NBA as WWE

It seems I’m not the only one who thinks the NBA is fixing games on an institutional basis:

Via Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=aUrZ16kqbll4&refer=home

 

Overall a great article that hits many of the points I’ve been talking about for years, and adds stats to boot.

A couple of notes though:

a)  The author, Kevin Hassett, must have forgotten the success of professional Wrestling when he states: “If fans suspect foul play, they will presumably stop buying tickets.”

b)  The first few rounds of the playoffs, through tournament seeding, pit the best playoff teams versus the worst.  So there should be even less a likelihood of a home team advantage than in the regular season during the first two rounds.

c)   While he compares home court winning percentage of the playoffs to the regular season, he assumes that there is no benefit for the NBA in fixing regular season game.   Anyone who is a fan of any sport, knows that attendance is directly dictated by whether the home team wins or not.  Who wants to shell out a couple of hundred bucks to watch the home team lose?  Heck many people leave early after spending that kind of money to avoid watching them lose.