2016-2017 Indiana Pacers season (and the rest of the NBA)

[2006Coltsbestever]

4 minutes ago, BullsColtsFan1 said:

I don't see the Cavs beating a healthy Golden State team this year especially without home court.  The Cavs defense was better last night but it still hasn't been great.  I honestly think a potential Cavs Celtics Eastern Conference Finals would look the same as the Raptors Cavs series, I think the Celtics will get dominated.  The Cavs have to much size, I don't think the Celtics will knock down 3's like they have and I don't think Thomas will get all of the calls against the Cavs.  The Rockets Spurs series has been two blowouts in opposite directions, kind of crazy lol.  Both the Cavs and Warriors should stroll to the finals as long as no one gets injured.  I do think Washington posses a better challenge to Cleveland but I am not sure they are getting past Boston.

I agree regarding the Warriors vs Cavs but it should be a competitive series. The media is bragging about how LeBron is dominating but look at who they have played? I have to admit I thought Toronto would take them 6 or 7 and they still might but it doesn't look good right now.

[2006Coltsbestever]

32 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Warriors/Cavs on a collision course. LeBron James is clearly the best player in the league and a player I have in my Top 10 all-time but can he and the Cavs beat the Warriors 2 years in a row? It's one thing to beat up on my Indiana Pacers and the heartless Toronto Raptors team but we will see what LeBron is made of when/if his Cavs play the Warriors again. Cavs beat them in 7 games last season without HCA, very impressive but now the Warriors have Kevin Durant to go along with Curry, Thompson, and Green. Warriors will once again have HCA as well. At this point in LeBron's career he will be defined by Championships, is it fair? Maybe not? but Jordan (6), Kobe (5), and Magic (5) were defined by this. When you have all-time greats that are pretty even, Championships are the difference maker in most peoples eyes. LeBron has 3 so far. Like Brady (5) and Peyton (2). I am anxious to see how this season plays out.

I do want to add to this, Championships are a factor when comparing all-time greats that are pretty even statistically and Alpha Dogs like Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Kareem, Shaq, etc.. Not the Role players of the world = Robert Horry, that is different. I also do not think Bill Russell's Championships are comparable to the post merger in 1977. He played pre merger and 8 of his 11 Championships he only had to win 2 series to win those. I respect what he did but its not like post merger Championships. In the 1977 Season, Basketball merged all ABA/NBA players and the league became much more competitive with more parity.

[Chrisaaron1023]

8 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I agree regarding the Warriors vs Cavs but it should be a competitive series. The media is bragging about how LeBron is dominating but look at who they have played? I have to admit I thought Toronto would take them 6 or 7 and they still might but it doesn't look good right now.

When I watch the Cavs play I shake my head at how teams play them...They really just Iso Lebron or P/R him with Kyrie.. and they just drive and dish to one of the other 3 dudes just standing around the perimeter. Then I watch Toronto do the same with DeRozan.. The other teams, have got to make them work on defense to tire these guys out.. Love, Smith, Frye, Korver don't want to play any defense. They just wanna stand there for the threes..it might work throughout the Eastern conference.. won't fly against Spurs Rockets, and definitely not the Warriors.

[21isSuperman]

LeBron is now 2nd in all time playoff scoring and at his current pace, he should be first before these playoffs are done.  Think about that: LeBron could be the NBA's all time leading playoff scorer and he still isn't slowing down.

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

When I watch the Cavs play I shake my head at how teams play them...They really just Iso Lebron or P/R him with Kyrie.. and they just drive and dish to one of the other 3 dudes just standing around the perimeter. Then I watch Toronto do the same with DeRozan.. The other teams, have got to make them work on defense to tire these guys out.. Love, Smith, Frye, Korver don't want to play any defense. They just wanna stand there for the threes..it might work throughout the Eastern conference.. won't fly against Spurs Rockets, and definitely not the Warriors.

The Rockets may very well be the 2nd best team in the league but they do live and die by that 3. If it ends up Rockets/Warriors, that could very well go 7 if the Rockets are nailing the 3.

[Colts_Fan12]

1 minute ago, 21isSuperman said:

LeBron is now 2nd in all time playoff scoring and at his current pace, he should be first before these playoffs are done.  Think about that: LeBron could be the NBA's all time leading playoff scorer and he still isn't slowing down.

That right there tells you how great he is. Only player close to passing Jordan 

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, 21isSuperman said:

LeBron is now 2nd in all time playoff scoring and at his current pace, he should be first before these playoffs are done.  Think about that: LeBron could be the NBA's all time leading playoff scorer and he still isn't slowing down.

Yeah pretty impressive, cant deny that. He will pass Jordan soon and be #1 regarding that stat.

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

That right there tells you how great he is. Only player close to passing Jordan 

Fair or not, he has to win more Championships IMO to even pass Magic.

[21isSuperman]

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Fair or not, he has to win more Championships IMO to even pass Magic.

If he beats the Warriors this year to win the championship, I'd say he's the best of all time

[Colts_Fan12]

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Fair or not, he has to win more Championships IMO to even pass Magic.

No he don't cause magic isn't as good a player as lebron you said championships come in play if they are close in talent well they aren't lol

[Chrisaaron1023]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

The Rockets may very well be the 2nd best team in the league but they do live and die by that 3. If it ends up Rockets/Warriors, that could very well go 7 if the Rockets are nailing the 3.

They do.. But it's the ball movement that the Rockets have. They are like a Hybrid of the Cavs offense. The Spurs ball movement has slowed down in recent years, but Kawhi just doesn't miss. He's starting to remind me of 2006-2010 Kobe (less pretty form though) And the Warriors will just make the Cavs change their whole lineup because frye, korver, and love are pretty much usless in this series. We will see shump, Jefferson, and more Thompson if  Cavs Warriors make it to the finals

[Colts_Fan12]

1 minute ago, 21isSuperman said:

If he beats the Warriors this year to win the championship, I'd say he's the best of all time

I agree people complain about him playing with Wade and Bosh but Jordan played with good players too 

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, 21isSuperman said:

If he beats the Warriors this year to win the championship, I'd say he's the best of all time

If he does that I will put him 2nd even over Magic. That would be freakin incredible and prove a ton to me. I still think Jordan being 6-0 in the Finals with 6 Finals MVP's and 2 3-peats is impossible to top. Jordan also beat a great Utah team 2 years in a row which proved a ton to me back then, I thought Utah would beat them the 2nd time around. Jordan also led the league in scoring 7 years in a row at 1 point in his career.

[2006Coltsbestever]

3 minutes ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

No he don't cause magic isn't as good a player as lebron you said championships come in play if they are close in talent well they aren't lol

You must have never seen Magic play, Magic was unreal and an awesome leader. Go back and watch the Lakers during the 80's, I think you would change your tune.

[Colts_Fan12]

6 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

You must have never seen Magic play, Magic was unreal and an awesome leader. Go back and watch the Lakers during the 80's, I think you would change your tune.

He's good but he's not LeBron James lol

[2006Coltsbestever]

7 minutes ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

I agree people complain about him playing with Wade and Bosh but Jordan played with good players too 

Problem with that is he left the Cavs high and dry to join a team of Stars to assure he would win. Jordan was the Bulls and stuck with it through the tough times before winning.

[Chrisaaron1023]

2 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Problem with that is he left the Cavs high and dry to join a team of Stars to assure he would win. Jordan was the Bulls and stuck with it through the tough times before winning.

Then left the Heat high and dry too.. the Heat were too old.. Cavs had some young guns. and got Love to join too... I could care less if people leave to play with others... but just stating he did it twice lol the narrative was "I'm coming back home" made it sound better. but he wasn't going home to an empty house if you get my drift

[Colts_Fan12]

3 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Problem with that is he left the Cavs high and dry to join a team of Stars to assure he would win. Jordan was the Bulls and stuck with it through the tough times before winning.

Jordan played with great players too and LeBron had every reason to leave he had to piggy back scrubs to the finals every year it's impressive that he was able to take the Cavs to the finals before 

[2006Coltsbestever]

9 minutes ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

Jordan played with great players too and LeBron had every reason to leave he had to piggy back scrubs to the finals every year it's impressive that he was able to take the Cavs to the finals before 

I still think he should've never left Cleveland and IMO had he won just 1 or 2 championships and played his whole career in Cleveland I would've respected that much more. He took the easy way out and joined Dwyane Wade. At that time Wade was the 3rd best player in the league only behind Kobe and LeBron. You should want to beat those guys not join them. Jordan got beat up by the Celtics and Pistons for years but stuck it out and then took off being the face of the franchise winning 6 Titles. LeBron wasn't even the face of the Heat franchise, it was Wade. LeBron is definitely the face of the Cavs.

 

*Wade had already won a Championship without LeBron as well in 2006.

[Colts_Fan12]

1 hour ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I still think he should've never left Cleveland and IMO had he won just 1 or 2 championships and played his whole career in Cleveland I would've respected that much more. He took the easy way out and joined Dwyane Wade. At that time Wade was the 3rd best player in the league only behind Kobe and LeBron. You should want to beat those guys not join them. Jordan got beat up by the Celtics and Pistons for years but stuck it out and then took off being the face of the franchise winning 6 Titles. LeBron wasn't even the face of the Heat franchise, it was Wade. LeBron is definitely the face of the Cavs.

 

*Wade had already won a Championship without LeBron as well in 2006.

Idk where you think LeBron wasn't the face of the heat the only reason wade got any love was cause he was there before but during the big three LeBron was the face of the franchise. Joining other players is how you win now it's not like it was with Jordan if you don't do that you will get left in the dust just ask PG

[BullsColtsFan1]

2 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I agree regarding the Warriors vs Cavs but it should be a competitive series. The media is bragging about how LeBron is dominating but look at who they have played? I have to admit I thought Toronto would take them 6 or 7 and they still might but it doesn't look good right now.

Toronto is horrible in the playoffs.  If they can win game 3, they might get 2.  If they lose game 3, it's a sweep.  I think LeBron is playing very well but like you said, look at who they've played.  Plus the teams defense is not good which is going to hurt them against the Warriors.

[Chrisaaron1023]

5 minutes ago, BullsColtsFan1 said:

Toronto is horrible in the playoffs.  If they can win game 3, they might get 2.  If they lose game 3, it's a sweep.  I think LeBron is playing very well but like you said, look at who they've played.  Plus the teams defense is not good which is going to hurt them against the Warriors.

Do you see Korver, Love, and Frye being an asset against the warriors?

[2006Coltsbestever]

37 minutes ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

Idk where you think LeBron wasn't the face of the heat the only reason wade got any love was cause he was there before but during the big three LeBron was the face of the franchise. Joining other players is how you win now it's not like it was with Jordan if you don't do that you will get left in the dust just ask PG

LeBron was the best player on those 2 Championship teams but Wade was the face of that franchise, he had been there his whole career. Wade was the 2nd best player on those teams so he wasn't chopped liver. I just think players today take the easy way too much. I like Kevin Durant but I think he did the same thing by joining the Warriors = easy way out which I don't like. So lets say Durant wins 2 or 3 Championships in a row with the Warriors, I bet people will no longer call him a choker but why? Curry is the face of that team.

[Colts_Fan12]

3 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

LeBron was the best player on those 2 Championship teams but Wade was the face of that franchise, he had been there his whole career. Wade was the 2nd best player on those teams so he wasn't chopped liver. I just think players today take the easy way too much. I like Kevin Durant but I think he did the same thing by joining the Warriors = easy way out which I don't like. So lets say Durant wins 2 or 3 Championships in a row with the Warriors, I bet people will no longer call him a choker but why? Curry is the face of that team.

What does being the face have to do with anything that's just all popularity? Sure Curry is a fan favorite but no one would call him better then Durant.

[2006Coltsbestever]

49 minutes ago, Colts_Fan12 said:

What does being the face have to do with anything that's just all popularity? Sure Curry is a fan favorite but no one would call him better then Durant.

If I had the talent LeBron James has had and I was being compared to Jordan and Magic straight out of highschool, being a face of a franchise would be very important to me. He was of the Cavs and now is again but IMO he wasnt In Miami and that is where he won 2 of his Titles. Maybe I am old fashioned but I think it's very important. It was to Reggie Miller being a Pacer his whole career. It was to Peyton Manning as well, Peyton would've been a Colt his whole career but he got pushed out. Durant was the face of OKC and trust me had he won it all there, people would've looked at that as 100 times better rather than joining a loaded team like LeBron did with the Heat as well.

[2006Coltsbestever]

I am not going to bash LeBron anymore and I already have said numerous times he is a Top 10 player ever and best today but he isn't the GOAT and that is just my opinion. Others may disagree and that is fine but I look at players like Jordan who averaged over 30 points a game for his career is 6-0 in the Finals with 6 Finals MVP's, Magic who had over 10,000 Assists in his career and he only played 12 seasons + he went to the Finals 9 times and won 5. I just don't see LeBron there yet. Look at Kareem, he won 6 Championships and 6 League MVP's and is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history with over 38,000 points, how is LeBron better than him? Kareem had the most unstoppable shot in NBA history as well - the SkyHook.

[Chrisaaron1023]

All these G.O.A.T jargon.. It's too hard to tell. Some people base it on Championships.. Some people base it on stats/facts.. Some people base it on clutchness/heart. Some people base it off of accomplishment. Some people base it off of doing what with who. I'll never call Brady the greatest of all time. And I can't call Jordan greatest of all time. It's all opinions, What am "I" basing these off of? Points? Assists? Wins? Rings? Playoff wins? Years in the league? Games not played due to rest? And majority of media has Jordan and Brady up there...

[2006Coltsbestever]

A lot of the media just push this GOAT stuff on everyone and some buy into it. I would love to get all the ESPN people in a room that say LeBron is the GOAT or 2nd behind Jordan and ask them to present facts instead of hype. LeBron actually doesn't compare to Kareem in anyway possible. I am talking Kareem, not even Magic or Kobe. Kareem is the all-time leading scorer, has way more Rebounds, his FG% is better so he was way more efficient too. Efficiency is what a lot of LeBron lovers brag about all the time. I only mentioned Stats not even Championships or MVP's. Kareem 6-3 in Championships, 6-4 in League MVP's. When Kareem played, nobody could stop him period. Give me 1 reason why LeBron is better than Kareem other than you love LeBron and he's built like Ivan Drago and he plays today.

[2006Coltsbestever]

I have been watching Basketball since the late 70's and without a doubt the 3 best Basketball players I have ever seen are Jordan, Magic, and Kareem and I say that without hesitation. When it comes to Kobe, Bird, Shaq, Duncan, and LeBron that is close. If LeBron beats the Warriors this season I will change my tune a bit but I don't see it.

[BullsColtsFan1]

3 hours ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

Do you see Korver, Love, and Frye being an asset against the warriors?

Tough question.  I know the Warriors won't underestimate Love.  Frye and Korver are great shooters and shouldn't be underestimated but probably will be.  LeBron and Kyrie will demand so much attention that they'll both get open 3's which they'll knock down.  So to answer your question yes on Korver and Frye, not so much on Love, I think Green will take him out of the game honestly. 

[BullsColtsFan1]

46 minutes ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

All these G.O.A.T jargon.. It's too hard to tell. Some people base it on Championships.. Some people base it on stats/facts.. Some people base it on clutchness/heart. Some people base it off of accomplishment. Some people base it off of doing what with who. I'll never call Brady the greatest of all time. And I can't call Jordan greatest of all time. It's all opinions, What am "I" basing these off of? Points? Assists? Wins? Rings? Playoff wins? Years in the league? Games not played due to rest? And majority of media has Jordan and Brady up there...

You're right on it's an opinion.  Everyone is able to have their own.  The Majority of fans/media would say MJ was the best to ever play basketball and Brady to ever play football.  I am sure you could make a legit argument for multiple players. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

9 minutes ago, BullsColtsFan1 said:

You're right on it's an opinion.  Everyone is able to have their own.  The Majority of fans/media would say MJ was the best to ever play basketball and Brady to ever play football.  I am sure you could make a legit argument for multiple players. 

I would say Jordan is pretty clear cut as the GOAT, Magic and Kareem are right on the cusp though, JMO. Kobe is the closest thing to Jordan that I have seen playing style wise so to me Kobe is a tad better than LeBron at the moment. What I don't get is, how LeBron just jumped all of these guys like Magic, Kareem, and Kobe once he won 2 Championships on a loaded Miami team that he joined by leaving Cleveland. The media is funny and can make people believe anything if you hear it long enough. Not this old fart, I have been watching way too long. LeBron winning last season was huge that I give him, beating the Warriors in 7 but that doesn't make him the GOAT. If he beats them again he moves way up on my list though. Hell I should start my own campaign and call the 2016 Cubs the greatest team ever because they won 103 games and came back from down 3-1 in the WS  . They had to win games 6 and 7 on the road to win that WS.

[Synthetic]

2 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

If I had the talent LeBron James has had and I was being compared to Jordan and Magic straight out of highschool, being a face of a franchise would be very important to me. He was of the Cavs and now is again but IMO he wasnt In Miami and that is where he won 2 of his Titles. Maybe I am old fashioned but I think it's very important. It was to Reggie Miller being a Pacer his whole career. It was to Peyton Manning as well, Peyton would've been a Colt his whole career but he got pushed out. Durant was the face of OKC and trust me had he won it all there, people would've looked at that as 100 times better rather than joining a loaded team like LeBron did with the Heat as well.

 

Except what Durant did was far worse....He went to a loaded team that went 73-9 without him and beat him in the playoffs. 

 

 

LeBron went to a Heat team that was in rebuilding mode....and took a massive pay cut to go there (Wade and Bosh took pay cuts too, something Durant did not do at all, as GSW had to let go of that awesome bench to pay for his cowardly act of ring chasing)

 

Durant is no different, and even worse than what LeBron did. But since his name isn't LeBron James, it's totally fine.

 

 

Haters gonna hate. 

 

 

1 hour ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

A lot of the media just push this GOAT stuff on everyone and some buy into it. I would love to get all the ESPN people in a room that say LeBron is the GOAT or 2nd behind Jordan and ask them to present facts instead of hype. LeBron actually doesn't compare to Kareem in anyway possible. I am talking Kareem, not even Magic or Kobe. Kareem is the all-time leading scorer, has way more Rebounds, his FG% is better so he was way more efficient too. Efficiency is what a lot of LeBron lovers brag about all the time. I only mentioned Stats not even Championships or MVP's. Kareem 6-3 in Championships, 6-4 in League MVP's. When Kareem played, nobody could stop him period. Give me 1 reason why LeBron is better than Kareem other than you love LeBron and he's built like Ivan Drago and he plays today.

 

Here you go.

 

 

 

 

[BullsColtsFan1]

27 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I would say Jordan is pretty clear cut as the GOAT, Magic and Kareem are right on the cusp though, JMO. Kobe is the closest thing to Jordan that I have seen playing style wise so to me Kobe is a tad better than LeBron at the moment. What I don't get is, how LeBron just jumped all of these guys like Magic, Kareem, and Kobe once he won 2 Championships on a loaded Miami team that he joined by leaving Cleveland. The media is funny and can make people believe anything if you hear it long enough. Not this old fart, I have been watching way too long. LeBron winning last season was huge that I give him, beating the Warriors in 7 but that doesn't make him the GOAT. If he beats them again he moves way up on my list though. Hell I should start my own campaign and call the 2016 Cubs the greatest team ever because they won 103 games and came back from down 3-1 in the WS  . They had to win games 6 and 7 on the road to win that WS.

I totally agree with you!  I watched that Cubs series, not a big baseball fan but being from Peoria, IL I was cheering for them!

[2006Coltsbestever]

22 minutes ago, Synthetic said:

 

Except what Durant did was far worse....He went to a loaded team that went 73-9 without him and beat him in the playoffs. 

 

 

LeBron went to a Heat team that was in rebuilding mode....and took a massive pay cut to go there (Wade and Bosh took pay cuts too, something Durant did not do at all, as GSW had to let go of that awesome bench to pay for his cowardly act of ring chasing)

 

Durant is no different, and even worse than what LeBron did. But since his name isn't LeBron James, it's totally fine.

 

 

Haters gonna hate. 

 

 

 

Here you go.

 

 

 

 

No I am cool, LeBron is a Great player. Let me ask you this though, what if the Cavs lose to the Warriors? What will be the excuse or your thoughts on his greatness? Just asking because I know you love LeBron. Cavs have a Great team so it's not like he doesn't have help. They will be in the Finals.

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, BullsColtsFan1 said:

I totally agree with you!  I watched that Cubs series, not a big baseball fan but being from Peoria, IL I was cheering for them!

I think the Yankees had the greatest team of all-time that I have seen in 1998 but being a Cubs fan I was being sarcastic . I have to admit last years Cubs was pretty great though. They had a rare ability to come back in games and win. They never panicked.

[RockThatBlue]

Lonzo Ball is going to be such a bust lol. The Lakers are crazy if they take him #1. Hes not even the best PG in the class. 

[chad72]

3 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

No I am cool, LeBron is a Great player. Let me ask you this though, what if the Cavs lose to the Warriors? What will be the excuse or your thoughts on his greatness? Just asking because I know you love LeBron. Cavs have a Great team so it's not like he doesn't have help. They will be in the Finals.

 

Basketball is not what it used to be. Allowing zone defense to be played and calling touch fouls has made it easier for teams that have sharp shooters on the outside thrive more than the guys who make a living in the paint and can handle contact. So, from the solo Jordan days, to the Kobe-Shaq days, now we have 1-2-3 punches in Lebron-Wade-Bosh and whichever 3 you want amongst Curry, Thompson, Green, Durant. 

 

So, it is never about 1 person's greatness like the Jordan era or a 1-2 punch that can win championships anymore. That is why it ends up being a case of "how are they going to call it". Are they going to let them check Steph and his boys at the 3-point line a little more or call it touch more? That was the difference in the Warriors winning the previous NBA finals and losing the next one, if you ask me, plus of course a healthy Kyrie and Love helping. That was also the difference between the smothering D of Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince being allowed for the Pistons with touch contact not being called thus allowing them to win an NBA championship vs more calls against them vs Spurs in the 7 game series they lost the next year.

 

That is why everyone feels the NBA is rigged. Against evenly matched teams, unless one team chooses to shoot lights out in an NBA finals series, if the series is close, the refs become a factor as to which style of team play prevails in the end. 

[chad72]

29 minutes ago, RockThatBlue said:

Lonzo Ball is going to be such a bust lol. The Lakers are crazy if they take him #1. Hes not even the best PG in the class. 

 

I never disliked a player for his parents but JaVar Ball makes it SO HARD to like Lonzo Ball. Sometimes, I feel the young man needs to ask his old man to shut up and handle his own business like a grown man, that might get my respect more.

[2006Coltsbestever]

41 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

Basketball is not what it used to be. Allowing zone defense to be played and calling touch fouls has made it easier for teams that have sharp shooters on the outside thrive more than the guys who make a living in the paint and can handle contact. So, from the solo Jordan days, to the Kobe-Shaq days, now we have 1-2-3 punches in Lebron-Wade-Bosh and whichever 3 you want amongst Curry, Thompson, Green, Durant. 

 

So, it is never about 1 person's greatness like the Jordan era or a 1-2 punch that can win championships anymore. That is why it ends up being a case of "how are they going to call it". Are they going to let them check Steph and his boys at the 3-point line a little more or call it touch more? That was the difference in the Warriors winning the previous NBA finals and losing the next one, if you ask me, plus of course a healthy Kyrie and Love helping. That was also the difference between the smothering D of Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince being allowed for the Pistons with touch contact not being called thus allowing them to win an NBA championship vs more calls against them vs Spurs in the 7 game series they lost the next year.

 

That is why everyone feels the NBA is rigged. Against evenly matched teams, unless one team chooses to shoot lights out in an NBA finals series, if the series is close, the refs become a factor as to which style of team play prevails in the end. 

This is a great Post, I don't disagree with any of it!