School For The Blind
Author Tennessee Williams might have said it best. If I could mix words with him I would say a large segment of Jazz fans are matriculating in a school for the blind. Their eyes had failed them – or they had failed their eyes.
It’s easy to buy into a conspiracy theory. It’s the first thing that pops into your head when you need to explain something that has turned out 180 degrees from the way you hoped it would. But that little voice you hear inside you is not reason. The voice of reason has been gagged and replaced by the louder voice of rationalization.
I remember when it really became clear to me. My favorite basketball team – a small market team had been eliminated from the playoffs the year before in an ugly manner. They were ousted too soon. It had the making of a conspiracy. Actually it had the only making you really need – they lost when I thought they shouldn’t have. As training camp got going the next year my hurt was renewed as some other team began the year as champion. At the same time my favorite baseball team– a giant market team was losing in the MLB Playoff. In one single day I was able to put these two thoughts next to each other.
They will never let them win the whole thing. They hate small market teams – it would be bad for ratings. They wanted them out as soon as possible.
They are tired of them winning it all. They hate the big market team – they want them out as soon as possible.
One year at the Rocky Mountain review I sat behind a very unlucky guy for three straight games. Unlucky because for those three games the refs constantly picked on all three teams he was cheering for that day. They didn’t get one call right all day, and he left angry.
There is no conspiracy. If there was the Spurs would not be reigning champs. The Suns would be playing the Mavericks right now in the second round. Last year’s top draft picks would be in NY and Boston – not in Portland and Seattle. If there was a conspiracy Stern would be throwing games to the underdogs and collecting the payoff on a large bet - not pushing the favorites. Why get the league a few million when you can line your own pockets with it instead?
The Refs have missed some calls. But they missed them on both sides. If the Jazz would have played a full game in any of the games in LA – they would be looking to close out the series tonight. It’s been a great series. Even if the Jazz don’t prevail – it’s been a great battle. If you are concentrating on conspiracy theories though – you are probably missing it. You may look silly doing it. But you won’t see it having failing your eyes… and maybe everything else.
Enjoy the games.
7 Comments to “School For The Blind”
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It’s amazing that fans on opposing teams can both complain about the referees in the same game. The only conclusion is that we are obviously biased in our view of how things should be called. I agree with that sentiment and take it in to account when I’m tempted to blame a loss on the referees. Like the sixth game, for example. We just lost. A great comeback effort, but fell short. It was an exciting game.
However, the fifth came was an NBA disgrace. The officiating in the last six minutes was so Laker-friendly that it rose above the bias explanation. The officials threw that game. While there have been many games where I’ve grumbled about officiating, this was the first game I’m convinced the officials threw since the Jazz-Bulls finals a decade ago.
Why would they do that? Is there anything to the small city theory? Did one or more of the officials have a bet on the outcome? I don’t know why they did it, but that they threw the game is undeniable. It’s there to see.
The thing that completely falls short in your argument about the refs throwing the game is…. well….. logic. First of all as a Laker fan i didnt think game 5 was called any different than any of the other home games in this series, slightly favoring the home team. Human nature and the intensity/energy of the arena and the aggressiveness of the home team all play a part for the apparent discrepancy in refereeing. If the small market theory was true then why have the spurs dominated the league in the past 10 years??? If you want to believe that the games are fixed then enjoy watching the wwf and the globetrotters. If that makes more sense to you than the fact that the lakers are clearly the better team then enjoy being delusional. The better team ALWAYS wins a 7 game series. If the league wants to fix things so all major market teams are doing well then explain the freakin NY Knicks. As a laker fan when the Suns ( a small market team) beat us the last two years i woke up the next morning with a bitter taste in my mouth, but at least i wasnt insane. You my friend have the unforunate task of being both.
You know what… it’s such a cop out to blame the refs. Bad calls go both ways, and the team that loses has nothing to hang onto but that, while the winning team’s fans could care less about the refs. We have Tivo and instant replays and rebroadcasts and highlights and we can analyze a call after watching it 20 times. These refs are making a call at the moment, within seconds having to make a decision. We rewind, and watch again, then rewind and repeat, then after a number of different angles and viewpoints we can make the right call… right? All from the comfort of our recliners at home. It’s the same story from the losing team everytime… darn those refs.
Hey JBMONKEYMAN,
Try reading the article next time. I am glad you spent a lot of time with your comment - it basically says exactly what the blog does. Ironic isn’t it that it’s about people not looking at things deep enough and then making wild statements. Welcome to the School for the blind buddy. You are head of the class.
hmmm…. upon further review, i dont see what the big deal is. Maybe you are just having a bad day considering last nights events. You are right i didn’t read the entirety of your blog, i didnt realize i had to deeply meditate over its meaning before i could reply to someone elses comment, lesson learned indeed.(boy you take yourself very seriously) Interesting how you called my statements wild, yet said they were exactly what your blog says. You might want to consider one alternative however, before you wax eloquent about the school of the blind and the amazing ironies that exist in this very blog. My lack of interest in your writing is less of a reflection on my blindness and more a reflection on how long winded your post was. In other words if you are the teacher, you can consider me blind anytime.
We all know that the losing team has the bad taste in the mouth. The only thing that bothers me is that the refs put the stars above the rest. You breath on players like Kobe and its a foul, but if he takes three steps or pushes off then it is o.k. They do the same thing for Labron James, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady. I understand that these guys are the great players, but I feel they should be called for the same foul. The only people who think that the star is being treated like everyone else is the fan of the Team that has the star. I just find it hard to believe that the refs can miss so many plays that favor the “star” players, but have no problem calling it on the “average” player. The stars stay in the game longer because they have more freedom with calls. This has been that way for years, the league thinks the only reason fans go to the game is for that single individual, but fans like myself want to see a game the officiated fairly (that means no matter who commits the fould, it is a foul) Refs need to watch the play and not the player, they need to ignore the fans and call it as it is, All refs should have all their calls reviewed and if they find too many mistakes or just terrible calls then the ref gets suspended with out pay, and if it happens too much then the ref is let go. Refs need to held accountable, and stop listening to the fans of the home crowd, home court advantage doesn’t mean that the refs should favor the home team, the crowd should be the only difference in the game. Heck give the refs earplugs so they can concentrate on the play and can ignore everything else. The biggest thing I want to see is all the players be treated the same on the court, off the court I don’t care. I just feel no matter who you are on the court you are a player, not a god, you are a human being playing a game and they should all be treated the same. That is just my feeling on things, I knew the Lakers were a better team then the Jazz, this is probably one reason Fish left, he wanted another championship and he knew he couldn’t get it at Utah. Utah just doesn’t have the heart, they are not agressive enough and that is their killer. In my mind the Jazz will never be able to win a chamionship, the owner is laxt and doesn’t care what happens to his team. He is not willing to take chances, and I fear that when Deron Williams contract is up that Larry Miller won’t pay him what he wants and he will end up on another team that will pay him whatever. Miller thinks that you can win a championship with the draft and being nice. That doesn’t work for this day and age. You have to go out and take it and be agressive and not allow the league to just push you around. Well I have spewed enough crap at people, I just wanted to get that little bit off my chest.
I’m not looking for conspiracies I look at the lack of competition. It seems every year a team that has won a championship wins another. Miami Heat was the blip that makes you think that other teams might stand a chance. This year you see players opting out of contracts, not playing at all and demanding to be traded or contract bought out. They do this so they can play on the team to win a championship. I know winning is everything and the problem is the players are employees, and the employees shouldn’t be able to choose were the play. If you look at the history of the NBA and almost every sport only a seclect few teams win it all. The rest might as well not even be there because they won’t win it. When the players contracts are up, they demand a trade and get traded to the power house so they can win a championship. Players realize that to win a championship you have to move to another team, not enough good players stick to the same team throughout their career, players like John Stockton are no more. The players want to win they will go to a team that will pay them the most or in Sam Cassels case move to a team that will win it all (I just don’t like the way he got to Boston, by basically throwing temper tantrum)
In the 60 years of existence of the NBA only a select few teams have won it all.
LA (Minniapolis) Lakers involved in 28 Championships and won 14
Boston Celtics involved in 19 and won 16
(half of the championship go to 2 franchises and 47 years have seen these two teams (78%) in the championship)
after that you have:
Chicago Bulls win 6
San Antonio Spurs win 4
Detroit (Fort Wayne) Pistons win 3 Runner Up 4
Philadelphia (Golden State) Warriors Win 3 Runner up 2
Baltimore (Washington) Bullets Win 2 (47-48′) (77-78′) runner up 3
Houston Rockets win 2 Runner up 2
Philadelphia 76ers 2 runner up 4
St Louis Hawks win 1 (57-55′) Runner up 3
NY Knicks win 2 runner up 6
Milwaukee Bucks win 1 runner up 2
Portland TrailBlazers win 1 (76-77″) Runner up 2
Seattle Sonics win 1 (78-79′) Runner up 2
Teams that have only seen runner up.
Suns 2
Jazz 2
Magic 1
Nets 2
Pacers 1
Mavericks 1
Cavaliers 1
This year is no different the winner will be another team who has won it before.
Celtics, Lakers, Spurs, Pistons
More than likely it will be Celtics and Lakers.
That is the problem in sports these days, you have to many repeat champions and too many Employees who are all overpaid able to choose wear they play. As a fan all I want to see is other teams winning it all. Make the pros unpredictalbe, get the competition up to pro level. I quess that would require the other owners to acually get involved to making their teams better than just a tax write off because the team they one loses money.
“back to the classics” the way the radio hosts put it. Celtics, Lakers, Spurs all have had players jump ship on their former teams to join these teams. Those players know where the history is. My only complaint to the NBA is that the same teams win it all (I know it is all about the owners) but for the rest of the fans of the other teams like myself are getting boars watching the same teams win it every year. Everything is predictable.
I would like to see players stick with teams, and not cry when they don’t want to play on the team anymore. The players are employees playing a game, they chose to be in the NBA, play for the team that is paying you and stop complaining. Play your best every night. If I had to pick a winner this year I want the Celtics because of Kevin Garnett. This player has class and doesn’t throw any of his players under the bus and respects the game. He is a true leader and I think he deserves to win a championship. I know that would give the Celtics 17 Championships but at least a player who is a good person can win one.
to answer the Salary Cap question a while back. Teams may have to pay the luxury tax after goin above 65 million but that doesn’t include the signing bonus. That is what can attract the good players to the teams with endless pocket books. Until something can be done about the amount of money that the Athletes make then all we will see is the same teams winning it every year. And does anybody realize these people are athletes, they don’t have any bearing on the world, they do nothing but entertain us. But yet we put these people on pedestals. Everyone overlooks the what they do wrong, they don’t accountable but yet the leagues are willing to pay them Millions of dollars and they don’t have to be held accountable for anything. but that is another subject going way off course of the blog.
Well all I am blowing is hot air, this will never change and there will always be a way to get around the salary cap and keep the Power House teams on top. That includes almost every sport, not just basketball. I love sports but I also like to see the Championships being more spread out (AKA competition)
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