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Pastimes : Basketball Junkie Forum (NBA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MythMan who wrote (673)	6/1/2001 11:53:04 AM
From: Thomas M.	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 2233

Milwaukee --- Stopping just short of alleging an outright anti-Bucks conspiracy, Ray Allen said Thursday that the NBA would prefer to see the Philadelphia 76ers face the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals. "I think there's no question about that. The league, as a marketing machine, the bottom line is about making money,'' Allen said. "It behooves everybody for the league to make more money, and the league knows that Philadelphia is going to make more money with L.A. than we would with L.A.'' Coming off a one-point Game 5 loss Wednesday in which two flagrant fouls and a technical foul cost the Bucks dearly, Milwaukee now faces a must-win situation in Game 6 tonight. The 76ers lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, with the winner moving on to face the Lakers in the finals beginning Wednesday. The Bucks have complained about the officiating since Game 4, when they felt Glenn Robinson was fouled on a crucial possession late in the fourth quarter that turned into a breakaway layup for the 76ers. In Game 5, Sam Cassell's technical foul and flagrant fouls on Robinson and Tim Thomas resulted in a five-point possession and two four-point possessions for Philadelphia. But aside from what they felt was the questionable nature of those calls, the Bucks also had a problem with other whistles --- touch fouls on Cassell and Ervin Johnson early in the game and a moving screen call on Jason Caffey late in the fourth quarter. Cassell's complaining began in the first quarter when he pump-faked Allen Iverson off his feet and Iverson whacked him hard on the arm. No foul was called, even though the play happened directly in front of referee Ronnie Nunn. "Nine times out of 10, when you have a referee you know there's no biases," Allen said. ''But in the back of everybody's minds it's like Philadelphia and the MVP need to play in the finals. "I used to always think the series were fixed when I was in high school, then when I got to the NBA I said there's no way they could be fixed. But even last year against Indiana in Game 5 (of Milwaukee's first-round series), it seemed like everything went against us,'' Allen said. NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said the league had no comment on the Bucks' remarks. Supervisor of officials Ed Rush did not return a phone call to his Phoenix office. Allen said members of his family told him they were sitting across from NBA commissioner David Stern on Sunday and noticed him stand up to watch a replay after it appeared Allen got away with committing a foul against Iverson that wasn't called. "He jumped up real mad like he was cheering for Philly,'' Allen said. Bucks coach George Karl said conspiracy theories were "summer talk,'' although he claimed three other NBA coaches had called him after Game 5 to raise that very issue. ''Sam Cassell said that (Minnesota's) Kevin Garnett and (Portland's) Rod Strickland had called him, so it's out there,'' Karl said.