“I still don’t think they (Cavaliers) beat us, we beat ourselves,” Wallace said. “And I think we also fell victim to that personal NBA thing where they are trying to make it a world game and get (television) ratings. They wanted to put their darling in there (the NBA Finals) and they did, and look what ended up happening.”
The league’s darling, according to Wallace, was LeBron James, and what ended up happening were the worst ratings in the modern history of the NBA Finals.
“This game ain’t basketball anymore, it’s entertainment,” Wallace said. “It’s starting to get like the WWF. There ain’t no real wrestling anymore either. It’s all fake.”
David Stern:
“We have a great game and it provides a lot of people–Rasheed and myself included–a very good living,” Stern said. “I think we all need to learn to be respectful of all that this game has brought and know that there are a lot of people who have worked extremely hard to bring us all to this place. I think Rasheed needs to think about that before he starts questioning things and making those kinds of statements.”
Via The Detroit News
Thanks to everyone on Team Need4Sheed for making sure I didn’t miss this quote.
Sheed my thoughts exactly Stern is turning the NBA into his personal puppet keep speakin your mind Sheed if there’s one thing Stern can’t control it’s you!!!
David Stern is a fucking dick head… First of all more refs are caught gambling and doing all kind of shady business behind the curtains. They probably suck each other off for losing the bets. Anyways I know I am very blunt in this comment but I am very angry at what Stern said in regards to Sheed. Sheed is speaking up on behalf of this organization he is like a union member trying to voice his concerns.
David Stern needs to clean the mess the refs created and I am 100% positive that David Stern himself was involved in this mess but behind close doors. We will never know unless he makes a silly mistake and gets caught for it.
This league is garbage… If all these refs are involved in gambling and planning game outcomes than the nba is no longer NBA.
The NBA is WWF and sheed is absolutely right about it. NBA is starting to turn into one of those KING OF THE RING matches… where vince machmon (WWF-ECW-WCW etc) owner would fix matches for certain players and discuss who would be the champion just to boost ratings.
Anyways the heck with stern. He hasn’t done shit for this league all he done is confuse the fans and led them to find this league very shady and un-deserving of our attention, money, time, and voice.
The heck with stern and his puppets.
Notice, that Stern didnt deny that the games were “fixed”.
He just bascially reminded ‘Sheed how much money he makes from the game and to keep his mouth shut.
What? That is a veiled threat,
To fine him or more.
Something fishy here?
I say yes.
OT: If Tayshaun keeps his funky Abe Lincoln beard you’re might have to update his clean shaven cartoon face.
Isn’t this why we love the guy, he doesn’t take any bullshit and he says it like it is.
As for the picture nat, a classic.
exactly what i though when i read that. stern did not deny anything…
you gotta love Rasheed for being so bold, who else has the guts to say something like that, and I agree with him 110%. The Cavs simply got lucky no, I can’t for them to play them in the regular season, so that they can shut the Cav fans up once and for all, presonally I don’t even think that they will make it back to the post-season, the Pistons are on a misson this year, and I think that Rasheed have set the tone for another fantastic ending!!!!
In stern’s statement, it does sounds like hes trying to get rasheed to shut up because of the pay check he gets cut every week. But, i dont think this has to do with the refs anymore. We dont exactly know which games donaghy fixed last year and the years previous, and even if we were told which ones, as fans, we would still watch the games and find ridiculous calls and blame it on the refs. Now that the whole donaghy case is over, we have to start thinking that the officials are clean again. We cant blame the officials for our loss at the Eastern Conference last year, and we’re not the only fans who think their team lost their shot due to bad officiating. Sheed already said the E.C. loss creeped up on them when they had their eyes set on San Antonio. Its a different season, we get to start fresh, and the other officials shouldnt be put in a bad light because of donaghy. The ones that were suspended were due to infractions of the laws of gambling and casinos and small stuff like that. If your going to hate anybody, hate the cavs, not the officals. The season hasnt even started yet, we cant be bitching about the refs already.
MC 5
Kiss
Robocop
Rodman
Eminem
Rasheed Wallace…
It seems that all that come from detroit is about to tell the truth, shake the stablishment and tell the truth. Instead, Rasheed is very direct to criticize Lebron, the princess, and Varejão, the false wrestler.
Man, man…, I mean, MAN!!!
Rasheed is so, so, so true.
I don’t think Stern’s statement was aimed at Rasheed at all. The guy has got to be smart. If he wants to talk to Sheed he’ll call sheed up on the phone or have someone else call sheed up on the phone. His statement was to the same audience who heard sheed’s statement and it’s pretty loud and clear what he was trying to say. But what is more interesting is what he didn’t try to say.
Unfortunately, Rasheed is right about what the NBA is becoming. It’s not there yet but what it’s getting there and if if continues, the NBA will be as much a disgrace to basketball as WWF is to wrestling.
Cavs beat us fair and square. i liked rasheed more when he wasnt making excuses. Rasheed needs to get his act together cuz it is getting real old! nobody was saying this when we beat LA in the championship. Sheed needs to step it up and quit hurting the team with his pointless techs.
Everyone here needs to get off his dick!!!
Love Sheed, but let’s face it: the Pistons COLLAPSED against the Cavs. The Cavs deserved to make it to the Finals. They beat us fair and square. I think most of you already know it, but you know, fans always like to find a scapegoat and the refs are always an easy target.
Just remember, the officials didn’t miss wide-open shots. It was our beloved team who collapsed. Just think that if Billups scored one more 3-pointer in game 5 against the Cavs (remember, it wasn’t the refs who missed it, it was Billups who missed it), the Pistons would have won that game and maybe they would have made it to the Finals, and NO ONE on here would be talking about retarded conspiracy theories or about WWF (isn’t the WWE btw?) and stuff like that.
And Stern doesn’t hate the Pistons (isn’t it funny that every NBA fan thinks Stern hates his favorite team? If so, Stern should hate every single one of the 30 NBA teams). Matter of fact, Stern has a great friendship with the Pistons owner, Bill Davidson, and I recently read (few months ago) that Stern praised the Pistons for being a model team, so please don’t say that Stern hates the Pistons. He has nothing against them.
PS: If anything, the Pistons should thank the refs for winning game 2 against the Cavs (they didn’t call a foul in the last seconds. If they did, the Pistons would have probably lost that game).
Besides, the only referee who gambled on basketball games was Donaghy. All the other refs didn’t gamble on basketball. They just played poker, took part in a ncaa tournament pool, bought a lottery ticket and stuff like that (come on, I think most of you do the same thing). So, who cares. They are not crooked and they didn’t influence the outcome of the games they officiated. If a ref is crooked, it doesn’t mean that every other ref is crooked as well. If you think so, then maybe you should think that every ref in every sport is crooked as well.
The big problem is that some of you are Pistons fans first and foremost , then basketball fans (maybe), so all you do is complaining when your favorite team loses.
You guys need to be basketball fans first and foremost, otherwise there’s no point in cheering for a team if you hate the league they play in (the NBA).
GO PISTONS!
And please, no excuses.
David Stern is an asshole…If the Pistons were in the Finals, 1 – the ratings would have been alot higher and 2 – there would not have been a sweep, it would have been Detroit winning the series 4-3.
I agree with anonymous 12:36 and 2:26
I was thinking I lost a lot of respect for Sheed when he said it was the teams problems that led to the Cavs beating them rather than taking responsibility for their own bad play (Rasheed included). I was even thinking the same thing about the Lakers and if Sheed feels the Cavs didn’t win they they have to give back their championship rings and belts since so many said it was the Lakers Shaq and Kobe not getting along that made them lose. I guess this is going to be another year of excuses because it looks like Sheed didn’t learn anything. The refs did a good job and Stern had nothing to do with the Pistons collapse, Cavs won fair and square. And if they wanted their Darlings in there why would they let San Antonio get through?
One thing I do agree with is that the game is more about entertainment than basketball, but if you’re the best team you rise above. Why do you think San Antonio keeps on winning?
Also just because you get to the finals doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win the whole thing and I’m not sure last years team could have beat San Antonio, sorry that’s just how I feel.
Love you Pistons LET”S PLAY SOME BASKETBALL Detroit style. That means with defense and flava! HOLLA
Rasheed and all you bandwagon Piston fans need to open up your eyes and grow up. I was ashamed of the way Rasheed acted and judging from his comments it seems he still doesn’t get it. This crap is not ‘sheedtastic’ and there’s no ‘need’ 4 his antics.
Yo, are you Cavs fan pretending to be a Pistons fan or just a dumbass?
As soon as the Donaghy thing came out, it was on several gambling blogs that he was going to out more refs who was also doing what he did and Donaghy hid at his house. Then several days before his hearing, he starts being very public, but not actually saying anything. Seems like he’s sending a message to all the “others” involved that he will clamp up if nothing happens to him and his family.
I hope the FBI continue their investigation on the NBA and their refs to prove Sheed right.
Anonymous 5:43 pm
I’m a Pistons fanatic and I hate the Cavs..I’m not a dumbass just because I have common sense and don’t believe in retarded conspiracy theories…..I think it’s stupid blaming the refs everytime our favorite team loses. Don’t ya think? Everytime our favorite team loses, many people scream that it’s a conspiracy. Enough with this crap. People just can’t accept the fact that their favorite team gets defeated by another team. And, like I said, they always need to find a scapegoat. The refs didnt beat the Pistons. Stern didn’t beat the Pistons. The refs and Stern weren’t the ones who kept missing WIDE-OPEN SHOTS all the time during the conference finals. The refs and Stern weren’t the ones who kept losing the ball all the time. And like I said, if Mrbigshot hits the 3-pointer shot in the overtime, the Pistons would have won game 5 and probably they would have won that series. And no one would be talking about conspiracy now. It’s that simple. Stern and the refs weren’t the ones who missed that shot. And do u remember game 2 against the cavs when the refs didn’t call a foul in the last seconds and the pistons won that game? If they did, the pistons would have probably lost that game. So, that’s another proof that there wasn’t a conspiracy against the Pistons. Man up and admit that our team collapsed. You really sound like those crybaby Suns fans.
And you got it wrong buddy. Donaghy never said that he was going to name other refs who did the same thing. He just said that he was going to name the refs who violated the NBA anti-gambling policy (this means that he was going to name the refs who bought lottery tickets, who took part in the ncaa tourney pools and stuff like that, which is against the rules).
So, don’t accuse me to be an undercover Cavs fan just because I don’t believe in pathetic conspiracy theories. I follow the Pistons since I was 5, I watch every game and I have a lot of Pistons t-shirts, caps, memorabilia etc. It’s just that blaming the refs all the time is pathetic. It’s time to admit that the Pistons flat out collapsed against the cavs. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that. Just a fan with some common sense.
PS: Looking at some of the comments, it doesn’t seem like I’m the only Pistons fan who thinks this way.
And I personally hope that this FBI investigation ends soon because I am sick of hearing about Donaghy and the refs all the time. I just want to enjoy this new season without having to hear about Donaghy.
I am going to jump in and say that though we love Sheed and his guarantees sometimes he’s out of line. While I do believe that the NBA would rather have the Cavs in the finally they won fair ans square no excuses. There will always be calls that don’t go our way but if your a good team you can make up for them.
I hope Sheed backs up his comments on court instead of making everyone in league just think he’s at it again. He can speak his mind all he wants and thats what we love about him as long as he backs it up with W’s.
Right on 6:53 and Natalie, the true Piston fan will speak up when something doesn’t seem right. Cause we know what the team is capable of but they need to stop saying how great they are then don’t back it up, they need to start walking the walk again. I only wish our comments reached the team so they can know how the fans feel and how much we support them and want them to win using that detroit signature. Hard work and determination
ok…first of all when pistons beat the lakers everyone did say that it was because the lakers fell apart not because the pistons were good…i obviously dont agree w/ that but they still say it now. Second Sheed is right they did beat themselves. They had all teh tools and the skill but they just lost all their focus. At it is publically known that david stern wanted the cavs in teh finals because hes an idiot honestly what would attract more ratings? lebron and a team that no one else nos that got swept?> or a rematch of the 2005 finals…hmm tough one NOT REALLY and obviously sheed got pissed that stern wanted the cavs in teh playoffs bc his team works hard and hte fact that the commissioner would have a preference based on that would piss any one off. SHEED IS AMAZINGG PISTONS FOREVER!
Any one who believes Donaghy is the only ref on the take has no understanding of the sports gambling underbelly; When Donaghy mentioned “outting” other refs, I’m absolutely certain it wasn’t a threat to expose trivial poker games between refs.
Even if you aren’t open to the idea of pressure from criminal elements, I can’t believe you think referees don’t form opinions of players and keep them in mind when making calls that could easily go either way. They’re human, and have failings, and are every bit as vulnerable to media attention to the new NBA nobility (LeBron, Wade, etc).
Still… did any of you think Rasheed might be referring to the changes in the game that have gone on since the peak of physical play in the Bad Boys era?
If the Bad Boys team was playing today, they could not rely on the same strategies; they couldn’t expect to exert their physical defensive style.
There have been notable changes since the ’04 team upset the Lakers. The Spurs were able to adapt; the Pistons have struggled a bit–relying more on pressure defense than sound blocking and perimeter defense.
I don’t, for an instance, think the Cavs are a better team. I’m certain the Pistons would NOT have been swept by the Spurs, even if most would agree they didn’t stand a great chance of winning.
While I question the referees’ objectivity, I suspect the changes just since ’04 have allowed players without some fundamental skills (LeBron and Wade, for example) to become the nobility of the NBA.
Rasheed didn’t “fall apart” during the ECF. The Pistons have a bad reputation outside of Detroit. Some of it was due to the Bad Boys team play, and some of it from the amazing defensive focus of the ’04 season, but a lot of it has to do with associations with Detroit in a general sense. Rasheed just throws gasoline on the flames (hmm… Devil’s Night).
I, for one, am very happy to roast some marshmallows. I love Detroit, and Sheed is the kind of person I’d want to hang around. It makes it easy to cheer for Detroit, even when you’re the only one in your area who bleeds Piston’s colors.
i totally agree w/ Sheeds comments. for a while i have been very frustrated how Wade, James and others are given a lot of calls. when the pistons lost to the heat that year — i was disappointed, but i still turned on the tv to see the finals. but we have to admit that Wade (no one!) shouldn’t be shooting that many free throws in an nba finals game. that foul they called with 1.8 seconds left was crazy and un-fair. i didn’t turn on the tv to watch that crap. and a lot of people i know didn’t turn on their tv either. the NBA is all about superstars. i have nothing against superstars. i love the game of basketball, and when i see a Kobe, James, Wade do their thing — I enjoy it. but what i don’t like is the NBA establishment acting as if Superstars are the way to market their game to make more money.
the pistons did let things go last season, and i believe that a majority of us were all looking past the CAVS. there were some questionable calls, but the pistons should have blown them away from the start! no games should have been close.
on a positive note regarding his insightful comments: with Sheed coming back 25 pounds lighter, in shape, active during the preseason — puts his comments in context. i think he is thinking w/ a political mind. i think he is setting the stage for everyone to be aware of how the Pistons feel. they don’t have that so-called superstar, they have numerous solid players that excel at their position. he’s letting the NBA know that the pistons are on a mission and they are not taking things lightly this seasons. celebrate the Celtics, Bulls, Cavs, Heat — at the end of the day don’t forget the the D is deep w/ talent. i think Sheed is going to have a hell of a season based on his comments and actions this off season. people respect ACTIONS, and only listen to WORDS! when a persons puts ACTIONS behind their WORDS — one should be fear and be aware of the WORDS that are expressed. they hold more weight.
i see the pistons in the Finals based on his comments (WORDS) and ACTIONS this off season. Peace!
Sheed Is The Truth..No Doubt About That..That Dude Stern Needs To Get A Smack Fo Sho..He IS Real Ignorant WHen It Comes To the truth…