Ralph Nader finally does something right

[slydevl]

Nader wants NBA to review West's Game 6

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Associated Press


SAN FRANCISCO -- Ralph Nader wants the NBA to review Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, saying the nation's confidence has been shaken enough lately by business headlines.

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 106-102 in the game. But Nader, a consumer advocate and former Green Party presidential candidate, and the League of Fans, a sports-industry watchdog group, sent a letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern on Tuesday asking for a review, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday.

``At a time when the public's confidence is shaken by headlines reporting the breach of trust by corporate executives, it is important, during the public's relaxation time, for there to be maintained a sense of impartiality and professionalism in commercial sports performances,'' the letter said. ''That sense was severely broken ... during Game 6.''

The Lakers shot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter and scored 16 of their final 18 points at the foul line. The letter also addresses an incident where Lakers guard Kobe Bryant elbowed opponent Mike Bibby in the nose. A foul was not called with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game.

``Unless the NBA orders a review of this game's officiating, perceptions and suspicions, however presently absent any evidence, will abound,'' the letter said. ``A review that satisfies the fans' sense of fairness and deters future recurrences would be a salutary contribution to the public trust that the NBA badly needs.''

 

[bunkyboy]

I need him to send a letter to the softball league about that call that sob ump made on me, sunday. justice will be served.

 

[Tiorted Snoil]

The root of the problem lies in that the NBA and NHL (for that matter) are out to make money. The longer a series goes, the more money they make. They love game sevens because they get big ratings and therefore more money. They also have a "showcase" team such as the Lakers and Red Wings that will draw viewers who may otherwise not watch. Let's face it, Shaq is going to draw more viewers than Webber. I've seen enough BS calls in the NBA and NHL to realize that it is the intention of the leagues to keep the games close and provide for the perception that an upset could take place in order to draw interest and ratings...they do this through the officials. The Bibby example is classic...so is the fact that players such as Shaq can camp out in the lane forever while other are held to the time rule. I could go on and on. Did anyone think the league would have let the Hornets win to show an empty coloseum on national tv? They already robbed them on that last minute shot....somehow they still won the game.

Take last night's hockey game. The wings up 1-0 and the refs call two penalties on detroit giving the canes a 5 on 3 for over 90 seconds. 5 on 3's almost gaurantee the team a goal, especailly for that long. 5 on 3's in the finals are as rare as albino black people.

 

[Superfluous_Nut]

The Kings shot more FT's than did the Lakers in the series, so I dunno why there's such a big outcry. I mean, the Kings don't even play an inside game (where you'd expect many fouls). Game 2, they shot 38 FT's. The Lakers shoot 40 and people go nuts?

The Hornets called off shot was horrible, but you know what? The next 5 calls ALL went the Hornet's way. They weren't gonna let that call mess things up, so they fixed it. There's no conspiracy. If there was, there'd be a Celtics-Lakers rematch.

The Refs are human -- they give the benefit of the doubt to people they like or people they think are capable of certain feats. The crowd affects them. The players affect them. Everything affects them.

 

[Tiorted Snoil]

I don't buy it...they are employees of the leagues and are supposed to be the best in the business. For them to miss things that people 70 feet away in the stands see is a crock. They arbitrarily choose what to call and when. In the NBA, we've all seen phantom foul calls and non-calls on obvious ones. When they happen at key parts of the game you know something is up.

The 'get even' calls are the worst. two wrongs make a right? nope, they let the other team rebound. It happens in hockey all the time. the refs call a few penalties on the team that is ahead until the other team scores. then they call one penalty on the team that scored to make up for it. the idea is to keep the games close.

 

[Superfluous_Nut]

They call SOOOOOOO many things right that take a replay for most people to see, so I'll give them a few mistakes.

 

[kshead]

Originally posted by Tiorted Snoil
The 'get even' calls are the worst......the idea is to keep the games close.

I tend to think it's more 'get even' than fixed. The NBA has been king of the get even call for a long time. I can remember standing around on the playground in the 80's and joking about bad calls because "CBS needed a (six,seven) game series for their ratings". So it's not like this stuff happened overnight either.

Since we're here, the other complaint I have is the preferrential treatment that stars get. Walking is the worst. If you are a star and make it look good enough, you can stroll to the basket. Even worse, the term "star" now seems to apply to a LOT more players than the 80's teams.

As for the series, I think the Kings got enough calls to win, but they just couldn't close the deal. Is there a choking icon?

 

[bunkyboy]

Dook gets all the damn calls!!

 

[SilverSurfer]

Originally posted by Tiorted Snoil


Take last night's hockey game. The wings up 1-0 and the refs call two penalties on detroit giving the canes a 5 on 3 for over 90 seconds. 5 on 3's almost gaurantee the team a goal, especailly for that long. 5 on 3's in the finals are as rare as albino black people.

Boo, we know the whole point of that rant was just to make an excuse about Detroit losing last night.

What will you say if the Canes sweep em?