Bulls Season Ends, Conspiracy Theory Season Begins

Almost a year into this blog, and this is my first NBA post, because even though I'm a sports fan I'm just not really into the NBA. I know, I know - these are the best basketball players in the world, playing at a ridiculously high level - what's not to like? Well, the regular season is too long, and too many teams make the playoffs, which makes the playoffs take too long (and why did the Bulls and Heat have four days off between games 2 and 3?), especially considering that the NBA is the least competitively-balanced of the four major leagues (only eight different teams have won championships in the last 30 years). It's great when you're a fan of a "have" (Lakers, Celtics, Jordan-era Bulls), but not so great for everyone else. But last night's season-ending Bulls loss compelled me to write for a couple of reasons:



(1) The way the Bulls exited the postseason was so reminiscent of the teams I usually write about:

• Blowing a 12-point lead in the final four minutes of the last game of the season? How Weber-esque.
• Compiling the best regular-season record in the league, then falling short of the championship round? I know I've seen that one before.
• Handling a team during the regular season, then being eliminated by that same team, at home, with a trip to the championship round on the line? I feel like I just lived through that.

So now that I've established a premise that's sort of tied to the original purpose of this blog, we can get to the real reason for this post.

(2) Conspiracy theories. I love conspiracy theories - X-Files, Dan Brown books, National Treasure movies - it's fun to envision shadowy forces working together, pulling strings to shape the world to their views, especially when things don't turn out how you wanted them to. No major sport inspires more conspiracy theories than the NBA, and I think I've uncovered a real doozy here.

The key to exposing any good conspiracy? Follow the money. So which entity has the biggest investment in a Heat vs. Mavericks NBA Finals? You don't have to think too hard to see this one:

• The Heat play at American Airlines Arena
• The Mavericks play at American Airlines Center

And there it is. American Airlines has been bankrolling everything in the 2010-11 NBA season: from "The Decision"; to the #1 seeded San Antonio Spurs inexplicably falling in the first round of the playoffs; to the Lakers' humiliating collapse against Dallas; to Oklahoma City gagging away leads in games 4 and 5 of the Western Conference Finals; to the Heat (seemingly) getting every call in their series against the Bulls. It's all been one elaborately orchestrated scheme to benefit the organization that will now have its name on both arenas in the NBA Finals.

We're through the looking glass here, people!