Are Kobe & LeBron being protected by the league?

It's no secret that superstars get calls, but yes, I would agree that LeBron is getting taken care of.

LeBron has been taken care of since he came in the league. How do you think Cleveland made it to the Eastern conference finals last year. But it did not start with LeBron, this has been going on for a long time. Kobe, Shaq, KG. The NBA wants to keep the stars that are that get high TV ratings playing as long as they can in the playoffs.

This is exactly what is wrong with the NBA. Its not real basketball anymore. For the most part, its just the highest paid guys playing one on one, maybe the two man game, for 48 minutes while everyone else just try's to get in the highlights. How much longer until college basketball is back on????

Until college extends the three point line and widens the lane i will largely consider college basketball garbage. These kids are too damn big to be playing on high school courts. I'd much rather watch the best basketball players in the world play one on one than young kids just shoot threes or miss layups. Because thats really all the college game is now. There is absolutely no room for the kids to play

You're just not a pure basketball fan then, because the NBA is not basketball, it's one on one BS most of the time. I'll take college and it's history and tradition over the NBA any day

Is it good business? Yes
Is it fair? No.

thats the NBA these days

what are you going to do ??? nothing is going to change as long a david stern is the commish... you should know this.... i believe he's a terriable commish also... the nba needs a change for shure

100% that lebron is protected my the league...i mean are you serious? he's EVERYTHING david stern wants except for the fact that he up and peaces when his team needs him the most. but i don't think kobe is that much, look at it this way: lebron's the golden child and kobe's the asshole child. they're both protected in a way, but more so lebron. kobe isn't protected that much, but when needed he is (HEY HERES KWAME BROWN FOR PAU....)

The foul on Darius Songalia wasn't a flagrant 2. Also the reason these guys get so many fouls called on them is because they are constantly attacking the rim. That is why it is always stars getting the most free throws.

there is no hidden conspiracy to protect great players. it makes no sense.
Kobe and Lebron have the ball in their hands more and take more shots, the law of averages would thus mean they would get fouled more. Also, great players are trained and intelligent enough to know how to draw fouls.
Secondly, I agree that was a BS flagrant 2 on songaila but its not like there haven't been BS calls against other players in the league, its just when it happens to a player like Kobe or LeBron more people will talk about it and it will be magnified and hyped up because they're more interesting.

If you actually thought about it you would realise that your argument makes no sense. What would David Stern or the NBA have to benefit from this 'conspiracy'? Its not so they can make LeBron seem like a superstar and market him as the face of the league, because fans dont get excited watching freethrows or watching superstars get fouled, they like watching the untainted ability of the best basketball players in the world which is absolutely unable to be influenced by anyone to the extent that you make out.

Another true believer. Love it.

LeBron is getting all the calls. I wouldn't say Kobe is though
LeBron's been getting this all the time. The NBA always does this with their young stars .Look at Dwyane Wade. He couldn't hit a shot outside of 12 feet to save his life yet shot 97 free throws in 6 games. If you watched those games, you know David Stern sent out a memo to the refs that he wanted D-Wade to be the next MJ and to make sure Mark Cuban didn't get a title. I have believed there was a conspiracy back then. It's crazy if you watch an NBA game and not see the conspiracy. This year has been better than previous years and it has resulted in better basketball, and for Stern, better ratings. If the NBA wants to be where it was in the Jordan era, they need to realize they don't need an MJ.

I call the NBA the NBE (National Basketball Entertainment) like the WWE all fake. Everything is staged, and sponsored by somebody. Every inch of the NBA is up for sale, therefore if you want to draw sponsors then you have to provide an audience. The majority of those who watch and attend games are not true basketball fans, they are there to see the superstars. The world champion San Antonio Spurs the best team in he league, cannot sell out an arena on the road, but Lebron and Kobe can. So what do you think motivates Stern.

I'm gonna quote the great Wu-Tang Clan and leave it with...
C.R.E.A.M

I agree, and just as much as any other NBA superstar. Look at the Spurs, they flop any chance they are given and get calls. Youtube it, there are a thousand videos that expose SA.
The league has made these changes, because of the battle between detroit and indiana a few years ago. There was so much tension between both teams that the players emotions trickled into the crowd and a few people got knocked out by various NBA stars. You not only have to protect the players, but now the fans because apparently Jermaine O'Neal does not car who you are, he will knock you out.

The NBA and Stern have been looking for the next Jordan to bring the league back to it's glory days and they are letting the refs build these guys up more and more. The score between 25-35 a game most of the time and how many of those points come off bogus foul shots? Jordan actually had to work for his foul shots and played in a physical league, I'd like to see Lebron and Kobe play a physical defense.