The (Confused) Conspiracy Theorist
Who’s getting the calls?It’s been established that the Spurs aren’t the darlings of anyone in the NBA’s high offices. They don’t make for good TV ratings. Most fans you ask think their style is boring. Most can’t stand Manu Ginobili’s flopping, Tim Duncan’s acting, and Tony Parker’s … whatever it is people just don’t like about him. Every TV talking head and columnist had bemoaned the dreaded possibility of another Spurs/Pistons NBA Finals. While you would never get David Stern to admit it, he and his office would much rather see the Lakers or Suns or Mavericks come out of the Western Conference bracket every year than the Spurs.
And yet, those same people who concede that the NBA doesn’t want the Spurs to stick around will also say the Spurs “get all the calls” from referees and preferential treatment from the League’s upper management, whether it’s flopping or Duncan getting away with murder in the paint or San Antonio players and coaches getting major leeway when arguing with refs.
Hold up — something isn’t mixing right. If the NBA doesn’t want San Antonio around when it comes time for the Finals, why would the NBA-employed refs lean toward the Spurs on questionable calls? Shouldn’t it be the other way around, with the Spurs getting jobbed left and right to clear the path for L.A. and Phoenix?
April 30th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
GEE...While you was in diapers wettin your sheets, I was at the Ponderosa rappin to the beat says:
I wouldn’t say Sterny and crew doesn’t want the Spurs in. I actually think the conspiracy theory is for the Spurs.
Sterny gets his viewers from whoever they face plus Spurs faithful and those that love ball period.
Not to mention you know Sterny loves having such a mult-cultural team winning the chip every other year and possibly every year.
Plus they are clean cut, don’t change coaches and …they actually play the game really well.
I think Sterny loves it and that may play into it more than we know.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
fallinup says:
Consistency is boring. Efficiency is boring. Fundamentals are boring. Winning championships are boring.
Every conspiracy in the book has been thrown at the Spurs, and still…they keep winning. And let’s face it, the true sign of a dynasty is when most folks hate seeing you win.
Welcome to San Antonio. The most cheatin’est, dirtiest, boring’est Championship team in the past decade.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
foscheezeeee says:
Just look at SA though. They have appeal internationally because of TP(France), Manu and Oberto(Argentina),TD(Virgin Islands). Stern is all about the global thing in the league, which is not a bad idea. But SA is a good team too, so I think it has a lot to do with them just being very well respected by NBA officials. But I can’t really answer the question why SA gets special treatment. My answer is just a guess at it, but I really don’t know.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Jim says:
Gee, I think your international thing is is valid, but the Suns have that going for them also. And the Suns are absolute media darlings. ESPN would have had to take a break from covering Favre mowing his lawn and exploded into Suns-Lakers madness if the Suns had been able to get there. And also, um, you know.
But I am a little bit biased. And…where 16-5 happens. Rivalry?
April 30th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Prof. TX says:
I have to agree with Gee here, the Spurs are what Stern wants every team to look like. Half of their roster is from other countries, no police trouble or arrest records, and they generally keep pretty quiet in the media instead of ranting about trade demands or unfair treatment. I don’t think Stern anticipated last year’s low ratings for the finals, probably saw it as International Ball vs. The Media’s Favorite Player and thought that would do better than it did.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Jim says:
…also, I think Joey Crawford might give Tim a call or two since there’s a chance he’s compensating for what the league obviously felt was personal beef.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Honestly the officiating has been terrible in all playoff games. The Spurs just seem to get their calls in crucial moments and big games. The overall inconsistency is pissing me off. We’ve seen flops galore, fouls called when it was obvious that there was no contact, and no calls when a player gets hammered. Not to mention the refusal to suspend anybody from Boston or Atlanta after that incident in game 4 when Stern set the precedent last year with the Suns suspensions. It’s getting very hard to watch.
The NBA brass may like to see certain teams make it to the Finals but they’re not going to influence the refs to make it so. The last thing they want is another scandal.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
2 Easy says:
Jim I was thinkin the exact same thing based on the look on Crawfords face last night but I think Stern doesnt really care who comes out of the west although he’d prefer if it was the Lakers, its the East where he’s preferential. He does not want Detroit to be there or any team that boring, he wants a team that money can be made off of to be there
April 30th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
rangerjohn says:
i agree with gee to a point but the ratings when the spurs are i nthe finals are the lowest every year from the previous year so the arguement that the nba gets viewers fro mwho ever the spurs play doenst work. the lakers are the nba darlings, kobe has reworked his image (how quickly we forget about his trips to denver) and it doesnt mater who they are playing the ratings will sky rocket. even the labrons last season could not bring in the ratings fro mthe season before.
the spurs are that wholesom, international good guys image, but the usa likes a trainwreck, and they love the “bad boy”.
stern likes the spurs but he likes the celtics and lakers better.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Ross says:
No one could (unbiasedly) say that a close Spurs game in the bottom of the fourth quarter is boring. That’s when their defense becomes the most fun to watch. The Spurs/Suns Game 1 was still the best game I’ve seen all season.
I honestly thought the Lakers-Nuggets series was painful to watch.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
BxBaller says:
How come everytime the Spurs win, here come the conspiracy theories? Let’s just face it, the Spurs are really good, and deserve to be playing for the championship. If people don’t like it, then they should tell their respective teams to step their games up so that they can beat the Spurs. Btw I’m am NOT a Spurs fan.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Prof. TX says:
I don’t think it’s a conspiracy with all of the foul calls, just some really gullible refs when Manu gets slight (or no) contact and hits the ground like he’s been shot. The refs buy it, so it works, so players will keep playing that way. It will only change if the tactic stops working (like Bowen’s ‘defense’), which means the refs have to make different calls or things will stay the same way.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
GEE...While you was in diapers wettin your sheets, I was at the Ponderosa rappin to the beat says:
Granted ratings may be low, but hince them winning every other year instead of repeating.
Jim suns do have that going but not so much in the same way. With San An, aside from TP you know they are all from different places.
With the Suns, well I will just say, my wife is shocked every time she hears one of them speak that she thought was black.
Just saying, theory wise, I still think Sterny goes for the Spurs quiet as kept.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
JA says:
Here’s your SPURS conspiracy theory …
Reigning finals MVP Tony Parker is, as we know, married to Eva Longoria.
Watch a Spurs game or two and you see that Eva Longoria never misses a game, and the cameras somehow always seem to find her.
Now knowing that Desparate Housewives is on ABC, and that ABC Sports is now completely integrated with ESPN Sports - who just happen to show many (the most?) NBA/playoff games out there - just maybe this is a joint marketing ploy by the networks (and you just might be surprised by how much money the networks have and how much they can influence things).
And I say joint marketing because perhaps the Eva-Tony connection can make a guy somehow watch Desparate Housewives, or a girl watch a basketball game - when they normally wouldn’t - then there’s money to be made.
But who knows, maybe it’s pure luck that they get all of the close calls. But then again, as it came out during the Donahue scandal - the NBA reviews plays and tracks missed calls in a huge database, and would naturally be able to see that the Spurs get any preferential treatment.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
fallinup says:
I agree with JA, the entire NBA is manipulated for the benefit of ABC’s #1 Skeezer Show. Desperate Housewives.
Sounds good to me!
April 30th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
fiyaman says:
I’m tired of people talking bout no1 from Celtic or Hawks getting suspded. When Amare got susp last yr everyone complained that the rule was too harsh. Now they soften up and everyone complains. Just goes to show u cant please everyone. For the record I like that no1 got susp. we always here its the playoffs letem play. I agree with that. Maybe Stern listened to every1 bitch about it last yr and instead of changing the rule(leaving it as is gives him room to punish to the full extent if needed and doesnt allow for discretion of the players) he is gonna go on a case-by-case basis that way he can look at the replay and decide who needs to be suspended. By not changing the rule if a player says its not fair guess what (the rule says dont leave the bench under any circumstances. u left the bench ) its always at the comish discretion.
Im not a Celtic or Hawks fan and Im glad no1 got suspended . I couldnt take a another summer of how the Hawks/Celtics (take ur pick ) got cheated b/c all the player did was step 1ft on the court boo woo.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
AY says:
it’s at least easy to please me: be consistent in your rules. If you suspend someone for breaking this rule, you suspend everyone from breaking this rule. When you pick and choose who to suspend on a case by case basis, you’re not being consistent, which means you’re playing favorites. Be consistent, it’s not much to ask.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
shourjo says:
both of y’alls arguments above me are conclusory.
case-by-case analysis does not necessarily imply favoritism. look around and you’ll see that lots of business decisions, policy decisions, etc. get made on a case by case basis - that applying blanket rules doesn’t really do the trick and can leave you susceptible to blind spots. even-handed treatment is another topic apart from that - and that is what you should strive for. i think you said as much, AY, before you launched into the end of your argument. admittedly, i’m nitpicking but still …
there’s also a very good reason to suspend players for leaving the bench area. have you so quickly forgotten the brawl in Auburn Hills? i’m not comparing that incident to what happened in BOS/ATL facially - but rather to point out that there is a strong interest in keeping players in the bench area. you want to discourage escalation as much as possible and this is the most pragmatic way of doing it - by deterring - short of keeping those players in a hockey-style cage when they’re on the bench.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
dapro says:
For those that don’t know
Avery got the axe from big D
April 30th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
fiyaman says:
its not playing favorites its being logical.. if the rule changed this yr then u would probably say they still playing favorite and changed it b/c they didnt want it to seem like they playing favorite. (in other words there will always be something to complain about)
i thing it was obvious that they shouldnt be suspended. I dont think Amare and Diaw should have been last yr either but that was the rule and it worked until that incident. in order for change to occur something needs to happen. something happened last yr the league so that the rule was unfair and proceeded to try to change it slowly (at least thats what i wud like to believe is what they’re thinking) .. if they waited til it happended wit da Lakers u would say its favorites if it happened with Lebron,, favorites.. but guess what the change had to happen sometime it just so happens it with the Celtics.
I think in the regular season Kidd, Haywood, and Stevenson would have gotten a suspension for their fouls but its da playoffs get tuff or go home.
side note when I say ‘u’ I’m not meaning anyone specific just in general.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
iain. says:
@foscheezeeee
yeh, international appeal..
that huge fan base in the US Virgin Islands must be getting hyped right about now.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
djKianoosh says:
I’ll tell you exactly why the ratings for last year’s finals were low. The ABC production is HORRENDOUS! Please, put the TNT crew on the finals and it will get better ratings, despite the fact it’s on cable. Also, even though Cleveland has a superstar, it’s not an eastern team. Watch, If you get Boston in the finals, even against the Spurs, it will be magical for ratings. That’s just how it is. Boston has much more of a following (and many more fans of other eastern cities hate Boston) than Cleveland or Detroit or Miami.
The ABC/ESPN broadcast for last year’s finals was pathetic. TNT just knows what they’re doing. I’m glad they are taking over NBATV next season.
Now, as for the Spurs.. as a fan of basketball, I love watching them out-execute their opponents. They may not reach the finals this year, but they’ve had a run where they have played such high level ball it’s been really great to watch. The Lakers are playing at a high level right now and so are the Hornets, so this 2nd round is going to be excellent. Pure ball.
Stern’s best case scenario is Lakers-Celtics. That would draw worldwide cause of the history of the franchises involved.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Voice of Reason says:
Who cares about any of these stupid theories???
Just wait, when the hornets beat them nono of yall will have to argue about any of this stupid stuff.
Although I do think they are a bunch of whiny, cheating, crying, sissy babies
April 30th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
foscheezeeee says:
Ian
Nice cheap shot, but if you knew how to intertpret what I was saying then you would know that I was pointing out the fact that they had players from places other than the United States. Make your case on the issue and quit hatin homie
April 30th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
andru says:
yes, I’m from SA and i’m a homer…
first of all, i get bored watching the spurs sometimes…
But, if a team is just dominant force for 10 years…it’s a conspiracy???
this really frickin ticks me off…
put this same exact roster in Philly or chicago…or some other big city and we’d be singing their praises and writing books about their old “celtics-esque” glory…
Switch TD’s attitude with KG’s…and you’d have everybody sucking him off…
conspiracy theorists face it…most of the NBA sucks compared to the spurs…live with it…no one likes whiners who complain cause one team always wins…
PS…i’m sure it was a conspiracy for the spurs to hit clutch shot after shot in game 1 vs PHO
April 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
james says:
MAbey just mabey has anyone ever thought that the calls are not one sided and that the spurs are just smarter and better than everyone
April 30th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
BustJlaze says:
Fallinup said…
And let’s face it, the true sign of a dynasty is when most folks hate seeing you win.
Smart. That’s exactly right, dog. Never thought of it that way, but you’re right.
April 30th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
AY says:
shourjo, you know how the picture of a court is a blindfolded woman holding a scale? it’s because justice is supposed to be blind. what isn’t supposed to be blind is the people coming up with the rules: if it was a mistake to suspend the phoenix players last year, make an amendment to the rule to clarify exactly what you can and cannot do. If they just leave the rule vague and say it’s up for case by case decision, it sounds like you’re begging to be called out for being inconsistent. The whole point of having rules written down is so you can make decisions consistently; not admitting that you made a mistake last year and start interpretting the rule differently defeats the entire purpose of having rules written down.
April 30th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Joseph says:
Not buying it. The Suns have an English speaking white PG fans like, an athletic horse in STAT, the Big Fundamental, the Brazilian roadrunner Barbosa, Raja from St Croix Virgin Islands & Do-It-All Frenchman Diaw + an exciting fast break style.
Also in the West - the popular Lakers, Yao & the Rockets, Dirk & the Mavs, plus the Fun-n-Gun Warriors.
The Spurs are the last team out West the NBA would favor.
They dont do many interviews so despite a worldly roster people dont identify with them. We know Duncan, Horry & Finley’s as backgrounds because they had pre-NBA identities playing in the ACC, SEC & Big 10.
If Tony Parker was an NYC hs legend & Ginobili went to UCLA, the team would get much more attention & the ‘boring’ label would be irrelevant.
I think a lot of the hate is fans of teams they beat not having their clutch abilities, hoops IQ & heart. I know if the Rockets had it I’d never complain. Same with Knick fans or any others.
April 30th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
doc says:
The conspiracy how Stern made the hurricane come to Timmy hood so he could quit that swimming shit and become the best 4 man ever.
April 30th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
John says:
Joseph-
The suns might wish they had the Big Fundamental, but instead they got the Diesel
also why do the spurs labeled as boring when there are at least a dozen teams in the L much more boring then they are…infact i think they are very fun to watch
May 1st, 2008 at 2:42 am
skywarp says:
???? if stern really loved suns to win then he shouldnt have suspended amare!.. i mean look at the boston no suspension what so ever.. this sux
May 1st, 2008 at 3:02 am
tealish says:
OR, there’s no conspiracy. The best team just plays better than the rest, and that’s how you get the calls - by playing good basketball.
Deal with it. The Spurs, though boring as a mother, are the best team
May 1st, 2008 at 8:29 am
Big V says:
I don’t think the interests of the NBA management, whatever they may be, are always aligned with what the refs are inclined to call in a pressure situation. I do believe that the NBA doesn’t want the Spurs in the Finals, but at the same time, it’s an easy call for the refs to just go with the Spurs when in doubt on a tough call. Giving a critical call to the Suns in the clutch which may end up locking up a game or a series is just too big of a risk for a ref to take, especially against the Spurs. The converse call is a lot easier to make. Just my two cents.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:46 am
rangerjohn says:
now here is a question i have been wondering, tim duncan (from the usvi) played on team usa (no issue there) but last summer there was the qualifier games and USVI had a team which played AGAINST team usa, on the usvi team was raja bell.
so how is it that duncan plays for team usa and bell plays for usvi and why would they have 2 separate teams. i dont think carlos arroyo can play for team usa being from puerto rico which he plays on against team usa and they are more a part of the usa then the us virgin islands.
anyone ?
May 1st, 2008 at 8:48 am
rangerjohn says:
on the topic of refs calling fouls in the high pressure situations, the refs are calling fouls going in the spurs favor because they are the spurs, they are 4 time champs, they have 3 in the last 5 yrs and in the hunt for #5, the last sereies IT WAS THE SUNS, what have the suns done but lose to the spurs? the spurs get those calls because they are proven winners and that is in the back of the refs minds. when you are known as the dynasty of the last 10 yrs you get the benefit of the doubt. no conspiracy, just human nature.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:58 am
Austin Burton says:
I would imagine it’s a duel-citizenship issue. Duncan can play for either Team USA or Team Virgin Islands. Raja could too, in theory, except no way Raja would ever get picked for Team USA. Ben Gordon has dual-citizenship with the U.S. and England, so he could play for Team England if he wanted to. I think Shawn Bradley got dual-citizenship during his career with the U.S. and Germany, but he never played for Team Germany. And this year, Becky Hammon is gonna play for Team Russia in the Olympics because she got dual-citizenship. She plays pro ball in Russia when the WNBA isn’t going.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:36 am
rangerjohn says:
hmmm that might be the case, i know there are several countries that do not allow dual citizenships and from what i have read the usa is considering no long allowing it which i am a bit torn on, i agree you should be a citizen here OR the other country but my son has dual citizen ship and my wife is working on hers (she is from guatemala.
i agree no way would bell make the us team though. i just find it odd that you can watch a tourney and watch team usa face (and lose a game to) puerto rico, or us virgin islands. to me that is like playing against team hawaii.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:43 am
Sam says:
I wrote something about this - a challenge to all the conspiracy theorists - here:
http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/MadSammyboy21/post/37590