The NBA Wants You To Forget About This Playoff Series

The 2001 eastern conference finals was one of the most controversial series ever. In this video, I break down everything surrounding this series and what made it so polarizing. Enjoy!
I make all kinds of NBA videos which include analysis, player stories, countdowns, and mysteries. Make sure to leave a like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video!
► Twitter: @AndyHoopsYT
► TikTok: @AndyHoopsYT
► Music:
On The Cool Side by Kevin MacLeod
Super Cool Power Dude by Kevin MacLeod
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Find all of his songs and download them for free here: incompetech.com
► Sources:
Stats and box-scores from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com, Statmuse.com, PBPstats.com
www.espn.com/nba/playoffs2001...
www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/po...
82games.com/game5refs.htm
#nba #nbaplayoffs #iverson

[@alexloeher8628]

Crazy how much of Allen Iverson's all time ranking is dependent on this Finals run. This is despite AI never getting even close to the finals either before or after this year.

[@puglife2773]

He was glorified losing in the finals. He is overrated if you ask me.

[@Davivd2]

It's still happening today with players. How "great" would James Harden be without his ridiculous scoring seasons in Houston where nobody was allowed to even breath on him? The NBA tries to artificially lift up players for marketing purposes. Honestly, it turns me away from the game that I love.

[@toptiercrip]

​@@puglife2773ai isn't overrated broski u don't kno ball

[@MicroWave233]

​@puglife2773 it's a team sport, you can't blame a guy for not having a squad with him to help him win a ring.

[@fortynights1513]

@@puglife2773Hot take I have: Iverson’s first game of the 03 playoffs is just as if not more impressive than the finals game Philly won in 01. A worse opponent (though still a top five to ten defense that year), but he scored more points on 20% better from the field and in a game that didn’t go into overtime.

[@RNBRADAR]

the Bucks and Ray Allen got the last laugh. AI is ringless while Ray Allen isn’t + bucks won a chip before Philly did

[@Lordeightbane]

Even Glenn Robison got ring

[@prometheuspeanut3935]

Facts my friend

[@russenterprise6502]

AI isn’t the only Sixer legend who is ringless, you forgot Sir Charles Barkley but he went to the finals with the Suns, he was a Sixer legend regardless

[@itzlucaaa6789]

Half that bucks roster (including every crucial part of the core) got a ring at some point in their career. The bucks as a franchise got one too with Giannis

[@RiqRoseOfficial24]

Don’t matter Ai was that good

[@SuperNASCARrocks]

The NBA Definitely had it out for the Bucks. A small market team like them making the finals definitely would’ve been bad for the league and for David Stern. If you have the MVP and one of the most influential players in the league at the time in Allen Iverson making the finals, it definitely makes for a more compelling NBA Finals.

[@Davivd2]

Only for the fair weather fans that don't know the game and can't see the bullshit calls. For the real fans, it just makes me hate the game that I love. At the end of the day, the NBA chose to appease the fans who might watch the NBA finals and a few random games a year, over fans that are watching the playoffs from start to finish and 60 to 80 games a year. It feels like a slap in the face to the most loyal fans.

[@danielfrancis2627]

I wish I didn't have to say this but it's like my grandmother would say money talks and BS walks, and it's all about the money.

[@danielfrancis2627]

@benjaminweiss1817 i honestly didn't watch much of the playoffs. So I feel like I can't give my opinion on the nuggets.

[@ajaay786]

Just like 2021 finals when they favored Milwaukee knowing damn well they had no chance of winning so they gave giannis more calls and it was outrageous

[@ajaay786]

@@benjaminweiss1817 yea it did

[@LembeckIsStaying]

I love how you point out not just the fouls, but the TIMING of the fouls. We're going through this now in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. It's not that they get more flags than their opponents.....it's just they all come in the final minutes of a close game. Every. Time.

[@granthill24]

I remember this series. It Definitely was rigged against the Bucks. Its a shame too because that title run is AI's crowning achievement and it was completely manufactured. I dont know if rings really matter when the outcome is so slanted like this.

[@kevinestes9800]

Especially since Lakers/Bucks probably would have been a better series, as the Bucks were an offensive juggernaut that year and had depth, which the Sixers didn't have. Lakers probably would have still won in five games (they were dominant that year and swept the Blazers, Spurs, and Kings that year in dominating fashion), but the games probably would have been more close as the Bucks had three scorers to the Sixers' one, and had significantly better three point shooting. The lack of defense among the Bucks' perimeter players (Allen, Cassell, Robinson, and Tim Thomas were anything but defensive minded so Kobe would have had a field day) and NOBODY stopping Shaq those years were why the series would have still been won by the Lakers in four or five games, but in closer games because of the depth.

[@Bigedub101]

​@@kevinestes9800Exactly i said same thing, Bucks would put up much better fight. They had 3 players who actually could score and create own shot unlike Philly who was basically AI

[@jumbohotdog1815]

bro rly included stern choking on his water 😂

[@johndebono1870]

The 2001 ECF is a weird one since the Bucks probably should have made the finals, but it doesn't feel as consequential as the Kings vs Lakers in 2002 because it was a competition to see who gets spanked by Shaq.

[@fortynights1513]

If it had been Sacramento and New Jersey, two things: A: The league wouldn’t like the matchup for ratings (kind of like the media reaction to the last couple rounds of the 2021 playoffs). However B: We’d have seen the number two offense and number five defense play one another, so a top five team in contrasting components. I’d expect Sacramento to take that hypothetical, but it should be noted that both teams won one game against one another that season, and the Nets win was larger.

[@CrazyxEnigma]

@@fortynights1513 Personally I think the Kings beat the Nets pretty easily. Maybe not a sweep but 5 comfortably. The West was so much better than the East those years the Finals were basically a formality. Whoever won the WCF was taking home the championship.

[@Bigedub101]

​@@CrazyxEnigmaKings would easily beat Nets too tho n like 5 but we all know they wanted Lakers

[@johndebono1870]

@@fortynights1513 I don't know, I lean towards the logic if the Lakers escaped that WCF by the skin of their teeth, I don't see how the team they immediately swept afterwards was going to upset the Kings.

[@fortynights1513]

@@johndebono1870That’s fair. After all, momentum is a thing and the postseason is a whole different animal. If the Net defense couldn’t handle the Lakers, then the Kings would have been tougher on that end (second ranked vs third). Just mentioning the regular season matchups because those two did play each other in reality, and I was kind of surprised to find that they split the two games. Either way, I would have favored Sacramento in probably five. That year, both conference finals were more competitive than the actual finals.

[@davidwashington11]

This version of Ray Allen was scary, walking around cheating making every shot

[@Johnny-kv7mh]

🐐

[@BobbyDick22785]

Back then he more was a slasher

[@EmersonOfeimun]

definitely resonate with that George Karl theory. i felt that way during the 2018 Cavaliers/Pacers matchup with that Goal Tending on Oladipo. Evan Turner said something relating to this theory recently in an Interview.

[@johngittings4673]

I remember that Cavs-Pacers series. The Pacers were the better team but there was no way the league would let LeBron lose in the first round.

[@g0d__]

lebron made a three to end that game. goaltend wouldn’t have mattered anyway

[@bostonk.o.]

Dikembe taking 19 free throws in a game is wild.

[@rafikz77]

Bucks got hosed Milwaukee actually matched up very well vs the Lakers that season (I know it’s only the regular season but still), a Lakers-Bucks finals would’ve been interesting. But Stern wanted Iverson vs Kobe because 💰💰💰💰💰but it backfired because it was over in 5 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@tylerriley2587]

He’s a puppet master and there are some people out there, who didn’t like him

[@rafikz77]

@@tylerriley2587 facts

[@cottonmather8146]

Yup. It's not a surprise that lot of controversial series happened with the Lakers and to a lesser extent, the Spurs during the 2000s

[@robinhoodhustsle1356]

Lmao No they wouldn’t have had an answer for shaq. Sixers had mutombo. Bucks would have been swept. Hornets literally took the bucks to 7 the series before….

[@cottonmather8146]

@@robinhoodhustsle1356 Bucks had more offensive firepower. They would've lost but they wouldn't have gotten swept

[@fortynights1513]

Hot take I have: The conference finals have an underrated history to them in my opinion if only because of how often one conference has been considered better than the other. In this case, the Sixers and Bucks were good, but I wouldn’t expect either one to beat the Lakers. Though I do find it interesting that the Bucks won both games they played against the Lakers that year, and I would expect a hypothetical Bucks-Lakers finals to be closer than what we got.

[@johngittings4673]

Bucks-Lakers definitely would have been a much better Finals. Not only were the Bucks a tougher matchup for the Lakers but they were just a better team overall than the Sixers. I agree with you in that the Lakers would probably have beaten them in the series but it likely would have gone six or seven games.

[@Bigedub101]

​@@johngittings4673Facts cause i said Bucks been much better match up cause had more than 1 scorer and more well rounded

[@Johnny-kv7mh]

The Bucks actually beat the Lakers overall during the regular season that year too. They knew it would've been better matchup wise. They just cared more about ratings 😒

[@noyce.]

The disgusting part is that you'll just get the prequel to what's gonna happen in 02. They'll just throw the calls in favor of Lakers.

[@evilpog1693]

Honestly, I don’t think that the Bucks would have done much better against the Lakers. The Lakers only lost one game during that entire Playoff run. Shaq was the best player in 2001 and he would beat up on teams.

[@MJIZZEL]

After the 2000 season, nba filed paperwork to be considered sports entertainment. This used to easily looked up on the Internet but good luck finding it today.

[@fortynights1513]

Granted you could probably find questionable calls before then too.

[@dragonmaldito]

Exactly. That puts the NBA at the same level than WWE. So there's your script...

[@TorontoWire]

Sacramento and Milwaukee The NBA really did not love them

[@vittiriowashington5211]

Small Markets

[@drashan35]

There are so many examples that can be pointed to. The Blazers v. Lakers Game 7. The Kings v. Lakers Game 6. This series between the Bucks and Sixers. And most definitely the series between the Heat and Mavs. Not just about the amount of fouls, but definitely the timing of them and who they are against. I think if we are honest, anytime humans and money are involved, there is a chance for corruption. The LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

[@KColleyTV]

You are 100 percent correct on everything you said.

[@iwishiwasthomasshelby]

2016 was the most egregious case of rigging in the nba finals.

[@KColleyTV]

@@iwishiwasthomasshelby it was unfortunately. I could argue that was the most egregious year of rigging across all professional sports.

[@drashan35]

@@iwishiwasthomasshelby How could I forget that one??

[@ajaay786]

Or suns v bucks game 3, suns would've been up 3-0 if it weren't for Scott foster

[@FHTV19]

As a Bucks fan, this series hurt badly, but all has been forgotten somewhat since the Bucks won in 21

[@carlosvilumbrales7398]

Andy using footage of spanish TV commentator legends Andrés Montes and Antoni Daimiel 😍

[@DKtrek21]

Good to see someone upload a video about this shady series which was almost lost in history. I was there in Philly and supported the Sixers but man, those bs calls just snuffed out the fun in watching. The NBA should've investigated all their refs after that fucked up season and could've prevented the fucked up series of Lakers and the Kings.

[@kingkaspars9577]

They should have investigated themselves? :D

[@Bumbum_45]

The nba wasn't gonna investigate... they were arguably the ones behind the whole scandal🤦‍♂️

[@koraanjamar]

This series broke my heart years ago. I'll never forget the gut punch I felt when Sam Cassell fouled out in Game 7 and I knew our season was over. The crazy thing is - we were 2-0 against the Lakers (the '01 eventual champs who beat the Sixers in 5) that season.

[@kylecraig6789]

8-0 vs the top 4 teams in the west

[@Bigedub101]

​@@kylecraig6789Even more crazy now..

[@dominiquejones3805]

The fix was n & I'ma A.I fan. We all knew the banana n the tail pipe

[@johnlicciardello2389]

Great video. I watched that series. Was def fixed. Ratings much higher with AI in the finals. AI was such a historically inefficient scorer he needed help to win games. Also the 2000 Western Conf Finals was prob fixed also.

[@fortynights1513]

And of course there’s 2002. Credit LA for sweeping San Antonio in 01’s WCF though.

[@rapgodreloaded9259]

A Pacers vs Blazers wouldn't be good ratings wise.

[@lukatosic09]

Don't forget AI's sixers lost multiple series they should have won because of the refs disliking him

[@Kaimaju_]

@@lukatosic09What series were those?

[@lukatosic09]

@@Kaimaju_ 08 Lakers iirc but really I should have said games and not series because generally it was refs costing the 6ers regular season games because they disliked Iverson

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

A precursor, a warm-up if you will to the greatest travesty in all of sports: the 2002 Western Confefence Finals

[@dominiquejones3805]

Don't remind me

[@larsonawitz]

I have been waiting for this video for ages! Thank you for contextually bringing the abnormalities of this series your audience.

[@dominiquejones3805]

Me & my brother were just talkin about this series the other day & there r little 2 no vids about the fix

[@backpages9885]

I'm liking some of the new music/background music you've implemented the last couple videos, it is noticeable.

[@danielvasquez3758]

Great video as always Andy!! Thanks!!

[@IHateMaL]

Kobe vs Ray Allen in the finals when they was both in they prime it would’ve been fire

[@Kizip]

Congrats on 500k brotha been watching you for 5 or 6 years now apreciate it

[@user-qy5bk8ci8w]

Nice topic, I love you man

[@teogotdasauce4233]

Man I never heard about this series… this new era of replays and social media definitely shows and proves this happens and still goes on to this day unfortunately, But it’s all about the money it’s a business at the end of the day 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@KhiryTheKonqueror]

Congratulations on 500k subscribers Andy Hoops

[@kkrstudios]

Congrats on the 500k subs, Andy!

[@sonofskeletor33]

Some interesting tidbits in conjunction with this - In the first five games of this series, Allen Iverson - the Sixers' lone scoring threat - shot 33/120, or 27% from the field, yet the Sixers somehow came out of this with a 3-2 lead. Astonishing, really. In the Game 4 highlighted in this video, Dick Bavetta was the lead official. He also officiated the infamous Game 6 Kings/Lakers the year later, as well as the Blazers/Lakers Game 7 the year before, in both of which the whistles were heavily lopsided. Even more 'coincidentally' Bavetta was also the ref for that Sonics/Suns 1993 Game 7 that George Karl remembered. Strange, huh? It gets even better though. A Bucks fan went back and looked at games over this period. The Bucks were winning about 60% of their games with this team, much better than at any time between the 1980s and the modern day rise of Giannis becoming a perennial MVP candidate. Somehow, the Bucks lost SIXTEEN consecutive games when Bavetta reffed them during this period, which as a mathematical probability comes out to 0.00000001% chance. Bavetta also reffed Game 6 of the 1999 ECF, when the Pacers were called for 35 fouls to the Knicks' 16, and shot just 9 free throws compared to New York's 33. It's an uncanny pattern. Finally, between 1997-2002, the Lakers had an 89% win rate in playoff games when Bavetta reffed, compared to 61% overall playoff win rate. The Kings meanwhile won 60% of their playoff games when Bavetta wasn't involved, but were 0 for 6 when he was assigned. Where there's smoke, there's fire.

[@brippok]

Congratulations on 500,000!

[@ItsWill21]

Congrats on 500k

[@mikejanacone8328]

Hey Andy, I love your videos really wish you would do a Udonis Haslem video I think it’s very interesting none Hall of Fame roll player was able to have a 20 year career on one team that’s completely insane to think about

[@benedictreyes8270]

I still feel bad for Ray ray because he balled the fck out in that series

[@kungfukenny9879]

David Stern was a devil in disguise.. 😂😅😂

[@JackLeDoux_]

I’m glad you brought up the Scott Williams incident. Not a lot of people bring that up

[@AK-su6fp]

Bring the old background music back, it’s more calming and intriguing!

[@romanramirez7847]

Glenn Robinson not shooting a single free throw until Game 4 is insane. Probably one of the only examples of a crucial player not being on the line for the majority of the series. The only other example I can think of is Wes Unseld in the 1978 Finals who didn’t go to the line until Game 4 of that series. The difference though is that the Bullets won that series.

[@ryunsayaovang3442]

Finally people are talking about this i remember as a kid i was heartbroken know this shit was rigged

[@nachoillist2973]

I was at game 6 of that series, crazy ruckus atmosphere, so much fun. That Bucks team was good. The whole city was so mad, we knew they got robbed. Would they have beaten the Lakers, most likely not. But The spacing and shooting the Bucks had was a good counter to that Lakers team. Whenever I meet a 6ers fan old enough to remember that series I ask them what they thought. They usually say nothing, which for a Philly fan says a lot cause those fools never shut up.

[@natank5398]

Hey Andy, i just wanted to tell that i like your videos man keep on that work

[@awesomeasever8370]

I've long believed the NBA was rigged especially during David Stern's tenure. Consequently, I lost interest in basketball decades ago.

[@clintstewart5545]

You should make this a series about teams that were robbed !!! Please .

[@rafikz77]

Oh boy that game 7 in 1993 was BS 64 FT’s But also Eddie Johnson was killing the Suns and he conveniently fouled out 🤔

[@galidroo]

seems sketchy for sure. Thanks for shining some light on it dude!

[@robertmoore4424]

I remember that one with the bucks and sixers them foul calls was wild

[@calebdouglas7622]

My Bucks definitely got screwed in this series and they definitely would’ve stood a better chance against LA than Philly

[@TMC_DEV]

Got it back in blood about 20yrs later

[@calebdouglas7622]

@@TMC_DEV amen to that

[@talkingmoney4499]

No they didn’t

[@ur_wrong1209]

As a Milwaukeean, I will never forget this

[@GetBenched2010]

David Stern destroyed the NBA. Change my mind.

[@DaLumpy1]

Walter Ray was NICE nice. If you knew basketball, you weren’t surprised that Ray was getting the best of A.I.

[@brucelau2023]

Man that 2001 ECFs were especially weird and definitely one of the weirdest matchups for sure that era

[@breath3010]

Yeah, I still sad that Bucks didn't make a Finals, they deserved it

[@rafikz77]

true

[@LessGo7921]

That 01 team deserved it so much. Biggest anomaly is they beat the Lakers in all their matchups in the regular season. Not that it woulda automatically translated to the postseason

[@grinchoi1]

I was the biggest 6ers and AI fan i def didnt notice this. I remember when they finally beat the Bucks I was going crazy!!

[@mihajlomaric7049]

It's not fair to a low market teams to be so underappreciated because free agent destination teams like Lakers,Clippers,Heat, Celtics, Knicks and Nets would be pushed buy NBA itself.I know sport these days are all business, commercials, globally cities but come on nobody wants to see similar franchises every year in the Finals.

[@tylerriley2587]

David Stern once said, this Lakers versus Lakers, was his dream NBA matchup

[@RE1GN_BLOOD]

I remember a lot of these 90’s refs too. Funny how much celebrity status they attained too especially if you watched enough games who knew who all the refs were.

[@tusukeros06]

timing of the fouls was the key, when your on the verge of having a commanding 3-1 lead then u lose due to foul calls, that saps the confidence out of the players specially on tightly contested games and instead of focusing more on the game, the players will focus more on the calls of the referees, even though the other team is being favored with more ft still if they dont convert it it wont help them at all. AI that time was the next big thing after MJ and the referees are corporate guys so they would prefer to have the MVP play for the finals as they were also the most popular team with the most popular player globally.

[@teddythian3955]

500k subs

[@matthewsmemesandmore6684]

This series made me believe the bucks would never would never make a finals because of the clear bias against them. Thank god i was wrong

[@GetBenched2010]

they had to get rid of David Stern first.

[@mr.h3lmsl3y]

64 Free Throws ????!!! Crazy

[@AirRusher1992]

Wow. You did mention this in the past but now you got a chance to make a video talking about it. A Bucks-Lakers Finals matchup would've been fun to watch though still they would get wallop by a 7'1" over 300 lbs guy.

[@calebdouglas7622]

The crazy thing is that the Bucks beat the Lakers in both of their matches that year so they definitely would’ve stood a better chance than Philly. It doesn’t guarantee a victory but you’ll never know

[@AirRusher1992]

​@@calebdouglas7622But you know what they say: regular season won't matter and things change come Playoff time.

[@rafikz77]

Bucks actually matched up vs Lakers that season not saying they would have beaten Lakers but it wouldn’t have lost in 5 lol

[@CrazyxEnigma]

Iverson going off for one of his best performances is the only reason the Sixers didn't get swept. I doubt the Bucks fare any better.

[@calebdouglas7622]

@@AirRusher1992 that is true but if the Kings can give the Lakers a run for their money then anything is possible despite the status of the eastern conference during this time

[@treystyles3760]

Oh don't worry... We Bucks fans here in Milwaukee will NEVER forget. This series had me torn.. Bucks is my team, but AI was my guy. I wish they would've just let them ball straight up. Oan... THE BIG DOG Glenn Robinson was the leader of this squad.

[@C.P.Brown_]

People only talk about the most 𝗢𝗕𝗩𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 2002 WCF 🐂💩 , but if you watched the first of the Kings Lakers trilogy, when the Kings first started making noise as an 8 seed & played the #1 Lakers in the first rd best of 5 series. That was the first of the King's screwed jobs. You could easily say the Kings should've & would've beatin the Lakers. Then Shaq went to whining & that's when the 🐂💩 started. The invisible fouls called on the Kings while Shaq played straight up bully ball. I still say Sacramento suppose to won that series in 4. But everybody was high on the Lakers & Sacramento at least at the time, I felt that they felt Sacramento has some years left & since nobody expected anything from them no one would care or even notice. It's fkn Sacramento. plus the league had already had the teams picked to play in the Finals & it leaked out. A lot of people didn't see that because they recovered by covering it up as fast as it leaked, but I saw it & rember it well. But somehow the league was able to cover that slip up just like the help cover up or get rid of the Michael Jordan's gambling bein or allegedly was said to have been a big part of his father's murder. Next thing you know Michael allegedly retire if you want to call it that. Just completely swept it under the rug & nothing else was ever said about it again. Then the most recent fixed Finals being the 2022 Finals. I know yall Warrior fans don't want to hear this, but from day 1 of that season til the final game, that's all the media & the leavue talked about was Steph needing a Finals MVP. & they campaigned for him all season long. They wasn't suppose to get past Memphis. They campaigned for Green to not be suspended because it was the playoffs, but threw Brooks under the bus whom at least went for a block, not snatch a player by tbe neck of his jersey & slap a player a couple of times in the process. & GPJ broke his own wrist. But they gave Brooks the ole 2 for 1 by ejecting him early first quarter & suspended him for the next game. While Green who's well known for his dirty play gets nothing but a fine. Another 𝗢𝗕𝗩𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦. The league is & has been fkn over these good small market teams & need to be called out. & to you Warrior fans, you sbouldn't utter a word because the league has had your back since 2015. I find it hard to believe that the best, second best, or lets just say all star player on your toughest oponent in the playoff that year gets injured against y'all & wounds up out for the series every year you've won a title. All 4 teams had you down or had a LeBron on the team. Kawhi & the Spurs were giving you the biz, LeBron & Kyrie would've gave you hell or the biz without Love, Then Kyrie gets i jured, Harden was bout to gentlemen sweep you then CP3 gets injured, & Brooks wasn't enough, so what happens? Ja is injured just to be on the safe side. All 4 out for the series all four title won seasons. Coincidence?! I think not. Conspiracy? I do believe so! 1 time maybe even 2 of those are possible. But 4? All leading to 4 titles I'm not that naive. I'm not buying that 💩. There's nothing they can tell nor show me to say otherwise. All sports are set up in some form depending on the teams, player/s, & money makers. C.Webb is the perfect example to this dumbASS ring/s determining how good a player is. C.Webb was just as good, if not better, & for surely would've been better had not been for early & later down the line injuries, KG, Dirk, & Tim. Without a ring his career stats is still higher than all of theirs overall. Only stat he trailed in was blks by KG & Tim. Which he should, they both 7 ft playing forewards. Now look up their career stats. & he definately would've had a ring in 2002. But since he was cheated out of one they get a higher ranking. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟!

[@GrumpyQian]

Wait isn’t Ronny Nunn the guy from BBall breakdown

[@kincamell]

Heavy. Ps That Bucks team was stellar.

[@Delusionalpostcards]

Bucks Lakers would’ve been epic that year. Milwaukee was a team. Philly was AI and Mutombo at the end of his career

[@TheCriminalViolin]

Slightly off-topic, but I've always had appreciation and respect for George Karl, despite being one of the more hated coaches out there. More on topic but still not quite: The Blazers-Lakers WCF series a year after the Kings-Lakers series has weirdly fallen out of being referenced and spoken about the last couple years, and instead, the Kings-Lakers one dominates, while that Blazers Lakers one almost never is mentioned even in passing. I don't get why either. It was so intensely obvious it was rigged hard, specifically game 7.

[@gilbertomelendez8139]

The nba is the worst when it comes to referee interference on the outcome of games. As a Suns fan I still believe they were robbed in 07. That whole series against the Spurs had so many calls going San Antonio's way, blatant fouls by San Antonio ignored, and that's without counting the ridiculous ejection on Stoudemire, and Diaw, from playing on game 5 of that series.

[@GetBenched2010]

Refball is AI's legacy. He wasn't even a GOOD player, just a ballhog with a few flashy numbers. The problem was that Philly hadn't had anything of value on that team since Barkley left town so they were desperate for ANYTHING that resembled Dr. J. He was a streetball legend who couldn't play team basketball of any kind and ALL of his numbers reflect this.

[@frankpagel39]

Philadelphia 2001 had the MVP, DPOY, 6MOY and COY. Are there any other teams with 4 major Awards in one year?

[@GetBenched2010]

all chosen by the same guy...

[@cowboytanaka6675]

my dad completely stopped watching the nba after this series and im not even making this up, as a kid he told me "never spend money on this league'

[@ajaay786]

David been sneaky

[@ajaay786]

@@AndyHoops_on_Tele_gram do you have insta?

[@MikeBeltMikeBelt]

Unbiased Cavs fan here. I watched this series and stopped watching the NBA for a while after this. This series was so blatantly awful with the calls, it was disgusting.

[@Johnny-kv7mh]

The Bucks actually beat the Lakers overall during the regular season that year too. They knew it would've been better matchup wise. They just cared more about ratings 😒

[@b-zoneonroku2020]

then the 2001 finals ended up being the lowest rated in NBA history until the Lebron era.

[@itzlucaaa6789]

Feel like this kinda cursed the Sixers. That whole Bucks core won rings (Robinson in 05, Allen in 08 and 13, and Cassell had one already). AI didnt. Also the Bucks got Giannis and won while the Sixers haven’t made it out the second round since

[@user-mf4cl9hs8q]

….. I remember

[@HayabusaRyu]

The Lakers are always the beneficiary of calls from the refs. You can tell the NBA was pissed the Nuggets swept them last year

[@hecksters423]

Between this, 2002, or that vetoed Lakers-Chris Paul trade, I dunno which event I curse David Stern into hell with.

[@dominiquejones3805]

We recognized this back n the day. The NBA wanted AI vs Kobe

[@yourmother4385]

Imagine how different Ray Allens legacy is if the Bucks make the finals. Ir somehow even win them.

[@brandonhawkins2367]

He’d be a top 45 instead of top 75

[@GothPaoki]

Same thing happened on 10 on the finals. Refs slaughtered Boston. We had completely ruined Kobe's game and he would only score with free throws. Refs gave everything to the Lakers.

[@africadondada6555]

Where there's smoke...

[@MikeHunt-fo3ow]

id pick ray over ai........he took good shots and made them and actually passed and moved without the ball lol

[@tylerriley2587]

NBA is a business and will always be a business

[@davidbradley7971]

#Sixersfan here. I always thought that if Bucks had beat us, they stood way better chance at beating or taking Kobe Shaq Lakers to 7 games. Ervin J at C was big and far from soft. Had just enough to make Shaq work. Ray Allen would've made Kobe work. Cassell wouldve done his thing vs Fisher. Tim Thomas would've worked Rick Fox and Big Dog woulda Smoked Horry at pf....

[@cammydj7779]

As a bucks fan this really pisses me off. Stern cared more about bigger names and markets than fairness

[@tiyopaenguin]

Why that Iverson vs Stockton match up don't look right

[@Davivd2]

You should do a video on the 2008 finals where Leon Powe of the Celtics, who wasn't even getting off of the bench. all of a sudden got put into the game, fed the ball as a role player, and every missed shot resulted in a late call from a phantom foul. As a fan I was scratching my head at this. Coaches shorten up their rotation in the playoffs and they certainly don't feed touches to role players. Then at half time there was a "heart warming" story all about the poor little crack baby who over came the odds to be the star of the NBA finals. After I saw that it all made sense. The NBA ruined their most historic rivalry to create a piece of theater and as a Lakers fan I didn't watch another basketball game for nearly 3 years. At that moment, I knew exactly how all those Kings fans felt. All I want as a fan is just a fair game. Let the chips fall where they may. If I get heart broken because my team loses, then so be it. But it least I don't feel cheated.

[@KColleyTV]

Thank you for this. I appreciate your ability to look at it both ways and see it for what it is. You are among the very, very few who have done this.

[@alexloeher8628]

Ooh sounds like the boomer got big mad big mad! Powe probably got touches because he shot 55% in that finals. I'm sorry you conducted a 1 person boycott because brown people are scary but you most likely made the situation a much bigger deal than it actually was because of internal biases at play

[@Davivd2]

@@KColleyTV I bleed purple and gold, but I'm a basketball fan and 2002 doesn't feel like a legit win for me as a fan. Just like 2008 felt like a robbery. I wanted to be an NBA player with all of my heart and soul, I just wasn't cut out for it. I truly love the game and know what these players are going through to get to this level. It's a slap in the face to all of them as well. They've been grinding at this since they were in JR high school.

[@KColleyTV]

@@Davivd2 you are correct on all of what you said. I don't like it because it stains player's legacies. We'd view Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Peja and Divac in a TOTALLY different light had they not been messed with.

[@Davivd2]

@@KColleyTV Yes!!! Look at how long the voters held off on putting Webber into the HOF. No way that happens if they won a chip in 2002. They were legit that year. Or look at if they made it to the finals and lost to the Nets. How are we looking at J Kidd and Mutombo?

[@ARod3]

As a heat fan…it is what it is 😂

[@RudieObias]

Unlike NFL and MLB, it's unlikely NBA would ever adopt robo-refs for games. There would be calls on every possession.

[@fortynights1513]

Do you see anyone in their circles suggesting that to begin with?

[@dominiquejones3805]

Ol Jesus Shuttlesworth

[@natank5398]

also can you make a video a about D'Angelo Russell career, how a player that was drafted with the number two overall pick , with all the potential in the world ,end becoming a role player ?.

[@lukaskywalker7791]

Joe Rogan would love this episode

[@celli2191]

I’m a real lake fan but the Kings got Shafted!!! Just like the Astro’s some sad shit!

[@PU-Basketball]

AI was just a different breed!

[@GetBenched2010]

No, he was a lousy player who was all hype.

[@ShadowDragonGT]

I believe that flagrant foul is deserving of a flagrant 2

[@michaelscottoriginal]

Ronnie Nunn? LOL

[@somerandom6883]

Wait wait doesn’t the rules state that the foul needs to be called on the floor. So that upgrade is 🐂shit

[@UrbanRally]

They fined the bucks players for complaining about them rigging games when it has been proven that they in fact rig games. Disgusting