Does the NBA Need the Miami Heat to Win? — Sports Survey of the Day

The San Antonio Spurs were mere minutes from an NBA title, but some big mistakes—and clutch shooting from Miami—forced a Game 7. Is that the way the NBA wants it?

Ever since Michael Jordan retired, the NBA has been trying to recover in the popularity contest. Enter 2003, and LeBron James. He's the new face of the league, and arguably the NBA is dependent on his success. It has proven that despite the public's love/hate relationship with James, they like to watch him play. The NBA has led ABC to a ratings win, and that's good news for everyone involved.

However, is the NBA giving the Heat an edge? Miami was certainly the favorite to win it all going in, and we don't mean to bring up is the NBA-is-fixed argument again, but some are calling them out. There was a controversial non-call on a Manu Ginobili drive late in overtime that could have given the Spurs a chance to win, but it got past the refs.