Ive had my own cult following of the "NBA is phony" people for years now. This is why it will never be as big as the NFL.
The NBA gained popularity, by modeling itself after another popular "sport" of the time, Professional wrestling. Storylines, heros and villains, rivals, and heel turns were what made the wwf very lucrative. and the NBA used that same model to grow in success.
Bird and Magic's era was the test drive. But the Michael Jordan chicago bulls era was the full blown turn. You had ur hulk hogan hero. Who had to get beat down by the "bad boys" for years, then he finally prevails. Then beats the old hero, and the torch was passed.
You know the story after that. You know the rivals, the big moments, the surprise endings. But all of it is scripted.
People say that the refs cant make the ball go thru the hoop. but they control the fouls... that is the most important part because foul calls are subjective. and if u control how the game is called, 1 team can be more aggressive than the other, which controls turnovers, fouls, shooting pct., and free throw points.
The Nba hurt itself by making the "sport" this way, because just like pro wrestling, it turns into a star driven league. only the stars get preferential calls. so their teams will be more successful. There are only so many stars in the league. Which means most of the teams will not have a chance at winning the big golden trophy. Which means fans in these regions have no reason to cheer for their home team. Just cheering for specific stars. You can only be marginally successful as an organization with this model.
Besides being a somewhat violent sport, which americans tend to like. The NFL, is way more balanced when it comes to the level of competition. Where each fan base can cheer for their own regional team. And they feel that their team has a shot at winning each sunday (any given sunday). And maybe winning the big trophy.
The main thing you have to realise is that everything is about money. The NBA is not a sport. It is a businesss. The goal is to make as much money as possible. Fairness is only ok, if its lucrative
It was remarkably competitive for a 2ndseed/7thseed playoff series, but the young bulls were on the rise as they took the first seed two seasons later. That 3OT game in game 6
