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LOS ANGELES — The NBA has an integrity problem, as shrill and annoying as a referee's whistle.

If the competitors don't trust the truth in the final score, why should we?

Did the Nuggets lose to the Los Angeles Lakers 103-94, or were they robbed by referees who gave favorable calls to a marquee franchise that pumps up television ratings?

Does the league want to see superstar Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals rather than the tattooed bad boys of Denver?

In an accusation that goes straight to the heart of the sport's integrity, one member of the Nuggets shook his head in disgust after the game, and could not believe how cheap it was for Los Angeles to buy a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.

"The Lakers paid $50,000 to win that game. They got their money's worth," said a Denver player, not wanting to be identified for fear of retribution from the league.

Was the outcome rigged? I refuse to believe it was.

The 16 field-goal attempts the Nuggets missed during the fourth quarter had much more to do with the defeat than any of the 30 personal fouls called againstDenver by the referees.

Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson and the Lakers organization were fined $50,000 by the NBA for complaining about the calls in Game 4, won decisively by the upstart Nuggets.

Asked prior to Game 5 if he was playing mind games and planting seeds, Jackson laughed and said: "I'm a gardener. I like planting seeds . . . constantly."

For everything else, there's Mastercard.

This has happened before and the NBA took steps to shut people up.

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy fined $100,000
May 2, 9:54 pm EDT

PrintNEW YORK (Ticker) - Jeff Van Gundy of the Houston Rockets received the biggest fine of any coach in NBA history as he was docked $100,000 on Monday for comments about the officiating.

The fine was announced by NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson. Van Gundy made the comments Sunday, one day after the Rockets lost their second straight home playoff game to the Dallas Mavericks.

Van Gundy was complaining about a step taken by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who was said to have sent videotapes with alleged illegal screens set by Rockets center Yao Ming to the NBA for review.

The 7-6 Yao encountered foul trouble in both Games Three and Four. He was limited to 34 minutes in Game Three and 25 minutes in Game Four.

Van Gundy told the Houston Chronicle he had been told by a referee not working the playoffs that the NBA instructed its referees to treat Yao differently than other players.

“Before Game Three, I got a call from another official in the NBA who’s not in the playoffs that I’ve known forever, and he told me they were looking at Yao harder because of Mark’s complaints,” Van Gundy told the newspaper. “It proved prophetic, really, the last couple games. I didn’t think that really worked in the NBA, but in this case it has.”

After reviewing video himself, Van Gundy said Yao has been treated differently.

“When you review his fouls, you’ve got to give Mark Cuban credit,” Van Gundy told the Chronicle. “They said it on TNT last night. He’s been calling and calling about Yao. You’ve got to give (Cuban) credit. He’s taken a lot of fines in his time. He’s been on them hard. He’s gotten the benefit.”

Since becoming owner of the Mavericks five years ago, Cuban has been fined over $1 million by the NBA. Many of the punishments were for complaints about officials.

The fine came just hours before the Rockets were to face the Mavericks in Dallas for the pivotal fifth game of their Western Conference first-round series. The home team has yet to win in the series.

Before the game, Van Gundy attempted to explain himself.

“It looks worse when you see it in print,” he said. “I said what I said. When you do that, you set yourself up to criticism and discipline. You live with it.

“I’m not worried about it. Stu brought me into the NBA (with the New York Knicks), so he giveth and he taketh away.”

However, NBA commissioner David Stern was not nearly as dismissive.

“You can’t say that the league is biased,” Stern told TNT. “The investigation is not over. After Houston is finished its run … he’s going to have to answer to us.”



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Updated May 2

Hedo is one of the most careless players in the league. His ballhandling is lazy as well as his passes. Dude is just sleepwalking out there.

Cavs have a serious stamina problem. One minute guys.

in the barkely/wade/magic/doc commercials where they're making the old-timer video game,

who is the old-timer that passes by at the end with the walker? does anyone know?

boobie's bustin' out!!

Lame.

35/14/11

This series was over as soon as Cleveland allowed the Magic to come back from 22 down in the first half in their own building. This game should have been a blow out.

No way the Cavs bench and the rest of the brewster gang produce in Orlando. Lebron better borrow a pair of Starbury's "All Alone" sneakers.

Posted by VDesai:

James fouls out Howard with an amazing drive and finish...

that was a bad call, i saw no fouul, horrible.

magic in 6.

that looks like a cool movie id idnt now they were making a new movie