Of all the things that we, the fans, should be talking about today, the morning of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the fixing of games, by the League Office is surely the last thing Commisioner David Stern could conceive.  Where to begin in this quagmire of potential destruction of the NBA is equally tough.

We could write several articles on the topic, but we will stick to some of the major points.  Allegations of fixing during the David Stern Era goes back as far as the Knicks winning the rights to Patrick Ewing.  If there is a conspiracy, we want it acknowledged that the Knicks have won 9 Championships since 1985 and that wasn't John Starks forgetting how to shoot in Game 7 or Patrick Ewing inexplicably deciding to finger-roll in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Championships.  After all, the refs and the League office can only help so much.

The jokes, and by now we have all heard the jokes, are how the NBA needs to change its letters to the WWNBA.  We are hearing the last rants of a desperate man going away for a long time about similar acts of of peers.  We here at Game Over Headquarters went into our vault and reviewed that famous Game 6 of the Lakers and Kings (we sat on a stoop and talked about it).  We all remembered watching the game and shaking our heads.  We don't need Michael Wilbon of PTI telling us that it may have been the worst refereed game, worst refereed game in a play-off, ever.  But wasn't that Doug Christie who tried to run and hide rather than taking important shots?  That none of the Kings stepped up?  Are the Kings accomplicies to the crime?  How deep does the League Office go?

To today's game.  Who wins?  Do the Lakers have enough?  Enough pride to stretch the seriew back to Boston?  Or should we ask David Stern.  After all, the Lakers couldn't be that bad that they could open a 24 point lead in the first half and then cough it up starting in the 3rd Quarter?  Is Doc Rivers the second coming of Red Auerbach that he could pull off the greatest comeback in Championship history after his team could only manage 14 points in the first 12 minutes?  Well kiddies, the fix is in and if we were conspiracy theorists we would hit Vegas with the Lakers coming back to win the whole thing, down 3 games to 1.  It'll be the first time it will have been done in the Championship round.  And a fitting ending to a scandalous aroma that is preoccupying our attention.  Game Over.

For years I have said the same thing about these two . . .  "Enough with the talk about potential, let's see some big game in big spots".  Time and time again they gave me nothing.  Rasheed, lot of mouth, want's everyone to think he's crazy, then, what's that?  A flash of brilliance!  Rasheed often leaves us saying "man, at his height with those skillz he could be the difference".  But in big spots he never is.  So next year this time he will be in another city with same old act.  This brings us to Lamar Odom.  All the above is true except a few things:

1. He came up pretty big against the Spurs, and 2. He's a guy you can feel good about rooting for.  Game Over has watched LO grow into an NBA player right before our eyes, but more importantly, a nice young man. With game 4 in LA about to start in 45 minutes, rumor has it that Jackson is thinking of not starting him tonight.  I don't think that will happen but if it does it might be just what LO needs too get him "started".

"Man at his height with those skillz he could be the difference".  (heard that before?)  Let's go LO!  Do it for your peeps back in Jamaica Queens, St Pascals PAL, TY Green, Nate, The LI Panthers, IS 8, Chuck Vance, do it for the little apparel company you came to visit back in 1996 at the Black Expo in NYC to show your support. This is your time to have a big game in a big spot and separate yourself from the HPB club (had potential but . . .)   Game Over.

Is it just us?  If we see another black and white clip of a Celtic vs. Lakers playoff game from the past, we're gonna puke.  Anyone who is a fan of the NBA has seen them a million times (just this past week alone).  We can appreciate the history as a fan as much as the next man but enough already.  And is it us or does Stuart Scott work too hard?   No, we didn't get goose bumps watching Bill Russell interview KG, we got goose bumps watching KG dunk with 2 hands in Pau Gasol's mug in Game One.   Russell wants to give KG one of his rings if they loose, our question is, why talk about loosing at all.  And Stuart, please stop with the goofy stats and observations, like, "the team that has 2 vowels in their name, wins Game Five 90% of the time if that game is played while there is a full moon" . . .  .  Stop your killin' us with this crap.  You have 2 great teams with great players, the story lines and hype will take care of itself.  Just play ball!

We got an idea, if you can't get Kenny, Charles, and Ernie to do the pre, halftime, and post game pieces cut those segments altogether and start the game an hour earlier.  Then we can have a winner before midnight and actually see the ending live instead of on SportsCenter the next morning.  Game Over.

Hello boys and girls.  Had a good vacation?  It seems like that since we last saw Paul Pierce writhing on the floor during perioid 3 of Game 1 on Thursday.  We know that the NBA are the masters of econnomic manipulation but did we really have to wait until tonight to see Game 2?

Lets see, wouldn't want to miss that date with the hot super-model on Friday evening.  Saturday is the horse race and we have $2 down on Big Brown (Oops, our bad).  Yep, Sunday night works.

We're old enough to remember when the NBA had so much respect by the Networks that CBS aired the Finals on tape delay after your local 11 P.M. News.  We had to watch Dr. Jay do the impossible against Kareem and the Lakers until 1:30 A.M.  Times have changed (excuse the pun).  Then we could watch the games on in the afternoon (lost many a good weekend inside with Mom saying: "What are you doing inside on a beautiful day like today?").  Then came Michael and Prime Time to exploit the advertisers.  Now, the marketing machine has it to such a science that it picks the best dates.

Hope Paul's ankle is up to it, or we can move it back to Monday night.

Just one other note.  Sure you heard this one the past few days as we were waiting for Game 2:  Why does the NBA use the 2-3-2 format for Final games?  Used to be a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team with the better regular season record starting at home with 2, the opponent getting two games and then alternating until a champion is crowned.  Well back in the 80's it was thought to help with the fuel crisis (sound familiar?) the NBA would do its part for less traveling.  David Stern was on the talk box this week, waiting like the rest of us - Hey, can't he do something about that? - and being asked about the format.  His answer - back when the Celtics and Lakers last hooked up there was concern about the travel on the athletes back and forth, coast to coast.  Hey David, first off, these teams travel by charter on planes that are air-borne hotels.  Second, that doesn't seem to be a concern when our lowly Knicks travel west and have to play 3 games in five nights during the regular season (we would say post season but we can't remember the last time), and third, just move the games back one more day after flying.  We'll wait.  We do now.  Game Over

For what seems like an eternity, espeically when we said this is where we would be, with the Celtics and Lakers meeting for the 11th time in the Finals, we are here.  The MVP versus the best help defense in the league.  The Big Three (if this is the Big Three - Garnett, Allen and Pierce, what were Bird, Parrish, and McHale?) versus Kobe and Gasol.

Its almost unbelievable to thin that the Celtics and Lakers combined have won 31 of 60 NBA Championships, with one guaranteed to add to that statistic.  So who do we like?  After watching tapes and throwing darts at the two logos, the consensus here is the Celtics in six.  Ray Allen has to reappear or at least make Kobe disappear for some stretches (our money would be on Kobe).  Kobe needs help from a group that he himself put down at the end of last season.  Granted, since the acquisition of Pau Gasol they have lost only 7 times, But the remainder of the crew, without a big threat inside (Will Bynum out for the season) will be their undoing.  And if we are wrong, we like the Lakers.  Game Over

There's so much to discuss about Game 4 between the Lakers and Spurs we don't know where to begin.  But it all comes down to the last play of the game.  The Foul.

Yes, Virginia, it was a foul.  The call would have been made in the first minute of the game, why not the last?  With all the years of coaching and playing experience here at Game Over World Headquarters, we can only say, "Whatthe****?"

One theory around the company watercoller is that Joey Crawford, referee at large, is on the take like his indicted bretheren, Tim Donaghy.  A foul that obvious, has to be called.  Even if the unspoken rule in the NBA is "let the players decide the game".  If that is the case, and it was, they DID.  Brett Barry drew a foul (and elbow to his face) for the sole purpose of going to the line to shoot foul shots.  A legitimate strategy.  One that has been practiced by members of our world office in coaching their teams.  "Go to the hole strong and draw the foul".  Ever hear that from your coach?

Now it seems that absent, as we would say in the Bronx, "No autopsy, no foul", you can do anything in the NBA with the game on the line to secure the victory.  We are not talking about a block/charge judgment call here.  Barry was hammered.  And counting teeth.

Hey David Stern - you need to check your refs again, cause we think the game was fixed.  Game Over.

We have received several calls over the past few weeks inquiring as to whether Game Over is still involved with the NY Knick's Summer Basketball Camp.  The answer is no . . . Game Over was not asked this year to be the camp gear provider.  When Game Over CEO E Hicks was asked how was he informed about the change?  His response was simply (To quote Donna Summers) "On the Radio! Oh oh oh oh ooooh On the Radio!"  I am forbidden to comment.  Game Over!