extent that he says it is, but to a certain degree it is. This is seen in the very recent history of the league. Now, being that this is my first sports entry, please do not stop reading. I know that most of my readers are not people who are into sports, but this will hopefully be interesting and enjoyable for all to read. Let’s rewind to the offseason just before the 2007-2008 NBA season. The Boston Celtics were coming off their worst season in franchise history, winning something like 16 games or some dismal number like that. Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves is on the market, he’s not a free agent, but the T-Wolves are interested in shopping him around, Boston is first in line. Kevin McHale, a long-time Boston Celtic great has been conveniently put in as Minnesota’s general manager. Garnett makes it very publicly known that he does not want to go to Boston, why would he play for such a terrible team? If he wanted to do that, he could just stay with Minnesota. Miraculously, just a few days later, the Boston Celtics secure perennial all-star Ray Allen, suddenly Boston doesn’t look too bad. Not only have they secured two super-stars for several years, they have young players they are willing to deal. They are ready to make a move for Garnett, a big three is more enticing than just little old Paul Pierce. They make Garnett an offer, Minnesota accepts. Normally, this deal would surely have gotten rejected. Not only did the Timberwolves get completely ripped off, the NBA, under normal circumstances, would have watched this deal like a hawk. With Kevin McHale over in Minnesota, making no bones about saying he still has loyalties to the Celtics, this deal would not have been brokered, it would have been stopped dead as a conflict of interest. The Celtics secure Garnett for almost nothing. Okay, so that’s only three players, you can’t win a championship on that. Not long after this deal, the Celtics are able to sign two lock-down defenders; point guard Eddie House, and Forward James Posey. Suddenly the Celtics are looking like a championship contender. You see, the NBA needs a good basketball team is Boston, it’s too big of a market to have them as a financial liability. Not to mention the history surrounding this franchise.
So, you’ve got your powerhouse in the Eastern Conference, a rejuvenated Boston team ready to hit the ground running. Now all the NBA needed was Kobe to stay in Los Angeles. At around this same time, the Lakers had been struggling through their own seasons. With the departure of Shaq and most of the city wanting Kobe’s head on a platter, the basketball culture in Los Angeles was ready to collapse. Enter Pao Gasol. A guy the Lakers were able to get from Memphis for less than Boston had to give up for Garnett. With the return of Derek Fisher and the acquisition of Lamar Odom, the Lakers were ready to roll. The rivalry the NBA so desperately wanted to see rekindled was a lock. They could not let one of the best Celtics of all time (Paul Pierce) and one of the best Lakers of all time (Kobe Bryant) never square off for a championship. It had to happen. These teams inevitably met in the finals in June of 2008 and the Celtics got the better of the Lakers. Here’s the kicker, it didn’t matter who won that one, the other was going to win the next time these teams met up. They couldn’t let one Laker great get the better of the other Celtic great and vice versa. It just wasn’t right. Had Los Angeles won that series in 2008, this year’s NBA Finals would have had a very different outcome.
What about Orlando, you say? Yeah, what about Orlando? After all, if the NBA was fixed wouldn’t it have been Lebron vs. Kobe last year, or even a Boston vs. Los Angeles rematch? This is where the script writers for the NBA gain their genius status. That series was a perfect distraction to keep the fans from seeing the ultimate picture. They needed to toss in a throw-away series. One that Los Angeles could cake-walk through, pulling them just two titles away from tying Boston for the all-time lead. With them a lock to win the title over Boston this year, they are now just within one. You see, the NFL has a near monopoly when it comes to ratings. When the seasons overlap, football games are always taking precedent over basketball games. The viewers make the choice, and these companies have to adapt. Yes, these are companies, business and money are their bottom line. Do you think the NBA would draw as much money if this finals had been Cleveland vs. Utah? Or Orlando vs. Phoenix? Absolutely not. They need the money and the ratings to be able to compete with the NFL. Now, I’m not saying the NBA is entirely fixed. I think it would be impossible to choreograph it so that Kobe can miss and make a basket on cue. But, is it so hard to believe that perhaps the big-wigs of the NBA hold closed doors meeting with important team officials and the heads of the referee union? Perhaps it is scripted a little bit. Big games always garner blown calls, bad calls and often times silenced whistles. The star power speaks for itself. The NBA consistently uses the referees as their crutch, throwing them under the bus and giving out bogus penalties when they really screw the pooch. However, their ultimate enemy is the NFL. This is their ultimate competition, it’s a fight for ratings and for revenue. What better way to combat this than with a titles race between Los Angeles and Boston? Boston and Los Angeles will be powerhouses in the NBA for several years to come, with the occasional downward swings to keep the heat off the NBA’s back. New York is too big of a market to be this dry for this many years, something WILL happen there. I’m not saying it will be anything drastic like Lebron James going to either New Jersey or New York, it might be very subtle. However, before long, one of those teams will rise from the ashes and be a contender again. So, here are my predictions; Boston and Los Angeles keep trading title blows, and a New York makes a comeback and becomes relevant again within three years. Of course teams like Denver, Utah and Atlanta will keep getting their participant ribbons, talk about markets being victims of the system. If I’m wrong, I guess it’s not fixed, but if I’m right, oh if I’m right.
On a happier note, congratulations to the University of Utah. Inking the deal with the Pac-10 conference. This is quite impressive. I hold no loyalty to either team of the Holy War, as it’s come to be known, so let me speak as an objective observer. Come on people, it’s over. It was a good run while it lasted, and I think BYU holds the record for more wins, so that’s something you can take away from it. This will never be as heated on the Utah sidelines as it will on the BYU sidelines, never again. Utah will look at this as more of a practice exam for the big SAT that’s coming up. Sure, BYU will put up a fight, and, if this rivalry even continues, they might get a win here or there. But, let’s be honest, Utah will be making more money, a lot more. They now have a chance at a national title, which means better recruits, and that in turn puts more NFL scouts in the seats, gives more television exposure which leads to more national exposure. If a player is torn between BYU and Utah, he’s going to go to Utah 99 out of 100 times. Within five years Utah will be a much different team. They will be head and shoulders above BYU. Unfortunately, I think this may be an end to the Holy War. No disrespect to BYU, they have a wonderful program down south, but it seems as though this “war” as become more of a last chance crusade for the Mormons. Yes, I’m sure Utah will struggle through their first few years in this powerful conference, there’s always a learning curve. In the end, they’ll find their stride, bring in better players, equipment, facilities, and then it’s all over. Kind of bitter sweet. Finally, some national recognition for a Utah college football program. You have to take the good with the bad, this state’s greatest rivalry is now, vanquished.
‘Nuff Said.