"Even basketball is getting rigged" - NBA Twitter reacts to 'scripted' claims as 2025 Finals ball video goes viral

Fans accuse professional sports leagues of "scripting" games week in and week out, and the NBA is no different. Dating back to the Cleveland Cavaliers' legendary comeback versus the Golden State Warriors in the 2015-16 NBA Finals, basketball fans have accused the NBA of "rigging" or "scripting" games.

Fast forward to 2025, and the latest viral "script" craze comes with a video of Denver Nuggets players warming up with NBA Finals basketballs.

Fans had varied reactions to the post with some seemingly agreeing with the "rigged" claims.

"Even basketball is getting rigged," one fan commented.

"Go and place bets that Denver wins the Western Conference Finals," another fan added.

"Odd," a third fan simply put.

Some fans called out the video and reassured the league was not scripted.

"Teams get a chance to practice with the Finals ball as well as the 'regular ball'," a fan argued. "Standard practice."

"They all get them," another fan added. "You're just not going to roll out a new ball that no team has played with."

"It's a motivation thing," a third fan insisted.

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Celtics leading NBA Finals odds entering All-Star break

If there is an NBA script, betting sportsbooks aren't reading it. Entering the league's break for All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, the Boston Celtics are the odds-on favorites to win the 2024-25 NBA Championship.

Denver, who warmed up with the Finals basketballs in the viral video, checks in with the fifth-best odds to win the title, per FanDuel. The Oklahoma City Thunder (+230), Cleveland Cavaliers (+850) and New York Knicks (+1300) each rank ahead of the Nuggets in the odds rankings.

The Celtics are entering the break with a 39-16 record, looking to repeat as champions with a strong push in the second half of the season. Boston is behind Cleveland in the Eastern Conference standings as the Cavaliers enter All-Star Weekend with a 44-10 record, the second-best record in the league behind Oklahoma City (44-9).

Boston secured the 2023-24 championship with a dominant series victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals last season.