Are NBA games pre-determined?

[MarcusSmartFanClub]

I hear a lot of people say that the NBA is a fixed sport, and I'm curious to see how this plays out in a poll.

[Phantom255x]

I genuinely believe so. A former ref literally admitted as much also.

Watch how Game 3 goes. Guarantee you the refs will let them play again just like Game 1, but clearly not Game 2

[hpantazo]

It's easy to see what you want to see when your team loses. The refs make a lot of bad calls and miss calls, and each ref has their own style which should not happen, which doesn't help things, but in the end the players on the floor decide the games. When you get flustered by officials and keep turning the ball over, its your own fault.

[Celtics2021]

I don’t think NBA games are pre-determined.  I do think that the NBA has a pretty good idea how certain refs impact games and assigns the refs accordingly to attempt to keep series close for ratings.

[MarcusSmartFanClub]

My prediction: not many are going to vote on this poll because they think that the premise is ridiculous.

[Celtics2021]

My prediction: not many are going to vote on this poll because they think that the premise is ridiculous.

My response has more nuance than your polling allows for.

[ozgod]

They’re not fixed but I believe they are managed, with referees using their judgment on how to apply certain penalties, with an eye to the overall game spectacle. I think that’s pretty much what Steve Javie said on Sunday. I don’t believe they sit in a back room and decide who wins 

[MarcusSmartFanClub]

My prediction: not many are going to vote on this poll because they think that the premise is ridiculous.

My response has more nuance than your polling allows for.

I'd love to hear what you have to say here in the thread.

There were too many back and forths. I wanted to know how many people here thought that the NBA fixes games. I'm not sure why one couldn't answer yes or no on that one particular question.

[Celtics2021]

My prediction: not many are going to vote on this poll because they think that the premise is ridiculous.

My response has more nuance than your polling allows for.

I'd love to hear what you have to say here in the thread.

There were too many back and forths. I wanted to know how many people here thought that the NBA fixes games. I'm not sure why one couldn't answer yes or no on that one particular question.

I already said it.

[MarcusSmartFanClub]

My prediction: not many are going to vote on this poll because they think that the premise is ridiculous.

My response has more nuance than your polling allows for.

I'd love to hear what you have to say here in the thread.

There were too many back and forths. I wanted to know how many people here thought that the NBA fixes games. I'm not sure why one couldn't answer yes or no on that one particular question.

I already said it.

Cryptic. I like your strategy.

Edit: You think that Adam Silver handpicks refs in order to achieve a particular outcome? That would fall under the "Yes" category.

[Goldstar88]

So the league wanted the C’s to win game 1 and lose game 2. That was decided before tipoff? 

[MarcusSmartFanClub]

Early returns: 1/3 of the people that voted say yes. I bet that is a much higher rate than national NBA viewing audience. I also think that people are choosing not to engage with this poll/topic as it resembles many other far-fetched conspiracies in this world.

[Atzar]

I wouldn't go so far as "pre-determined". 

A handful of moments over the course of the last few years have gradually led me to believe that the league attempts to subtly guide some games towards a particular result.  And Javie's comment last night was certainly one of those moments for me.  It's reasonable to infer that his viewpoint was indoctrinated in him by the league during his time as a referee, and by extension it's also reasonable to expect that the league teaches current refs the same thing.  And that rabbit hole runs deep.  If you'll alter your application of the rules to keep a player in the game when they should be ejected as Javie admitted, then in what other ways are you willing to influence the game?  How far are you willing to go? That slope is slippery. 

But I do think the NBA generally attempts to preserve plausible deniability if not outright honesty, and I do think the performance of the players themselves is far and away the biggest determinant of the outcome of a game.  And while my belief in the integrity of the game has eroded over the years, I don't yet believe that the players themselves are part of the hustle.  So "pre-determined" is too far for me. 

[Neurotic Guy]

No

[tonydelk]

Predetermined no but they absolutely control the flow.  Team A is about to blow out team B.  The NBA doesn't want that to happen so call a few fouls.  Stop the momentum and change the flow.  The refs in the NBA hold more power over any other sport.  It's sickening how much they control.