We're not quite halfway to Kobe-LeBron I with the Lakers doing their part, ahead 2-1 on the Denver Nuggets, while the Cavs fell behind 2-1 with Sunday night's loss to the Orlando Magic. I'm not one who believes these things are manipulated. Not when the Spurs and Nets played in the NBA Finals.
But the NBA has erred in a big way in that famous appearance of a conflict of interest. ESPN is a full partner with the NBA, not only in televising games, but with the TV networks able to dictate scheduling of the playoff games. So here is the NBA on its web site promoting a one hour special ESPN has been running called "Dream Season: 23 & 24," which is clearly about Bryant and James meeting in the NBA Finals. It's supposedly a documentary focusing on the pair's basketball careers. But there are obvious comparisons made with Wilt and Russell and Magic and Bird and having an opponent in the Finals who defines you.
It's one thing for Nike to be running these ads with James and Bryant puppets. We know what they are selling. But for the NBA to be cooperating with its partner to feature Bryant and James this way is shocking and leads to just what the NBA tries to fight all the time: The idea that it manipulates series for the best television and ratings matchup.
Especially coming after disgraced referee Tim Donaghy alleged something similar, suggesting referees make calls to favor the stars in the playoffs, the thinking being if they please the league and a better matchup occurs, the referees will get the choice Finals assignments and thus much more pay. I believe it's nonsense and I also have found the many referees I know to have high levels of integrity.
So I cannot believe the NBA would not ask ESPN to at least hold off until after the conference finals on this kind of thing. I know the NBA has influence in its contract with what ESPN can say regarding certain issues. Remember when all the ESPN experts after the Palace brawl suggested the Pacers were provoked, and then after David Stern "talked" to them they decided it was an outrage. Dwight Howard, who fouled out of Game 2 after an obvious missed foul call for James, who shot a stunning 24 free throws in Game 3, was asked after Sunday about the league and ESPN featuring Kobe and LeBron and said all they could do was try to win the game.
Yes, Howard fouled out for the third time in the playoffs and has been in foul trouble virtually all series against the Cavs. James, who was voted first team all-defense and was runner up to Howard in defensive player of the year, again is being called for the fewest fouls of any of the top players in the playoffs.
James, who is averaging almost 14 free throws per game in the playoffs and only just started to defend Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu after hiding early in the series on Rafer Alston, is averaging 1.6 fouls per game in the playoffs and never has been in foul trouble with a three fouls the most he's been called for in any game.
It's still hard to believe.
Bryant is averaging 2.6 fouls and has had four fouls four times. Carmelo Anthony is averaging 3.9 fouls per game and five times has had five and fouled out once. Howard is averaging more than four fouls per game and has fouled out of three playoff games and had five fouls three times. James is great. There's no doubt. Better than Kobe, as Jerry West said? Better than Jordan eventually? as some suggest. Who knows. But just that someone is in the debate is remarkable. We've never seen a player like James, the amazing combination of power and skill. James' dramatic game winner in Game 2 was an alltime great shot, in many ways better than Jordan's series winner against the Cavs in 1989 because less time was remaining and it was a far longer shot.
It wasn't a series clincher, so it was in some respects like the Bulls/Celtics playoffs this season. Perhaps the best series ever but hardly the most significant. Jordan's shot was way more significant because of the circumstances. But you can't be in the middle of everything as James is on a team that relies on one player like perhaps no other conference finals team ever-OK, maybe the 1989 Bulls-and be called for so few fouls.
I know. They said it was the same way with Jordan. He got every call.
OK, let's go to the record book.
In that 1989 series against the Cavs when Jordan was last at his most one man gang, Jordan actually fouled out of Game 4 and averaged four fouls per game in that opening series against the Cavs. Five more times in those playoffs as the Bulls beat the Knicks in six and lost to the Pistons in six Jordan had five fouls in a game. It's the playoffs. The play is rougher than the regular season. You get involved in tougher matchups, though James does rest on defense a lot other than when he is chasing guys from behind for highlight blocks. But Jordan always had a high number of playoff fouls. The season before when the Bulls beat Cleveland in five games, Jordan fouled out of Game 4 in Cleveland. In 1991 when the Bulls won their first championship, Jordan was in foul trouble with five in two of the five Finals games. It simply defies logic to see James at the free throw line so much and virtually never being called for a foul.