- Turner tells the story of Elton Brand’s wild quote ahead of Game 7 in 2012
- Turner and Andre Iguodala suggest the league forces certain matchups
- The NBA is only ‘entertainment’ claims Turner
In the 2012 NBA playoffs, LeBron James and the Miami Heat were in full revenge mode after losing in the Finals the year before. So while the Heat were already the undisputed favorites to come out of the East that year, they might have had a little help from the NBA itself.
In a recent segment on the Gilbert Arenas Show, former 76ers forward Evan Turner revealed a shocking secret about the 2012 East playoffs and how it might have been rigged to set up a matchup with the King: “We’re about to play Game 7, 2012, so we were playing the Celtics,” said Turner. “Elton [Brand] is like, ‘We’re gonna have to win by 15 to win by 1.’ I’m like ‘What do you mean?’ He’s like, ‘Bro, this is the NBA. It’s entertainment.’ LeBron and the Heat are waiting. Would you rather watch the Celtics or the Sixers against the Heat? I’m gonna be honest with you — I’m on the team and I wouldn’t even watch the Sixers play the Heat.”
Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner both say the NBA is rigged😳 pic.twitter.com/KGyOpW6Yx1
— League Alerts (@LeagueAlerts) August 21, 2023
The idea of the NBA fixing results during games or other events is hardly new. In fact, theories like this have existed for decades now, with some of the most popular circulating around the draft or accusing the league of playing favorites to give one side an unfair advantage.
One infamous example is the 2002 Conference Finals between the Lakers and Kings. Looking back on the way that game was called, people have accused the league of robbing the Kings of a chance at the title for the sake of promoting their top superstars in Los Angeles (Shaq and Kobe).
The claims have been denied by league executives already, but some still believe that something wasn’t right with that series.
In the end, we will probably never know the true answer and while nobody can argue that certain matchups are not more beneficial to the NBA than others, the risks involved with rigging the results are often far too great for it to pay off.
Was The 2012 Eastern Semis Fixed?
Looking at the series in question, it was actually a toss-up that could have gone either way. The battle lasted for 7 games and ended with a Celtics victory thanks to an 18-point triple-double from Rajon Rondo. Considering who the Sixers had at the time, Iguodala, Turner, and Jrue Holiday, among others, it’s fair to say they were underdogs going in, even though they were facing an aging Boston squad.
That year was really the last stand for the Boston big three, and they’d go on to give the Heat a good fight in a well-fought 7-game series.
As for the 76ers, playoff misfortune has become a big theme for them in this modern era of existence and they can’t blame the NBA anymore for their big losses. Rigger or not, the Sixers have to find a way to fight through the obstacles because they owe it to Joel Embiid.
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