2000 NBA Western Conference Finals Game 1 Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers, May 20, 200 скачать в хорошем качестве

2000 NBA Western Conference Finals Game 1 Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers, May 20, 200

POR 94 LAL 109 The controversial JailBlazers versus the Lakers Western Conference Finals series. In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Rasheed Wallace earned two technical fouls and was ejected; the Lakers took advantage of Wallace's absence and secured victory. The Trail Blazers stormed back in the next game, giving the Lakers their worst home loss of the season in a 106–77 shellacking. This setback did not affect Los Angeles, as they assembled a 3–1 series lead by winning the next two games in Portland. The Lakers underestimated the Trail Blazers, however. Led by former Jackson linchpin Scottie Pippen, Portland forced a Game 7 in the 2000 Western Conference Finals by winning two elimination games. However, amid controversial foul calls by referee Dick Bavetta, the Trail Blazers lost a 75–60 fourth-quarter lead. The Lakers went on a 25–4 run to win the game and secure a spot in the NBA Finals. Game Seven of the 2000 West Finals is often considered "fixed" for a more marketable Finals, many recall it as one of NBA Commissioner David Stern’s alleged “fixes” to avoid a low-rated Indiana Pacers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Finals. Shaquille O’Neal, known as the “most dominant specimen to ever play,” later admitted that his Los Angeles Lakers feared only two teams: the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers. Between 1997 and 2002, the Lakers and Blazers, ranking No. 1 and No. 3 in wins, frequently clashed, with the Lakers winning all their encounters. "The 2002 (Kings-Lakers) series wasn't the first or last time Bavetta influenced an important game. He also officiated Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals, where the Lakers, down by 13 in the fourth quarter, outscored Portland 31-13, aided by a significant free throw disparity—37 for the Lakers to 16 for the Trail Blazers." The book further alleges that referees, including Bavetta, held biases, particularly against players like Rasheed Wallace, impacting their officiating decisions.