To Be Or Not to be - a refree in the NBA

Before I pen my thoughts ( I think this phrase is outdated now, who pens their thoughts anymore, we just key-in/type what we think but I digress) I have to say that I realized y'day that ranting against NBA should be least of my/our priorities, what with the inflation, war, ecosystem's near-collapse, poverty, racialism and more important issues out there in the open.

Having said that, lets get back on NBA. So in my office we were discussing the NBA finals (though my colleagues know that I become a raving lunatic every time someone mentions NBA League Officials or the Referees, they can't resist to needle me and I can't resist to be provoked) and my colleagues wanted my views on NBA finals and who will win it, now that Celtics are 3-1 up in the series.

So I'll share with you the breakdown of next there games;

Game 5 - Lakers
Game 6 - Lakers
Game 7 - Celtics

I'll also share with you why I think it'll be this way;

Everyone knows that Celtics have been a ragged team ever since the playoffs started so many have been surprised at their surprising lead over Lakers who looked infallible going into the Finals. Didn't Lakers defeat such teams as Utah and Spurs and didn't Celtics seem to be bumbling idiots while playing Atlanta and Cleveland.

So what makes them suddenly appear the claimants to the throne??????

Allow me, Ladies and Gentlemen to introduce to you;

David Stern and the
NBA Referees.

These two make me easy to predict how the league is going to play off the NBAs.

It really not that hard to predict actually, just go back in previous years; Remember when Mark Cuban screamed about Stern and the Refs. - Stern had no option but to get Mavericks into the NBA finals BUT because Stern hated the screaming, had Mavericks loose to a team that was totally undeserving to win the NBA final. Heck, that year, Miami couldn't even have been in the play-offs, if the games were called the way they should have been.

Don't mistake me, Dwayne Wade is as good a baller as there are in the NBA and the Big Diesel has his own presence on the court but if you look at the tapes of the entire season twice, you will still not know how they came in the play-offs or the bigger shock - went on to win the finals.

We can go back every year and you will see the same pattern - surprising teams appear in the play-offs and surprising teams lose in play-offs - remember Golden Warriors losing in play-offs last year! If only someone could look at all those game tapes and convince me that its a fair game out there.

Anyways, back to our current series; if you read my last column you'll recall that I mentioned the fact that Lakers will win two out of three at the home court - not because I was looking at skills of either team - I just concentrate on Stern and Referees.

So my prediction is league will try to show that Lakers have got a huge shock to their system by this sudden loss(wink, wink) and hence will rebound and win the next game.

In fact, it will be such a big rebound ( read- the winning margin of Lakers in game 5 will be around 15 or more points) that they will go on to win the next game - the game 6th at Celtics home court - oh! what a shocker!

The game 7 will be a winner for Celtics - oh because they are at home court!

Now you may say; wasn't it the same home court that your predict that will loose the previous game (game 6 of the finals) on! How can a court change its color in two days!

If you ask that, then all I can say is you don't know this NBA league.

Stern has decided that East must win the trophy this year and that's that.