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But Donaghy doesn't stop there. He also claims that referees were instructed by league executives to protect star players from technical fouls and ejections in order to keep television ratings up, and that when a star player was ejected from a 2000 playoff game, an official was privately reprimanded by the league.
After perusing the internet and researching on my own, I found the players who were ejected from games during the 2000 NBA Playoffs and the referees that officiated each of those games.
Dale Davis (Ind) and Sam Cassell (Mil) were both ejected in Game 3 of Round 1 - Officials: Hugh Evans, Ken Mauer, and Mark Wunderlich
Allen Iverson (Phi) was ejected in Game 1 of Round 2 vs. Indiana - Officials: Ron Garretson, Terry Durham, and Ken Mauer
Reggie Miller (Ind) was ejected in Game 4 of Round 2 vs. Philadelphia - Officials: Bennett Salvatore, Don Vaden, and Ronnie Nunn
Rick Fox (LAL) was ejected in Game 4 of Round 2 vs. Phoenix - Officials: Joey Crawford, Mike Mathis, and Gary Forest
Rasheed Wallace (Por) was ejected in Game 1 of the WCF vs. the Lakers - Officials: Ron Garretson, Mike Mathis, and Bob Delaney
While all 6 of the players ejected played vital roles to their teams' success, only 2 of them were considered true "stars" - Iverson and Miller. I could see a case for Rasheed Wallace, but would anyone really be surpised that he would be ejected? Why would the league reprimand an official for ejecting a known hot-head?