The Kings, their fans and many in the news media were outraged by the officiating that night. This looked like a panic whistle. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. He never struck me as someone particularly worried about competitive balance and fairness. If you can't hold a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7, you don't deserve to win the title. Tom Goldman, NPR News, Los Angeles. They believe that the referees act in the best He found that the questionable, or to his eyes, flat out incorrect, calls favored the Lakers not in huge numbers (nine total calls), but a very lopsided (7-2) rate. Game 7 was incredibly lucrative, and an NBA Finals between two small-market teams like Sacramento and New Jersey would have been a fiscal disaster. I don't believe the Knicks had any real shot of winning this game, even under fair circumstances, but the refs didn't exactly help. Join our linker program. Find out more. L.A.'s Derek Fisher and Boston's Scot Pollard played in the 2002 playoff game between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings, the game Tim Donaghy says was rigged by two referees in favor of the Lakers. Robert Horry checked Steve Nash out of nowhere. But what's worst of all? Your login session has expired. The Kings only attempted nine free throws throughout the quarter, making seven. Mr. FISHER: Games are called differently every night. Here is just some of Beech's rationale for concluding that the game was not likely rigged. With both I think they win the series. It's rare for an announcer to comment on officiating, but he couldn't contain it saying "I'm just not gonna say anything anymore. It was allowed by the referees. What probably happened was that the Lakers had an easier time getting inside because of the injury to Kendrick Perkins. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Every questionable call seems to involve either a big-market team or a star on one side and someone or some team of lesser note on the other. If anything, it would have been in the league's best interests for the Lakers to win and even the series. Bill Laimbeer was notoriously hated by everyone, especially the refs. Only, they really aren't. Now we're talking. Please logout and login again. No, there's nowhere near enough evidence to support that claim. This match-up between the league's two greatest rivals is a dream for the NBA, though for the past couple of days, the dream has been interrupted by a recent referee-cheating scandal that just won't go away. So chances are good many fans also will focus on the moments in these finals when the whistle blows and wonder if it's an honest call by an honest ref. The teams were not named in the court documents, but according to investigators, the Western Conference Finals was the only seven-game series that year. Accuracy and availability may vary. I think that there is a blatant star system involved in the NBA. Bibby and ONeal both performed masterfully. That's right, they didn't get involved in the fights; they just stepped off of the bench. Ask any scorer, they'll tell you that when your shot isn't falling, you try to get to the line. He also cited the 2002 Western Conference Finals as the most rigged series in league history. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Brown got into a fight. The Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant-led Lakers were the defending NBA champions, while the Kings, with star Chris Webber and a superb supporting cast, seemed poised for a breakthrough. In 2014, the Milwaukee Bucks had the leagues worst record and the Philadelphia 76ers were in the first year of their drastic tanking strategy that was employed by Sam Hinkie. "The referees followed the league instructions and Team 3 came back from behind to win the series," the letter said. GOLDMAN: But yesterday, Pollard's comments were measured. Ray Allen still remembers, questions controversial Bucks . TOM GOLDMAN: For a while, the Tim Donaghy scandal actually did go away, after the former NBA referee pleaded guilty last year to betting on games and taking payoffs from gamblers. Tim Donaghy also says LA took game one, while Sacramento won the next two. Watch this. The oft-maligned Webber played with both resolve and desperation, apparently intent on shedding his reputation as wilting in the big moment, with 20 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. As a whole, these plays suggest to me the refs were calling the game honestly, if perhaps not well. According to Donaghy, the referee that officiated the notorious game 6, Dick Bevotta,was a fixer ofsomesorts within the league. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. We present them here for purely educational purposes. When one team shoots 28 more free throws than the other, you have to look into it. After an easy 124-113 over the Mavs in Game 1, there was no reason to think things were going to change. Derek Fisher joked yesterday: Regardless of the allegations, he's not giving back his championship ring. The fact that the NBA let a technicality swing a championship is just flat-out wrong. There was a scrum for the rebound and Divac batted the ball away from the basket in an attempt to drain whatever time remained. Former NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, outright said that the NBA rigged the series, specifically game 6. They believe that the referees act in the best financial interests of the league and David Stern. The Lakers shot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and made 21 of them. It's eight minutes long (by the way, I highly encourage watching it if you're a fan of terrible calls). If Green isnt suspended perhaps the Warriors go on to win Game 5 and the championship instead of blowing a three to one lead. David Stern the NBA Commissioner was a native New Yorker and he allegedly bent the Knicks envelope so that he would know which envelope to choose, and this assured Ewing would go to the Knicks. Let's take a closer look at what happened in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. And that's never happened, and that's a really big secret to keep if that was true. That's the game convicted former referee Tim Donaghy has said was essentially rigged, by the NBA, to be a Laker victory. The Kings were up three to two in the series and needed just one more win to advance to the NBA Finals. WebDonaghy made a statement to US District Court in New York that Game 6 was rigged by the referees, and there was already real controversy during and after the game. You can look at one play over the course of a seven-game series and say, you know what, that might have been it. What's worse is that the Spurs initiated the fight. Christie responded with an uppercut to the jaw, and the brawl that followed between the two teams spilled into the arena tunnel and involved ONeal, ONeals private security guards, much of the Kings bench and Christies wife. Yes, at a glance you can see the Lakers got some advantage from the calls down the stretch, but if Bavetta was really trying to rig the game, would he have called a tie up jump ball at the 3:26 mark (and subsequently had a bad toss that gave the ball to the Kings) with the Kings ahead by two when he could have called a foul on Divac? Often analogized to a bulldozer, Shaq was the most difficult guard of my career, Pollard said. There has always been a group of people who believe in conspiracy theories, and there are some that believe the NBA is rigged in different ways. The prevailing theory here is that the NBA saw a fan base that was turned off from basketball after LeBrons decision. Michael Jordan was on a mission to win his sixth ring, but late in Game 6 the Utah Jazz looked poised to push the series to a seventh game. A bench player named Leon Powe shot more free throws (13) than the entire Lakers team. In 2002, the Sacramento Kings appeared to have the LA Lakers' number. 8 seed) and they shouldn't have let one bad call ruin the series for them, but they folded, winning only one more game in the series. According to his Facebook page, he is working on a book entitled Honest to a Fault. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Kobe was given Finals MVP (side note, he absolutely stole that trophy from Pau Gasol), and people seem to forget what really happened. It was hard to see that in how each referees calls broke down. In a second letter filed Tuesday, Lauro said that the league was asking for $1 million in restitution from Donaghy, presumably to cover the costs of its internal review. He kidded with reporters that men in black visited him and forced him to change his story. Bryant drove into the paint and put up a shot, missing. There appears to be contact particularly on the fourth attempt. They had just finished beating the Spurs to tie the series. The match-up lived up to its billing. But still, it was only one game, which is why it loses the No. Id never experienced anything quite like it, said writer James Ham, the editor of ESPNs Kings site, Cowbell Kingdom. The officiating seemed so uneven, it prompted consumer advocate Ralph Nader to call for an investigation. A missed three at the end of the game by a still bleeding Bibby to give the Lakers the win. LosAngeleshas tobe the biggest or second biggest (New York) market in theentireNBA. It was not legitimate, Pollard said, now out of the league and safe from being fined for criticizing the officials. Data Provided By With five seconds remaining Jordans iconic jumper went through the net. Indiana was the better team (the Knicks were the No. Then, late in the third quarter of Game 2, things changed. With Bibby and Divac leading the way, they shot 71% in the first quarter, and were up 46-22 at one point in the second quarter. We beat the crap out of them in Game 3, and we led in Game 4 for 47 minutes., A luck shot is one of those guys who has no form, Horry said after the game. It wasnt a luck shot. The (If you're wondering, Pippen averaged less than three fouls per game over his career.). Web2003 NBA Western Conference Finals Mavericks vs. Spurs League Champion: San Antonio Spurs. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Copyright 2008 NPR. While Kirkland ranks comfortably among the extensive list of referees , Zarba is right in the bottom-25, and Tiven ranked second to last. It was a classless, unprovoked move that ultimately resulted in the Spurs winning the series. Shaq was overly physical, and the refs didn't call many fouls. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. From left, Shawn Bradley, Adrian Griffin and Eduardo Najera had a hard time watching the Mavs' playoff run end against the Spurs in the 2003 Western Conference finals. Meanwhile, Donaghy alleges, the NBA was preparing to do just that. Join our linker program. I dont know. 93. NPR's Tom Goldman reports. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Series in 2002 was rigged, says disgraced former NBA referee, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/sports/11iht-REF.1.13635698.html. Many believe that the Kings should've won the series. WebAnswer (1 of 8): No, not reallynot if you trust the reporters and analysts that have explored this issue and/or can read closely enough to verify their findings for yourself. "The U.S. attorney's office, the FBI have fully investigated it, and Mr. Donaghy is the only one who is guilty of a crime. The controversy here is that many people believe Smith was fouled on at least one and as many as three times in that sequence. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. WebFor more info on the BBALLBREAKDOWN Online Membership: http://bit.ly/BballMemberWhen the Kings and Lakers clashed in the 2002 Western We had a chance and we blew it.. At best, some of the calls against the Kings big men, like here and here, were dubious. Well, I don't think David Stern will complain. He says he simply thought about the situation a little more and doesn't believe in an NBA referee conspiracy, in large part because the allegations are coming from just one man, Tim Donaghy, who didn't even referee the controversial game. Additionally, the Lakers wereaveraging25 free throw attempts for the entire series, which is much more than the average team gets to shoot. Lauro argued that the NBA must provide all of its documentation to justify the restitution claim. The whole purpose of the sky hook was that nobody could block it. The poster boy of the NBA is LeBron James, and things were not looking up for James and the Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Divac, the Kings best defensive big man, was lost near the end of regulation after picking up a fifth phantom foul just minutes earlier. In Game 5 of the 1997 Eastern Conference semifinals, Charlie Ward and P.J. We'll see how this plays out over the rest of the 2012 playoffs, but if LeBron continues to get calls like this, then the conspiracy theorists will get plenty of evidence of the NBA rigging games. I really want to throw the refs under the bus here because they did a terrible job, but something had to initiate it. Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals is the first example on this list of referees bailing out a star player. No sport is dictated more by the whims of a referee than basketball. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. The Jazz then put the ball in the hands of their best player in Karl Malone, but Malone was stripped of the ball by Jordan. I called it the worst officiated game in NBA history. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Let's look at the 10 worst officiating moments in NBA history and what they mean in the grand scheme of things. Watch the replay. "Tim Donaghy has had honesty and credibility issues from the get-go," he said in a statement. If the same play happened with Hakeem Olajuwon defending Kareem, I doubt there's a whistle. The Bulls weren't losing in 1997. The score crept to 80-73. NBA fans felt that it could be the year that Webber and the Kings won the championship. All of the pieces fit. Though they returned to the playoffs in 2004, 2005 and 2006, what had seemed a dynasty-in-waiting never again made it back to the Western Conference Finals. Webbers fifth foul call. (And remember, Beech is no company man. Of course, if Sacramento had pulled out the series, the shot would now be a footnote. Pollards fifth and sixth foul calls. Or write about sports? Do Harsh Punishments Ease Gambling's Stain? The Lakers tied the series and eventually won the championship, and many feel the Pistons were robbed of a title because of a horrendous call in Game 6. Despite the questionable calls, the Kings were shooting well and entered the quarter tied at 75. Michael Jordan scored a layup with 40 seconds remaining to cut the lead to one for the Jazz. 4 seed who lucked out and avoided No. The LA Lakers were in the third seed coming into the playoffs. Would he have called the foul on Fisher at 1:27 that helped bring the Kings back within a point with plenty of time left? We live in a world where conspiracy theories run rampant. The lottery directly effects what happens in an NBA draft. For some reason, numbers like that don't convince people, so let's go back and look. He added, "He may be willing to say anything to help his cause and he may believe these most recent allegations will help his agenda." Even Jeff Van Gundy was stunned. The NBA is not rigged in any way and everything is coincidental. Although the team names were withheld, Donaghy pointed to Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals as one such instance. Tim knew Referees A and F to be 'company men,' always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series." Roland Beech of 82games.com has spent serious time detailing every single call of the notorious Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Roland Beech of 82games.com has spent serious time detailing every single call of the notorious Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. This is what should have happened. Now Bernhardt did have the arguable turning point call of the game as it turns out at the 3:06 mark when Webber moved into the paint and made a basket only to have the shot wiped out with an offensive foul call. It happens fairly often, but in Game 7 of the finals? Do you have a sports website? The NBA Draft Lottery is the easiest to rig, and rigging the lottery can be done out of the public view. . I don't think there was any foul play here. Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate, weighed in, urging Stern to conduct a review. San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers eventually prevailed 106-102 to force a decisive Game 7. Dwyane Wade shot 97 free throws in six games, good for a record in any six-game NBA series, only two off of the record for a seven-game series. Here in Los Angeles tonight, it's Game Four of the NBA Finals. What is unfortunate is that in the NBA, refs get it wrong. They fed the ball to Kareem, he posted up Bill Laimbeer and went up for a sky hook. Do you have a sports website? The Hornets had a 13% at getting the top pick, and it wasnt a shock to conspiracy theorists that they landed the pick because it seemed like the league was making up for vetoing the first Chris Paul trade a season earlier. Do you have a blog? The Orlando Magic had just won the draft lottery in 1992, and as a result drafted Shaquille ONeal with the first pick in the 1992 NBA draft. And honestly? Doubtful. And they did, carried by ONeal and a strong performance on the offensive boards. At first I was in agreement with Bill Walton that this was a "terrible call" but having watched the play over ten times in slow motion I changed it from 'dubious' to 'maybe' in my grading since it's one of those plays where I believe a case could be made for a defensive foul, an offensive foul, or even a dual fault let them play no call. Pippen led the Bulls to a great 1993-94 NBA season by leading the team to 50 plus wins and a match up with the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. This can be done primarily through bad officiating that is easily detected by fans. He broke the record for most games worked by an NBA official in 2006. Meanwhile, the Kings cruised into the Western Conference semifinals to face a Dallas Mavericks squad it had dominated. But it seemed like the Kings were on the verge of dethroning the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Tim Donaghy also says the NBA routinely encouraged referees to ring up bogus fouls to manipulate results but ignore calls against star players. The Lakers had a 37-16 free-throw advantage in that game. But it seemed like the Kings But the referees/league didnt allow the better team to win.. The Pistons led the championshipseries 3 games to 2, and Isiah Thomas was putting on a show in Game 6. A former referee at the center of a gambling scandal has alleged that NBA referees rigged a 2002 playoff series to force it to seven games. The Greatest Show on Court, Sacramento had enthused casual fans and NBA junkies alike since 1999 with legendary assistant coach Pete Carrils Princeton offense that produced a unique combination of flash and fundamentals. This was where the Laker dynasty should have organically ended. 3. No one else has been charged with a crime. Familiarity breeds animosity, Pollard said, citing the multiple times the in-state rivals, representing the coast and cow town, as Lakers coach Phil Jackson contemptuously referred to Californias inland capital, had played over the years in the preseason, regular season and postseason. However, I'm willing to overlook this call. Here we have another case of the NBA favoring the big market team over the small market team. Well, I'll let the numbers do the talking. We just wanted to get back to our Cow Palace even. Then came a statement he repeated like a mantra throughout his interview. In his most recent letter, Lauro stated that he was providing the new details because the prosecutors failed to provide all of the relevant information in their filing. WebGeorge Karl and Ray Allen were both heavily fined for implying/outright claiming the series was rigged so as the big market Philly would match up with the big market LA in the Finals. What is lost here is that Michael Jordan blatantly pushed off of Bryon Russell. A lot. - That a referee's relationship with one team's general manager "led to an attempt by that referee to influence a game's outcome" in 2004. The Cavaliers got LeBron James back over the summer as well. In the final four games of the series Wade shot an average of 18 free throws per game. Webbers clean block on Bryant negated by a ghost foul on Kings guard Doug Christie. And it depends on the refereeing crew. Delaney wasn't very active in the waning minutes, with one no call where Bibby looked for a foul at the 0:43 mark. I think they know that certain players are expected to shoot a certain number of free throws, and I think they know, at least in the back of their mind, what is best for the league. The block/charge/no call situation is also about the worst of these in that it's such a snap judgement with significant effect. In his book Personal Foul, Donaghy wrote that As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us [other NBA refs] knew immediately there would be a Game 7. Asked to elaborate, Donaghy wrote me that Bavetta would always say he was the NBAs go to guy and he would always help make the series go another game he said [this] to me before the game in L.A.. The Cavs were heading towards going down three games to one in the best of seven NBA finals, and he had a tall task ahead of him to bring his team back. In Game 2 of the 2008 NBA finals, the Lakers shot 10 free throws. WebTue, May 14. The Magic two years later would be competing in the NBA Finals led by their young superstars in Shaq and Hardaway. 9 9. Pistons win. Beech did some very intelligent guesswork as to how many points the referees' dubious calls may have unfairly cost the Kings six points. Mutumbo sent out a tweet congratulating the Philadelphia 76ers on getting the first pick in the draft hours before the lottery was going to be televised. We still knew theyd try to come back.. Learn more and register, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. The 2001 NBA playoffs were ultimately dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers, who rolled to the second of three consecutive championships in the Shaq-Kobe era. If you look at the shot, it was straight form. They defeated the Kings in Sacramento en route to capturing their third championship by sweeping the New Jersey Nets. The NBA has birthed more conspiracy theories than Roswell. His flopping was so blatantly obvious that multiple NBA players actually tweeted about it. The Cavaliers were a little lucky to have two chances at hitting the lottery, but the first round pick that they had acquired from the Clippers had just a 2.8% chance of converting into the number one pick after the Clippers finished with the eighth worst record in basketball. They were deeper. Look at the replay again. To reinvigorate the fans the NBA knew that Cleveland had to have success on NBA draft lottery night, and it all started when the Cavs heard they had gotten the fourth pick with their own selection. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Fortunately, four teams in the East delivered. Webber took what appeared to be such a harmless little step, with no other player even close to him. The theory here is that the NBA thought it would be best for the highly star powered Los Angeles Lakers to be the face of the league still in 1988. Though they returned to the playoffs in 2004, 2005 and 2006, what had seemed a dynasty-in-waiting never again made it back to the Western Conference Finals. If you search "NBA rigged" on YouTube, the first three videos are about this game. From my college team at Kansas to the Kings. And yet--, Sacramento had the best team in the league, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy wrote in an email interview about the series. The conspiracy theory here is that the NBA wanted Ewing to landin a big market. @ Los Angeles Lakers. So, thats a fact. Jordan dribbled to his right then crossed over to his left, and also gave defender Byron Russell a slight shove to get an open look. The main argument is games being fixed, and this can be done primarily through bad officiating that is easily detected by fans. Because they were assigned to cover Kobe and Shaq. The game was refereed by three tenured veterans, Dick Bavetta, Ted Bernhardt and Bob Delaney. It seemed a bit too perfect for Cleveland and the theory is the NBA seemed to be playing favorites with the city of Cleveland due to the city's long history of losing in sports, and 2014 presented one of the best draft classes coming out in recent memory. Not coincidentally, rules mandating buzzer beaters be reviewed by referees via instant replay were instituted the following season. Beech also looked for any and all evidence to support Donaghy's claim that two of the referees were "company men" who did the NBA's bidding. The letter describes a 2002 playoff series that went seven games; the Western Conference finals was the only series to require seven games. What was their crime? Clinched a playoff berth [ edit] The Sacramento Kings win the 2002 NBA championship. Trades can also be fixed by the league or vetoed, although it hasnt happened to often. The Cleveland Cavaliers were a mess and it was all due to their best player in franchise history leaving the team for Miami in the summer of 2010. But the mother ship of NBA conspiracy theories remains Game 6 of the classic 2002 Western Conference Finals between the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the upstart Sacramento Kings. Then they used their draft pick Andrew Wiggins as ammunition to acquire all star Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, and the Cavs were now a championship contender. He won a championship ring with the 2008 Boston Celtics, and retired at the end of that year. A decade later, questionable officiating still haunts what might be the greatest playoff series ever played, writes Matt Gallagher. Kobe is a bigger star than Boston's entire big three combined. The Celtics had 28 more opportunities to score free points. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the draft lottery once again for the third time in fiveyears. Stern never publicly responded to Naders call, but the four-time presidential candidate says he did speak with the commissioner, who offered a whitewash.. Two of Portland's biggest stars (Scottie Pippen and Arvydas Sabonis) fouled out. Even without Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw Phoenix almost beat the Spurs in Game 5 anyway. The game and the series ended not with a bang but with a free throw marathon whimper, as the Kings shot a lousy 16-30 from the free throw line, and saw their heralded role-players out-performed by the Lakers much mocked reserves. L.A.'s All-Star big man (Pau Gasol) only shot one. While Webber returned to the court for the Kings after microfracture surgery and nearly a year after his injury, the team never recovered. The teams owners, brothers and businessmen Joe and Gavin Maloof, led the way from their courtside seats, running from section to section like hype men at a rap concert. Here are 15 times the NBA seemed fixed. All rights reserved. He created what is, to me, one of the most damning referee critiques on record, which prompted lots of follow-up.). Chris Webber and Mike Bibby were Sacramento's star duo. If Ron Artest's three-pointer bricks in the final minutes, the Celtics may have won the game and the media would never stop talking about how Kobe can't beat the Celtics. If you wanted to say the league's best interests were for Kobe to win this series and instructed the refs accordingly, this is probably a good place to start. Be the first one to comment on this story. ONeal helped the Magic greatly improve just barely missing out on the playoffs in the 1992-93 NBA season. Commissioner David Stern, speaking before Game 3 of the NBA finals at Staples Center on Tuesday, dismissed all of the allegations as "baseless.". This means that the more successful the big market teams are, the better off the NBA is in terms of revenue. The refs also made some bad calls against the Kings for almost the entirety of the game. But that amazing "final" moment to Jordan's career wasn't real. League-preferred being, of course, the result that generates the most revenue. Still an offensive foul on Kobe there could have changed the outcome! According to Fadeaway World, the controversy began in game six of the WCF. It's believed this week's allegations are a way to show Donaghy is being cooperative with investigators. The bottom line is, you know something's up when prominent NBA writers like Bill Simmons tweet that they "don't watch rigged games." Data Provided By Top NBA executives rigged playoff series to pack arenas and pump up TV ratings by ordering officials to shamelessly make calls that benefited favored teams, disgraced ex-ref Tim Donaghy charged in Cost the Kings for almost the entirety of the game by a ghost foul on guard. Sport is dictated more by the way, I do n't think David Stern complain..., says disgraced former NBA referee, Tim Donaghy has said was essentially rigged, by the routinely! 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Kansas to the NBA let a technicality swing a championship ring Stathead trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference Stathead... Ticket to the court for the Lakers had a 37-16 free-throw advantage in that game not be in its form. Celtics had 28 more opportunities to score free points only series to require seven games give the Lakers win! Give the Lakers to win the title 's such a harmless little step, with no other even. Vs. Spurs league Champion: San Antonio Spurs Sacramento 's star duo a whole, plays!