Sports, exciting in the summer? It's a conspiracy!
By Jed Williams | July 19, 2001T he summer months are frequently disparaged as sports' dog days, and deservedly so. From mid-June until early August, every mainstream game save baseball decides to hibernate, leaving casual fans and ardent zealots alike with a sporting landscape rivaled in its exhilaration by "Meet the Press" marathons. But not this summer. Would you believe that in the last four weeks, all of the following remarkably unfolded: Sparking the improbable yet astonishing chain reaction, NBA Commissioner David Stern - in sneaky Stern fashion - masterminded a scheme of inconceivable intricacy by conspiring with the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers to ensure that the more populous market would be on display in the Finals.