A Twins player asked me recently if I thought the NBA fixed games and the draft.
Short answer: No.
Long answer: If the NBA is fixing games and drafts, it's doing a terrible job.
This will be the ninth Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 1970. If the conspiracy theory is that the NBA instructs refs to ensure long series, the refs are performing poorly.
If the conspiracy theory is that the NBA rigs drafts, why did David Robinson and Tim Duncan end up in San Antonio, one of the league's smallest markets, and why have the Knicks been so bad and so unlucky for so long?
If the conspiracy theory is that free agency is rigged, why is LeBron James likely to play his entire career in Cleveland and Miami, two midmarkets that don't often move the ratings needle?
If the conspiracy theory is that the NBA wanted Cleveland to win Game 6 to ensure a Game 7, how do you explain the Warriors scoring 11 first-quarter points when fouls weren't a factor - or turning the ball over, or doing a terrible defensive job on James?
The Warriors dominated a sloppy Golden State team on Thursday. That's the beginning and end of the story.
