Conspiracy Theorists Embrace the NBA

Laker radio commentator Mychal Thompson, not even pretending to be objective, went on a Detroit radio station Monday morning and complained about the officiating in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Pointing out that 15 more fouls were called on the Lakers than on the Detroit Pistons, he implied there was an NBA conspiracy to crown a champion from the much-maligned Eastern Conference.

The Indiana Pacers’ Ron Artest, a guest on Dan Patrick’s ESPN radio show, was asked what he thought.

“I don’t believe the Pistons went into the league office, said, ‘We’d like to win the NBA title,’ and asked if they could get some help from the officials,” Artest said.

Trivia time: The Pistons’ worst season was 1979-80, when they were 16-66. Who coached the team that season?

Credibility problem: “Just once, I’d like to hear someone complain about the officiating after a win,” Patrick said Monday on his radio show. “I’d like someone to say they got a few breaks from some bad calls. Complaining about the officiating doesn’t mean anything if you only complain after a loss. You might as well say the sky is falling.”

Hard to believe: Steve Hartman, Thompson’s sidekick on the daily “Loose Cannons” talk show on XTRA, voiced support of the conspiracy theory. It was left to Vic “the Brick” Jacobs, of all people, to be the voice of reason.

“The Lakers were simply outrun, out-rebounded, out-hustled and outplayed,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs making sense? Maybe the sky is falling.

Lovable losers: Regarding the story that five players from Coach Phil Jackson’s Laker three-peat teams, including Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, asked Jackson to drop Karl Malone and Gary Payton from the starting lineup, Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post wrote: “If you’ve followed the Lakers’ fortunes this year, you couldn’t have been too surprised. With apologies to the Simpsons and the Osbournes, the Lakers are America’s favorite dysfunctional family.”

No wonder: From Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “The Pistons are highly motivated. They heard that the loser gets sent to the Olympics.”

Fitting words: Also from Ostler: “Mailman, please turn in your bag and report to the sorting room.”

And: “If the Glove can’t hit, then he must sit.”

Looking back: On this day in 1938, Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds pitched his second consecutive no-hit game, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers, 6-0, in the first night game played at Ebbets Field.

Trivia answer: Dick Vitale coached them for 12 games, winning four. He was replaced by Richie Adubato.

And finally: From reader Jim Greene of San Francisco: “I’ve always known there is no I in team. However, until just this week it never dawned on me that there is no D in Lakers.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.