Why I Don't Want a Lakers-Cavs Finals...and Why You Shouldn't Either

“Dude I really hope there’s a Lakers-Cavs Finals this year!”
“Kobe! LeBron! That would be awesome!”
“Every true basketball fan should want two of the greatest players in the game squaring off against each other!”

I’ve heard and read those comments in some form from friends, TV analysts, sports columnists, and just people in general.

Time for me to give my input.

I’m about to make a statement that will probably shock most basketball fans in America (other than those who know me well, of course, and to whom I've already made my view extremely clear).

I would hate to see a Lakers-Cavs Finals. Hate it. And you should, too.

Have you recovered from the shock yet? No?

Let me explain.

What NBA commissioner David Stern has done over the past few years is package his brand as a game glorifying individuals at the expense of the team. It’s all about the superstar. It’s about LeBron’s breathtaking dunks. It’s about Kobe schooling three defenders on a ridiculous fadeway. What it’s not about any longer is the team. And that’s sad…because last time I checked, basketball was a team sport.

Remember those Nike ads last year featuring the Kobe and LeBron puppets? Well, they came out during the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavs and the Magic. It was as if that series wasn’t even being played. Everyone wanted Lakers-Cavs – excuse me, Kobe-LeBron. The game was no longer about the team. It was about two individuals.

But the Magic weren’t buying it. Dwight Howard made some comments saying how offended he was that those commercials were running when the Magic hadn’t even been eliminated yet. He took it upon himself to alter the script. And I’m so glad he did. No Kobe-LeBron in last year’s Finals. Sorry, David Stern.

Speaking of Stern, we know that the good ole' commish wants a Lakers-Cavs Finals. It’s obvious. Kobe and LeBron in the Finals means better TV ratings, which means more money for the league. He wants this. But I’m going to take it a step further and say that I’m deeply suspicious that he's had the refs do their part to influence games in the past...and I'm sure he'll be doing it again in this year's playoffs.

Yeah, I'll use the word: conspiracy.

Flash back to that Magic-Cavs Eastern Conference Finals last year. The Magic were supposed to bow out obediently and play their role in Stern's script. But they didn't. They stole Game 1 in Cleveland. LeBron bailed the Cavs out in Game 2 with a game-winning three at the buzzer. The Magic won Game 3 at home convincingly. Now, Stern was getting nervous. If the Magic were to win Game 4 at home, the Cavs would all of a sudden be in serious jeopardy of losing the series.

Game 4 was close. Went down to the wire. With the Magic leading by two and the final seconds ticking down, King James (and I'm not saying that in deference, or affectionately, or with any positive connotation at all) drove the lane. Mickael Pietrus was guarding him. LeBron tripped; Pietrus barely touched him. Foul called on Pietrus. It was ridiculous, but I couldn't say I was surprised. You know, the King James thing.

He made both foul shots to tie the game. Then things really got absurd. The Magic were inbounding from half court with about a second and a half left in regulation. The ball was lobbed in to a cutting Dwight Howard -- and he got mauled. Mauled. Hit the ground hard. Since LeBron had just gotten that ticky-tack foul called in his favor, surely Dwight Howard would get the benefit of the call here, right?

Nope. No foul called. Game goes into overtime.

It was at this point that I was all but sure that Stern and the officials were trying to influence the outcome of the game. How could you not think that after watching what had just happened?

But fortunately -- and this was awesome -- Dwight Howard wasn't gonna let this bullshit break the Magic apart. He took it upon himself in overtime to will his team to victory, completely overpowering Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao for like three rim-rattling dunks and altering the Cavs' shots to preserve the victory for Orlando and a 3-1 series lead. The Magic had prevailed over both the Cavs and the refs.

The Cavs took Game 5 back at home, but the Magic completely blew them away in Game 6 to clinch the series. And although they lost in the Finals to Kobe and the Lakers, I could take satisfaction in knowing that Orlando had spoiled the commissioner's dream matchup.

Which brings me back to this year's playoffs. I think that Stern is going to once again pull some shady maneuvers to try to create a Kobe-LeBron Finals. What might that entail? It could involve having Bennett Salvatore and Joey Crawford, two of Stern's most loyal lapdogs, officiate games that have a high degree of importance -- games that can turn or decide a series (Salvatore was the ref responsible for the LeBron call and subsequent Dwight no-call in Magic-Cavs Game 4 last year. When Magic coach Stan Van Gundy went out to argue, Salvatore simply screamed at him to "Go back to the bench!" Because, you know, refs shouldn't ever have any accountability. Crawford, meanwhile, always seems like he's on a power trip, and was the ref who allegedly challenged Tim Duncan to a fight in a 2007 NBA playoff game).

Especially if the Cavs and Magic square off again in the Eastern Conference Finals, I think Stern and his minions will try to exert their influence as much as possible.

And Stern will also definitely squelch all criticism directed toward the league; he's already done so. Look at what just happened to Dwight Howard for criticizing the officiating on his blog -- he got fined $35,000. The thing is, Howard's absolutely right; he has been treated unfairly by the refs. But Stern wants all criticism silenced, so Howard is $35,000 poorer now (not that that's a lot of money for him, but it's the principle that matters). Multiple other coaches and players have been fined the same for their criticisms of incompetent and/or biased officiating.

I've been on espn.com and other sports websites a lot recently. And it's apparent that a ton of other fans like me have just about had it. After Stern's latest shenanigans -- throwing down the gauntlet on Howard -- I was reading the user comments on the Associated Press article on the ESPN website. Some people were likening Stern to a leader of the mafia. Some were calling him a dictator. Others correctly pointed out that through his actions, Stern was trampling on the players' right to freedom of speech. Some were even calling into question the constitutionality of his actions (and while that debate is outside the scope of this post, it's a valid one. Lonnie, Jack...get on it!)

Basketball is one of the greatest sports -- and the NBA one of the most prominent professional sports leagues -- on the planet. They shouldn't be tainted because of one corrupt individual and several accomplices that have demonstrated that they'll willingly compromise the integrity of the game in order to try to maximize their profits.

So to come back full circle, I'm approaching the problem I'd have with a Lakers-Cavs Finals from two main angles: 1) the team game angle, and how Kobe-LeBron would diminish the emphasis on team, and 2) the corruption/conspiracy angle, where I'm arguing that David Stern has a vested interest in a Lakers-Cavs Finals, and will do everything in his power -- regardless of whether it violates the principles of fairness and neutrality that he and the refs are supposed to uphold -- to try to get that. It failed last year, but this is a new year, and another chance for Stern to get what he wants.

As a big fan of the team game, I'm going to be rooting for, well, two great teams to make the NBA Finals. Magic vs. Jazz would be awesome. So would Bucks vs. Spurs. For either of these matchups, we'd get to see two teams playing the game the right way...and David Stern would be pissed because his two golden boys, Kobe and LeBron -- especially LeBron -- wouldn't be in the Finals. And since I honestly think that David Stern is a corrupt NBA commissioner, that would make me happy.

So yeah, in case this hasn't been made clear already, I will be vociferously rooting against a Lakers-Cavs Finals.

I think that all fans of good, pure, untainted team basketball should do the same.

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Update: just found this article online. Sheds some light on the infamous Game 6 of the Lakers-Kings 2002 Western Conference Finals, as well as the whole issue of potential conspiracies throughout the history of the NBA playoffs. Check it out.

http://www.rwor.org/a/133/NBA_referee.html