On May 23, Beijing time, the NBA Western Conference Finals G4 came to an end. After trailing by 15 points at halftime, the Nuggets took the lead in the Finals with a supernatural play in the third quarter to defeat the Lakers 113-111 and achieve a big sweep. The Nuggets set a team record for the first time in playoff clearance. Fans and friends wondered, is this Nuggets team really so strong? If the Lakers are really vulnerable, how did they beat the Grizzlies, and how did they beat last season's champion Warriors? Thinking of the East, the Heat also fought back all the way, leading the Celtics 3-0. Is there really something tricky in this? Or is this the law of competitive sports?
The conversation goes back to the latest collective bargaining agreement between the NBA league and the players' union in April. The most controversial clause in the seven-year collective bargaining agreement, which begins in the 2023-2024 season, is that NBA players can be legally associated with sports betting from next season. From a league and team perspective, bringing in the gambling industry can greatly increase revenue. But how can you ensure the fairness of the game even if players can bet?
After Xiao Hua took office, the league signed a betting legalization agreement and signed a number of sports league betting sponsorship contracts. This has brought huge profit benefits to league bosses and team owners. At that time, when Xiao Hua wanted to legalize gambling, many teams such as the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Heat, and Cavaliers quickly came out to express their support, which explained the problem. Of course, team owners also want championship trophies, but there is only one championship trophy per year. Don't forget, they are businessmen, and the first place of businessmen is still to make money.
This year, the Lakers, which has the largest traffic in the NBA, has fought back all the way, from the playoffs to the first-round victory over the Grizzlies, the second-round elimination of the Warriors, and then to the divisional finals. As the saying goes, the higher you hold, the worse you fall. 0:4 was swept by the Nuggets, such a result, greatly surprised fans and friends. Xidu's friends who chased the Lakers all the way are estimated to have chased them to the rooftop. This also makes bookmakers and team bosses a lot of money.