Dave Litman
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons are going to a Game 7 on Sunday. That was ensured after the top-seeded Pistons got a rejuvenated Jalen Duren to help lead them to a 115-94 win in Game 6 Friday night.
But does the NBA and its broadcast partner ABC already know how that Game 7 is going to play out? ABC erroneously aired a commercial Saturday morning touting a Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks Eastern Conference Finals:
There it was, plain as day, during Good Morning America: NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 1, Cavaliers at NY Knicks, on ABC.
Of course, the Pistons’ win Friday night ensured that a Game 7 will be needed to decide this series. But does the NBA already know which way it’s going to go?
Is this another NBA conspiracy?
Of course, we’re just kidding (maybe). The NBA has had all kinds of conspiracy theories floating around the league over the years. The first, and most famous of these was the ‘Frozen Envelope’ conspiracy at the 1985 Draft Lottery to ensure that commissioner David Stern would pull out the chilled Knicks’ envelope to secure top pick Patrick Ewing for them. The next big one was the Michael Jordan ‘Gambling Suspension’ theory that led to his mini retirement for 18 months in the mid-90s. The idea there was that the NBA wanted to avoid a big scandal due to MJ’s alleged ties to gambling, forcing him to sit out for a bit, while calling it a ‘retirement’ to pursue a baseball career.
For this latest little snafu, many would suggest that the league would much prefer to have notable superstars like James Harden and Donovan Mitchell advancing to the ECF rather than still lesser-acknowledged star Cade Cunningham and his cast of characters in the Motor City.
Others would say the league would love to have New York—home of the NBA’s head office, and the sport’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden—have the home court advantage.
Most likely, however, this is simply a case of the NBA and ABC having prepared the Cavs/Knicks commercial spot in advance for Saturday, in case the Cavaliers finished off the Pistons last night in Game 6. Somebody forgot to tell the traffic department/ad sales team at ABC this morning, and a new conspiracy was born.
