Could the Recent NBA Scandal Threaten Future League Integrity?

SportsGrid

Watch Could the Recent NBA Scandal Threaten Future League Integrity? - SportsGrid on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Interesting how this NBA scandal is now growing legs, and it's going to continue to grow and grow and grow

00:05as more investigative reporters are now covering the allegations against Chauncey Billups,

00:11against Rozier, and against Damon Jones from a week ago.

00:15So let me just walk you through why this story is so problematic for basketball,

00:20and then obviously all the other leagues are going to fall in line as well.

00:23So I want to go back to Tuesday night, all right?

00:26And I want to go back to a game between the Golden State Warriors and the L.A. Clippers, okay?

00:31So James Harden, obviously one of the great players of all time, great scorers of all time,

00:36and a first ballot Hall of Famer, has 20 points in the first half.

00:39Low-scoring first half. Clippers were actually winning the game at halftime against the Warriors, 49-46.

00:45The prop bet, and for those of you that don't know, prop bets are just real quick.

00:49You can wager on the individual performance of a specific player,

00:52and you can bet on whether or not he has over or less than a certain number of points,

00:58rebounds, assists, turnovers, etc.

01:00That's what a prop wager is, okay?

01:02So obviously he's getting a lot of attention now because of the scandal from a week ago.

01:06And here's why the scandal is problematic for the league and gambling moving forward

01:10and the overall integrity of all the leagues, okay?

01:13Because of a situation like this that might be as innocent as a three-year-old, okay?

01:18But because of the scandal, we now look at outcomes of games and certain players' performances differently

01:25because we should, because we got duped by players, whether it's Javante Porter,

01:31whether it's Millie Beasley, whether it's Calvin Ridley in the NFL,

01:35the three dudes on the lines two years ago, and on and on and on, okay?

01:39So here's what happens.

01:40The over-under for James Harden in this game a couple nights ago for points scored in the game

01:47was 20 and a half.

01:50That's the over-under.

01:51So you could either make a wager who's going to score more than 20 and a half

01:55or less than 20 and a half.

01:57A lot of people, at least that I've seen online, bet the over.

02:00He's one of the great scorers of all time, okay?

02:03So at 49-46 at halftime, James Harden has 20 points at halftime,

02:09meaning go to the free-throw line, make one free-throw,

02:14and everybody that bet the over has now covered their bet, okay?

02:18Yep.

02:18James Harden, in the second half of that game, a game they wound up losing by 19 points,

02:26only attempted three shots in the entire second half.

02:31He only had one rebound in the second half

02:34and did not attempt a single free-throw in the entire second half

02:39of which he played about half of, all right?

02:41So if you were sitting on the over at 20 and a half

02:46and James Harden dropped a 20-burger in the first half, you're locked in.

02:52I think it's a lock.

02:53In your mind, you've already cast the wager.

02:55You've moved on to the next wager with the winnings you're about to collect

03:00because it's a guarantee, right?

03:02Yeah, of course.

03:02James Harden was 0-3 from the field in that second half.

03:07He played 12 minutes, so he played exactly half of the second half.

03:11Obviously, they took him out when it was a blowout in the fourth quarter

03:13and didn't play a lot, didn't get a lot of run there,

03:15but he did not cover the over.

03:17Now, I want to be clear about this.

03:19I'm not accusing James Harden of anything.

03:21I'm pointing out the problem when a gambling scandal has been reported

03:27and when the Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested dozens of people involved

03:32in what they say is a widespread gambling scandal specifically centered around the NBA

03:37and you're there sitting on your couch and you're like,

03:40all right, I got James Harden over 20 and a half.

03:42That seems like a pretty good bet for me.

03:44And he drops 20 in the first half and he is 6 for 12 from the field.

03:49And then in the second half, he only attempts three shots, only has one rebound,

03:55no free throws, almost like he was non-existent in the second half.

04:01And in the back of your head, you're going, well, wait a minute.

04:05Wasn't there just a scandal in the NBA involving players controlling their point total,

04:10rebound total, assist total, et cetera, right?

04:13Yes, of course.

04:14So you have every reason to be pissed.

04:16I want to be clear.

04:16No one's accusing James Harden of fixing his stats.

04:20I want to be very clear about that.

04:22My feeling is it may not even be investigated.

04:26But because of the scandal last week, this is the problem the NBA now has.

04:32Every single night, there's going to be a guy or multiple guys

04:37whose prop number comes right up to what the actual wagering line was

04:42and you're going to start watching his performance.

04:44And you're going to start watching his performance.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended