Bulls - Heat: Why Ratings Matter

If you've watched the first four games of the Chicago Bulls - Miami Heat series, you've undoubtedly been struck with a number of thoughts. Here are some of mine:

1. I can't believe I jinxed my team again by doing another live blog.
2. I can't believe that the Miami Heat are going to be added to a list of champions I hate that has, since 2004, been updated to include the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Green Bay Packers (among a number of other unfortunate sports related occurrences).
3. Boy Miami is being allowed to play ultra physical with the Bulls (seen in their joy in going for blocks without fear of being called for the foul)
4. Boy Chicago sure is playing scared of physical play ... and when they do try to play physical, it's always a foul (or, as seen in last night's bogus flagrant one on Carlos Boozer, worse).
5. Does our coaching staff know how to draw up an offensive play?

As last night's game progressed I had a number of texts, emails, and calls pour in. I'll treat you to some of the best:

"God Chicago really doesn't like to build up big leads, huh?"

"Even I can see that the officials are favoring Miami, and I don't even follow the NBA"

"Chicago is playing scared, but I can't blame them. They aren't getting any calls going there way. It's crippled them."

"Miami must have ****** ******** every ref" (inappropriate for print, sent after a number of calls went Miami's way)

... "well, I guess not that ref" (after one call goes Chicago's way)

"Chicago should offer to pay all of Kurt Thomas' fines, then put him in the game"

"David Stern has a vested interest in having Miami in the finals. They will draw ratings. They will be the bad guys. There was never any way he was going to let them lose this series."

"LeBron took four steps before he hit that shot over Deng, and he shoved off. No call. That's how the Bulls die." (after LeBron's game-icing shot in overtime ... by the way, he did take four steps. It's so bad that the NBA didn't even put it in it's online highlights.)

So that group of comments, from a variety of people, will give you an idea of what people's thoughts are. After the Bulls won game one I told my dad to expect the officiating to swing heavily in Miami's favor, and he, of course, told me I was crazy. I was right, but in no way did I expect the officiating to swing this way for three consecutive games. It's insane to me to watch how much influence the league is allowing its officials to assert in these games. The NBA, above all other types of professional sports, actively involves itself with its product. From Patrick Ewing to the Knicks, to LeBron to Cleveland, to Cleveland getting the "make up" number one pick this year, it happens all the time.

The league also will intentionally change it's officiating expectations from game to game, trying to coax six or seven games out of a series that would otherwise be four or five games. It has always done this, and it does tend to add to the excitement. The league was better with Ewing in New York, and LeBron in Cleveland, and if two of the top four picks in this year's draft can help propel Cleveland back into semi-contention so they can compete against the Miami Heat ... well, then, all the better. But we've also seen (think Lakers over Kings) the league step in and consciously give all the breaks to the team that would draw the better ratings. This year that team is Miami. It's "not the Bulls turn." It's time for King James to ascend to his throne, because then the league is more interesting.

None of this is meant to excuse what has been poor play by Chicago thus far. They should have pushed the issue of the physicality much earlier, and much more prevalently. Kurt Thomas should have been put in, and LeBron and Wade should have been knocked down. Nothing dirty, nothing on the Bad Boys level, but just enough to let them know "this is our lane: you're not coming in here." The final play of regulation last night should have been set up this way: Rose up top, pick and roll from Boozer going right, Korver in the corner as the third option. Instead it ran this way: 6' tall Derrick Rose isolates and tries to shoot over 6'9" LeBron James. The ensuing air-ball was as predictable as the play call was terrible. The point is this: the Bulls were playing 8 on 5 all night and still nearly won.

Imagine what they might have done if the officiating hadn't preordained a Miami victory.