The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the more prominent franchises in the NBA, if not the most prominent. There is no doubt that they are one of the most valuable teams in the league, and the league definitely benefits when the team is good.
Recently, there have been a lot of complaints from fans and players alike about how the Los Angeles Lakers are officiated. In fact, they have a huge attempted free throw differential during the 2022-23 season. Some have suggested that this is a sign that the league wants the Lakers to be more competitive. However, NBA analyst Ben Taylor has recently debunked that theory, revealing that it’s only the 17th best differential this century.
This graphic is misleading if you don't know the context. It's the 17th-best differential this century.
Recent leaders in differential:
2023 LAL +5.6
2022 UTA +4.1
2021 NOP +5.0
2020 OKC +5.3
2019 DAL +3.3
2018 CHA +8.8
2017 CHA +5.6
2016 HOU +4.7
2015 SAC +6.1
2014 HOU +8.6 https://t.co/nZD0ymCoAm
— Ben Taylor (@ElGee35) March 30, 2023
A number of different teams have had the largest free throw differentials throughout NBA history, and it is clear that the Los Angeles Lakers are not being given special treatment by the referees. The Lakers are a veteran team that knows how to draw free throws
It will be interesting to see what the fan reactions will be to this revelation. There are a lot of fans that are convinced the league helps the Los Angeles Lakers, with some of them pointing to Nikola Vucevic’s ejection in the March 26th game against the Los Angeles Lakers as an example of favoritism. However, even if that call was wrong, all teams get questionable calls that don’t go their way. Hopefully, though, we see officiating improve across the board going forward, so there are fewer complaints about the issue.
Rudy Gobert Has Complained The League Is Trying To Help Certain Teams Win
Aside from the Los Angeles Lakers, the league has also been accused of trying to help other teams win. Recently, Rudy Gobert claimed that the NBA is trying to help the Suns, the Warriors, and the Kings win games.
“It’s bullshit. It’s bullshit. It’s not fair. It’s really not fair. Every night. I’ve been in this league for 10 years and I try to always give the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard for me to think they’re not trying to help [the Suns] win [last night]. It’s hard for me to think they didn’t try to help the Warriors win the other night or Sacramento Kings the other night. It’s just so obvious. As a basketball player that’s been in this league for so long, it’s disrespectful.”
This is definitely a wild claim, and it is highly unlikely that the league is trying to help certain teams win over others. The parity in the Western Conference is at an all-time high, for example, so it is clear that the league is simply more competitive than it ever has been. It remains to be seen if the NBA issues a response to Rudy Gobert’s claims, and we’ll see what happens in the future.
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