NBA Thread

[Krazy]

The lotto is rigged. Many sports writers have a feeling it is.

[The TeeJ of Philly]

The lotto is rigged. Many sports writers have a feeling it is.

Many political writers have a feeling that the president is the reason the country is where it is (Hint it's congress)

Many tabloid writers have a feeling that Kim Kardashian is the most famous celeb ever.

Plus, in a lotto where the Lakers and the Celtics the two most profitable franchises in the league had better chances to win the thing, you say it's rigged because the Cavs won it? with 1.9% to win? Everyone who has called it rigged are asses, plain and simple. Anyone saying it needs fixing, is wasting their breath, it's works. The lotto was created to curb tanking for the #1 pick and as a Sixers fan I was hoping this was the year that tanking worked, and it didn't, as the lottory was created for.

[T-Bonizzle]

The draft lotto is rigged. Also the earth is flat, 9/11 was an inside job, and LBJ put a hit out on JFK.

[Mike Powers]

Don't be daft.  DiMaggio had both JFK and RFK killed, because they tag teamed Marilyn.

[Justin]

1) Lance shut up and take last night as a lesson.

2) I have a real issue with Paul George blaming the refs for the reason they lost and for saying they played the better game.  Lance wqs nomexistent, Hibbert was nonexistent, and the team got out muscled. The Heat xontrolled the game from the tip.

[Cory]

I know its false...but still funny and SEEMS true.

http://truschoolsports.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/lebron-james-actual-playoff-record-with-and-without-joey-crawford/

[Justin]

If it's Pacers vs Thunder, Justin is going to be 100% wrong, not that he's not that already. Both teams are better with them, especially in the playoffs when defense is actually played.

[GM Franchise]

Miami Heat are back in the Finals. But then again that isn't surprising considering how the Pacers have been playing.

[GM Franchise]

Clips sale pending board approval

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/11008952/nba-approves-steve-ballmer-bid-buy-los-angeles-clippers

The NBA has approved former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's $2 billion bid to buy the Los Angeles Clippers, the league said in a statement Friday night.

The sale is subject to approval from the league's owners before it can be finalized.

Tuesday's scheduled NBA Board of Governors meeting has been canceled. Shelly Sterling had pushed to negotiate a sale before the meeting, at which both of the Sterlings' ownership interests could have been terminated.

As part of the sale agreement, Shelly Sterling and the Sterling family trust have agreed not to sue the NBA and to absolve the league of litigation by others, including Donald Sterling. There also is language in the agreement that states Ballmer will not move the team from Los Angeles, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.

Shelly's husband, Donald, filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the league earlier Friday.

Donald Sterling's attorney, Max Blecher, said he needed to review all the new information before proceeding.

"We gotta sit down and see how all of this affects us," Blecher told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. "We have to think through the whole situation.

"[Shelly's] saying, 'If you sue us, we'll have to pay out of our own money.' It's like suing themselves. We have to see whether the law allows that to happen."

The $2 billion price tag is the most by far for an NBA team, topping the $550 million paid for the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this year, and ranks among the highest ever for a North American professional sports franchise. Ballmer defended the amount of his bid in an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Friday, saying he would be paying, in part, for the Clippers' potential value.

"I've got big dreams for the team," he told the Times. "I'd love to win a championship. I'd love the Clippers to be the most dynamic, vibrant team and name in professional sports."

Ballmer added: "The only way any of this makes sense -- my desire to spend time in Los Angeles, this team, its aspirations, this community, this purchase price, any of that -- is to really live out the dream and make this kind of America's team."

Ballmer also confirmed to the Times that another part of the sale agreement was to recognize Shelly Sterling with a sort of "owner-emeritus" status, which would make her welcome at Clippers games. Her husband, on the other hand, was given a lifetime ban from the NBA, in addition to a $2.5 million fine, and is not permitted to attend games.

Rom Klempner, the acting director of the National Basketball Players Association, lauded Ballmer in a 467-word letter to players about the sale, which was obtained by ESPN.com's Marc Stein, and said, "If the transaction is consummated, it will represent a very positive step toward ending a very unfortunate time for our league."

"As opposed to an owner who notoriously invested little in his team over the years, the proposed new owner is one who, based on his pedigree, history and the investment he already has pledged to make in the franchise, should be an innovator and a contributor," Klempner wrote. "Not just in terms of his approach to players, but generally in the manner in which he is expected to market the team and the product."

Klempner said the sale illustrated the "superb" economic condition of the league and how the union was "proud to have stood together as players against the divisive language and actions that led to this situation."

[Justin]

It is amazing how Derek Fisher actslike he never fouls anybody.

[J-Reb]

It is amazing how Derek Fisher actslike he never fouls anybody.

It is amazing how Derek Fisher is still in the NBA.

[The TeeJ of Philly]

It is amazing how Derek Fisher actslike he never fouls anybody.

It's called working the refs, if you act like you commited a foul, they'll say you did, that why you'll see a big man who is a bench guy say he fouled the guy on the drive instead of teh starter that was defending him because it may convince the ref it was you.

And on the note about Lance and Westbrook, neither of those two are the reason their teams did not reach teh finals.  Lance was the only player I could look at in the series and say he tried every game. George played too passive except for game 5 where he played out of his mind. Hibbert was out of it all playoffs for some reason.

Westbrook as Simmons said is the perfect 90/10 guy. 90% of the time, he is one of the best at his position and a horrible match up for many PGs but 10 percent of the team he is so infruiating. But when KD came out during this MVP speech in defense of Westbrook, they'll never trade him.

[GM Franchise]

San Antonio Spurs are back in the NBA Finals.

[Justin]

It's called working the refs, if you act like you commited a foul, they'll say you did, that why you'll see a big man who is a bench guy say he fouled the guy on the drive instead of teh starter that was defending him because it may convince the ref it was you.

And on the note about Lance and Westbrook, neither of those two are the reason their teams did not reach teh finals.  Lance was the only player I could look at in the series and say he tried every game. George played too passive except for game 5 where he played out of his mind. Hibbert was out of it all playoffs for some reason.

Westbrook as Simmons said is the perfect 90/10 guy. 90% of the time, he is one of the best at his position and a horrible match up for many PGs but 10 percent of the team he is so infruiating. But when KD came out during this MVP speech in defense of Westbrook, they'll never trade him.

I know what hes doing I just find it funny that he does it every time.

I agree that both players had a great series amd were the best players on their teams in the series. However, neither will win a championship with them on their team.

[GM Franchise]

What a wild game one. Air conditioning went out, Lebron cramped up and had to leave the game to the point where he was carried to the bench, and the Spurs outscored the Heat 31-9 to end the game.