I think the announcer on the Indiana Purdue game tonight was Burnt Hamburger.

He mentioned tomorrow's Laker's - Sun's game that they are having on ESPN.

Then he said and I am not kidding. "It is the best interests of the league that the Celtics, Lakers and Suns have the best teams in the league".

I think he just threw the Suns in to promote tomorrows game.

Pretty amazing that he would be so blunt about what I have been claiming for years. But then for those who were around when the Celtics and Lakers were both at the top of heap in the 80s I am sure that they are not surprised that Hamburger would say it so brazenly during a live game that he was announcing now that the Lakers and Celtics are back at the top of heap.

He's been spouting off about that for years too.

(Usually about New York and L.A., but he'll take Boston as well. Probably brought up Phoenix because of the "excitement" factor, or just because he's senile.)

He may be senile but he is honest about the way it is.

I watched part of the Hoosier-Boilermaker game and heard part of Burnt Hamburger's comments. Sometimes he talks without thinking and that why he has been relugated to college BB broadcasting duty. I did hear him say something about the Suns too, but at the time I think the network was promoting the Suns-Pistons ABC game on Sunday.

As far as the league wanting to see lakers and Celtics, one of the two Live Stews, was talking the same rheteoric on the ESPN's 1st and 10 this morning and I think Jay Marriotti may have been talking the same on Around the Horn today too. (I think Woody thought it would be a 05 rematch with the Pistons-Spurs)

Leagues greatest fear is probably San Antonio getting in again or another late upset in the East.

Pistons usually get pretty good ratings and we have 3 current all-stars.

Detroit/Boston vs Lakers would most likely be the highest rated. Orlando is making a good case for themselfs but they would not give a good Finals series. I think about all ( and as last year attests to ) people want to see an evenly matched series.

Just because there is a motive doesn't mean there is a crime.

There are a lot of things that are in your best interest that you aren't doing, I would bet.

Exactly. Of course it is in the best of the league to have the marquee teams advance in the playoffs. It helps the TV ratings, of course. That doesn't mean the league is crooked. Again, too much conspiracy theory going on....

The officiating was also lopsided in our last game against the Magic. Jack Neis? got us again.

Pistons' streak stopped as defense goes poof Magic | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Part of the reason that the officiating sucked was that they reversed a couple calls well after the initial call was made. In both of those instances, I thought they ended up with the right call though, even though they weren't in our favor.

This game was so beyond calls that it is silly to even think about.

It seems to me that you have to realize that all it takes is a few well placed call to change the tempo of game. The officiating does not have to be bad for the whole game.

In this case I agree we lost due to the Magics hitting 3s at an abnormally high percentage rate.

But the fact is that we were still in the game when those calls were made. Did they impact the ability of the Magic to make all those 3s, probably to some extent.

Once the flow of the game is changed by officials the coaches make adjustments and the game progresses differently than it was and would have if those few calls had not been made.

Would we have won if not for the inconsistent calls. Probably not, but that goes to my thread about us needing some consistent 3 point shooters on our second unit in particular.

All the leading teams in the league have excellent 3 point shooters on the second unit except for us. This is a big problem. There may be one or two that don't but it seems to me that my point will still be valid.

Not only do you get 50% more points for each 3 made, but the psychological affect of draining several 3s in quick succession can not be minimized.

When our second unit is on the floor we have no way to counter those 3s with our own unless Hayes is hot, which is all too infrequently.