Note that the NBA had an actual game-fixing scandal in 2002: the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings.
The Kings were up big in Game 6, and then the league rigged it via the referees so that the Lakers, representing a far larger media market, would get almost all the free throws via phantom foul calls.
The Lakers came back to win. And then the decisive Game 7 was rigged in a similar way, ending the best season the Kings have had since the 1950s.
It sure seems like it.
Note that the NBA had an actual game-fixing scandal in 2002: the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings.
The Kings were up big in Game 6, and then the league rigged it via the referees so that the Lakers, representing a far larger media market, would get almost all the free throws via phantom foul calls.
The Lakers came back to win. And then the decisive Game 7 was rigged in a similar way, ending the best season the Kings have had since the 1950s.