Disappearing Act. Kings-Lakers 2002 YouTube

[Reality]

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/013225.html
Not that Kings fans needed more fuel for their conspiracy fire, but there is a rather odd development to the Game 6 controversy. Several of my colleagues say they've previously viewed video clips on YouTube of each game from the infamous 2002 Western Conference playoff series between the Kings and Lakers.
But as of today, clips of Game 6 are missing. All the other games are there. You can watch highlights of Kobe Bryant scoring 30 points in Game 1 and the clips from the deciding overtime in Game 7 remain. Another NBA blogger also picked up on the missing clips.
Where did Game 6 go? YouTube won't say. Their official response to my question was as dry as they come.
"We do not comment on individual videos or video sets," a spokesperson said.
And so the conspiracy continues.

[Joe Vancil]

As far as I'm concerned, with this development, I'm pretty much on board with the idea that Tim Donaghy is telling the truth.

As for what happened?  I'm betting on the NBA threatening YouTube with a lawsuit - after all, the disclaimer talks about not reproducing the games in whole or in part.  The NBA likely gave YouTube a choice - take down the Game 6 stuff, or we file a lawsuit to get you to take it *ALL* down - plus financial damages.

[Laker Fan]

This board has lost what little was left of its mind. Assuming Joe is not being sarcastic, (he doesn't sound like he is) I think it is a shame that total utter complete idiots like stupality are leading the way and people I apparently mistook for reasonable, objective, and intelligent like Joe and JoMal are joining his stupidity parade.

This is rapidly becoming a board I am not so interested in, because the vitriolic hatemongering HYPOCRACY of potty mouth stupality just flat insults my intelligence. His posting of half naked women and constantly searching out rumor and innuendo so as to attack basketball players or teams he doesn't like just to be hateful is getting wearisome to this old man, and belies the higher standard he claims to live by. His constant baiting for hates sake, his insipid banality when he really wants to draw attention to himself detracts from intelligent basketball discussion, from any semblance of objectivity, reasonable dialogue, or fun that we USED to have around here. Randy may be a drama queen, but his disgust with this little pimple of a man is dead on the mark. Oh and, feel free to come after me privately off this boards venue like you did that last time I had my fill of your hate little boy, I don't sweat you. You seem to have posted a picture of WOW according to his opinion so you clearly have no respect for anyone's privacy.

I leave you with this one thought, if the Lakers are predetermined to rise to the top, why are they in a 2-3 hole? Why was there a 38-10 FT disparity in game 3? Why did they not maintain a 24 point lead in game 4? Why did they go down with barely a whimper to the Pistons the last time they were in the Finals? Why is the NBA allowing any of this to happen? Are you all really THAT STUPID? Go join the 9/11 truthers and the Kennedy conspiracy nuts, you clearly belong in that asylum, you being the mental midget I always took you for, it is where you belong.

[Ted]

It's a shame that your only misspelling was in all caps; it made it impossible for me to not do this:

I believe it's HYPOCRISY . . . believe me . . . I'm an expert in it.

The only thing I'm suspicious of his Game 6 in 2002. It's weird that you can't find it anywhere. I have no other evidence that any game has ever been fixed by a referee. But this one game just gets fishier every day. And, no, "fishier" is not a word.

[Reality]

Whiny Fan Dan,
Along with your dodging Laker Nation Brothern:

Why does it neccessitate for the 2002 Game 6 to have been fixed that all Laker games after that must be fixed?  Answer:  Illogical, it does not.   Yet that is your reasoning.

The board has been going down for quite some time, like 4 years.  You and the Laker House boys will never be accountable for a wrong, ever.  It's become about people who like to hear themselves talk.  The current exodus is more about the timing of the Lakers about ready to lose the Finals, nothing else.

As to your fairy tale charge of "coming after you", thus trying to make yourself look like a victim/bravada would-be-hero, your writer is not better then Randys.  Don't post falsities about who and where you are.  Simple, right?  I thought we had agreed on that issue.  Now here you are spouting.  If WoW is taking a hiatus because of me, and I'm sure he isn't, I'll address that with him in person.  Ya know what i mean?  

[Skandery]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AgtsK5naHaKnzByX5wCap2W8vLYF?slug=dw-refbiasedannouncers061308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


There is a little video inset in this Yahoo column for anyone that's interested.

[Joe Vancil]

Skander,

The clip you just linked in?  IT'S UNAVAILABLE.

[Joe Vancil]

This board has lost what little was left of its mind. Assuming Joe is not being sarcastic, (he doesn't sound like he is) I think it is a shame that total utter complete idiots like stupality are leading the way and people I apparently mistook for reasonable, objective, and intelligent like Joe and JoMal are joining his stupidity parade.

This is rapidly becoming a board I am not so interested in, because the vitriolic hatemongering HYPOCRACY of potty mouth stupality just flat insults my intelligence. His posting of half naked women and constantly searching out rumor and innuendo so as to attack basketball players or teams he doesn't like just to be hateful is getting wearisome to this old man, and belies the higher standard he claims to live by. His constant baiting for hates sake, his insipid banality when he really wants to draw attention to himself detracts from intelligent basketball discussion, from any semblance of objectivity, reasonable dialogue, or fun that we USED to have around here. Randy may be a drama queen, but his disgust with this little pimple of a man is dead on the mark. Oh and, feel free to come after me privately off this boards venue like you did that last time I had my fill of your hate little boy, I don't sweat you. You seem to have posted a picture of WOW according to his opinion so you clearly have no respect for anyone's privacy.

I leave you with this one thought, if the Lakers are predetermined to rise to the top, why are they in a 2-3 hole? Why was there a 38-10 FT disparity in game 3? Why did they not maintain a 24 point lead in game 4? Why did they go down with barely a whimper to the Pistons the last time they were in the Finals? Why is the NBA allowing any of this to happen? Are you all really THAT STUPID? Go join the 9/11 truthers and the Kennedy conspiracy nuts, you clearly belong in that asylum, you being the mental midget I always took you for, it is where you belong.

Dan,

I'm SERIOUS.  I think that Donaghy's telling the truth.  The fact that the videos seem to be disappearing, preventing people from looking into it - INCLUDING the one Skander just sent out - is at minimum, cause for suspicion.  I don't trust coincidences;  I'm seeing far too many.

It's not Reality leading me to this;  it's the fact that stuff like this doesn't "just happen."  Multiple sites, with videos to a suspicious game, all have their links down?  That's just coincidence?  No way.

Why is it that nobody questions the game-fixing thing between Phoenix and Milwaukee in the late '80's, but I'm not supposed to be the least bit skeptical in this case?

As for the happenings in this year's finals?  If a system can be corrupted, it cannot be trusted;  if ethics are compromised, future compromises are easily justified.  The free throw disparity this year can both prove and disprove that the NBA is on the up-and-up.  Therefore, I choose to ignore it, and focus on the thing that is most likely suspicious - Game 6 of 2002.  Of course, I'm no longer allowed to examine that one....

It's not haterism or anything like that.  If this were Dallas or Portland or Utah or anybody else, I'd be just as suspicious.  The fact it was a signficant play-off game simply casts the magnifying glass on it with that much more scrutiny.

[Joe Vancil]

I leave you with this one thought, if the Lakers are predetermined to rise to the top, why are they in a 2-3 hole? Why was there a 38-10 FT disparity in game 3? Why did they not maintain a 24 point lead in game 4? Why did they go down with barely a whimper to the Pistons the last time they were in the Finals? Why is the NBA allowing any of this to happen? Are you all really THAT STUPID? Go join the 9/11 truthers and the Kennedy conspiracy nuts, you clearly belong in that asylum, you being the mental midget I always took you for, it is where you belong.

First of all, I'm not claiming that the Lakers are predetermined to rise to the top.  It may happen - it may be because Kobe wants the feather in his cap of doing something that Jordan NEVER did - come back from a 3-1 Finals deficit - it may be all about the talent of Bryant and nothing about a conspiracy at all.  And if it happens because Bryant wills it to happen, then that's GOOD BASKETBALL, and it's what I want.  But if Bryant is in the finals because the NBA league office wants him in the Finals - if pro basketball is no more real than pro wrestling - then I don't want anything to do with it, and I want the jerks who ruined MY SPORTS INTEREST to go to jail for a very, very long time and endure agonizing misery every remaining day of their lives. 

You see, I believe "Cheatin' Hall" fixed games.  I believe the White Sox threw the 1919 Series.  I believe Gaylord Perry threw a spitter, and Mike Scott threw a scuff-ball.  I believe members of the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks fixed a game in the late '80's.  I believe Barry Bonds took steroids.

And I'm starting to believe - based on the weird stuff going on around this - that Game 6 was determined by a factor from outside of the court.