[pavyracer]

Experts from an article I read:

Commissioner David Stern has endured one Finals bust after another, but the prospects of preserving a collision course for the top-seeded Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers could inspire him to throw on a striped shirt Sunday and come down to the Garden floor himself.

Truth be told, the NBA became so angry with Garnett for pushing a ref in Game 4, it suspended Washington’s Darius Songalia for a love tap on Cleveland’s LeBron James.

Out of nowhere, out of Atlanta’s wildest dreams, out of the commissioner’s worst nightmare, the Boston Celtics are on the cusp of catastrophe.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

[mofome]

has atl played them closely in boston yet?

[pavyracer]

has atl played them closely in boston yet?

If you watched last game in Boston, and I mean every single minute, the Hawks were called for several fouls early in the game, Joe Johnson to name a few. You can tell what the NBA commissioner's instructions are for the refs by watching the way the games are called in Boston. Do you think that if Zaza Pachulia touched a ref will be playing on Sunday? I don't think so.

[BuddyBear]

No big deal for BOS to play a 7th game. It will generate a little bit more revenue for the team and league and not to mention both DET and CLEV played 6 games of their own.

I don't think David Stern needs to fix anything for this game...the cards will fall into place.

[mofome]

If you watched last game in Boston, and I mean every single minute, the Hawks were called for several fouls early in the game, Joe Johnson to name a few. You can tell what the NBA commissioner's instructions are for the refs by watching the way the games are called in Boston. Do you think that if Zaza Pachulia touched a ref will be playing on Sunday? I don't think so.

We know who the commissioner wants to see. Lakers/boston. Lakers/Clev a close 2nd. There is little doubt that there is plenty of cheating in the NBA.


-zerocage aka cee formerly known as BTJ the real SG

[pavyracer]

No big deal for BOS to play a 7th game. It will generate a little bit more revenue for the team and league and not to mention both DET and CLEV played 6 games of their own.

I don't think David Stern needs to fix anything for this game...the cards will fall into place.

The same way the cards fell for Patriots on Superbowl, right Buddy?

[WileOut]

pavy I am a longtime hawks, braves, falcons, and ga dawgs fan. While I hated the decision to turn the teams colors from black to blue and from bright yellow to burnt orange, I think this team is going to be great in the future. There is no possible way for them to win at Boston, the refs might as well be wearing green and white. Doc Rivers already has his "the hawks were playing playoff basketball for a month whereas we coasted into the playoffs" speech ready for the after game "why did this series go 7 games?" excuse fest.

Stern has been in touch with each ref and they all know what to do. Everytime Pierce trips over his own feet driving (which will be more than twice), you call a foul on any hawk in the vicinity. If there is no hawk in the area, call a tech on woodson for dropping his jaw. Allow Garnett to land at least 2 uppercuts to any ref of his choosing before a warning is given. If Pachulia gives any emotion at all, even if it is to tell the ref he is doing a good job, eject him, he is white afterall and there are no white Al Sharptons. So the league wont have to deal with a group like the NAACP for this ejection. This will cut the Atl rotation to only 6 deep.

Smith will have 10 clean blocks but only 4 on the stat sheet. Boston will be allowed to grab the fast breaking hawks at will and wont get called for an open court foul (see Rondo grabbing Smiths foot from the opposite end of the court's seats when the hawks were 4 on 0 fast breaking. Rondo called for foul (how they saw this is beyond me) and Hawks got the ball out of bounds and were forced to play against set Celtics defense instead of dunking the ball.)

Mortgage the house, sell everything you own on EBAY at 3/4 market price, take the celtics moneyline in game 7. Then because they need a rest, take the Celtics moneyline in games 1-4 against the Cavs. There will be no game 5. Celtics/Lakers here we come.

[pavyracer]

Amen brotha! Not only we had Sherman burn our city for nothing, now we get Stern to pull the feathers of our young Hawks while they are still alive. I hope the refs and Stern drown in their own vomit.

[purecarnagge]

ok so boston wins, but do they win by -14 as some books have the line at?

Thats the real question.

[WileOut]

I guess they could keep it close but the refs will no allow the hawks to win, no matter what. It may be tied midway through the 4th and then you will see the refs giving the game to the Celtics. In other words I'm not sure about the -14 but I know the celts will win. If this was going to be a fairly called game, I would be on the Hawks +14 all day. But its not going to be a fairly called game.

[slacker00]

The fix is in on this one? So lame. That's why I stopped watching the NBA. Watching the Heat roll over the Mavs a few years ago did it for me. That was the most blatent fix I've ever seen in sports.

I'll watch the Celts-Hawks tomorrow, but if there's a fix, I'm gonna be sick and I'm gonna whine. Get ready.

[topgame85]

Detroit has the best chance to actually win in the finals although I think the celtics raise ratings significantly