djohn2oo8
04-08-2009, 04:02 PM
NBA referee report on 2005 Rockets-Mavs series
Part of the report referred to events of the 2005 playoff series between the Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks.
• Full report (http://www.nba.com/media/PedowitzReport.pdf)from nba.com
• More (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6035883.html) on Lawrence Pedowitz's report on Tim Donaghy
Team 3's Owner alleged that referees were letting a Team 4 player get away with illegal screens. NBA Executive Y told Referee Supervisor Z that the referees for that game were to enforce the screening rules strictly against that Team 4 player. Referee Supervisor Z informed the referees about his instructions. As an alternate referee for that game, Tim also received these instructions. The referees followed the league's instructions and Team 3 came back from behind to win the series. The NBA benefited from this because it prolonged the series, resulting in more tickets sold and more televised games.
Referee Supervisor Z told Tim that he had contacted the Team 4 coach about the NBA's instructions. The NBA launched a secret investigation, except that the investigation did not relate to the team that received preferential treatment. Rather, the NBA fined the Team 4 coach $100,000 for not disclosing the name of the official who had informed him of the behind-the-scenes instructions. The NBA was concerned only with keeping secret the leaks of behind-the-scenes instructions...
These allegations clearly refer to the Round 1 Western Conference playoff series between the Dallas Mavericks ("Team 3") and the Houston Rockets ("Team 4") and the well-known controversy over whether referees were told to "target" Yao Ming of Houston ("Team 4 player").
The thrust of Donaghy's allegations seems to be that the NBA sought to extend the playoff series by instructing referees to call more fouls on one of Houston's star players. As we explain below, we have found no evidence that anyone in NBA management or any referees who officiated the series sought to do anything other than get the calls in this series right. Nor have we discovered any evidence that the NBA instructed referees to call illegal screens more "strictly," or differently, on Yao Ming than on other players, or to make erroneous calls...
We have been able to determine the following based on interviews, a review of the League's investigative files from the time and a review of press and other public materials:
The Dallas Mavericks lost the first two games of its 2005 playoff series with the Houston Rockets. Both games were played in Dallas. Following each game, Dallas owner Mark Cuban ("Team 3's Owner") contacted the League and flagged a substantial number of calls that he believed were incorrect. In particular, following Game 2, Cuban sent two emails to the League complaining about twenty-nine alleged "moving screens" he claimed had been set by Houston's Yao Ming during the first two games. This type of complaint was not unusual, but for the large number of plays that were questioned. Coaches, general managers and owners will often contact the League to complain about particular calls or plays ― even when their team has won the game, although not as frequently as when they lose. For many years, the League has believed it appropriate to take such complaints from teams and to respond.
To the extent that errors are identified during this process, the information is then communicated back to the complaining team, and often also back to the referees to prevent them from making similar errors in the future, without advising the referees that a team made a complaint. During this time period, Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President for Basketball Operations, Ronnie Nunn, Director of Officials, or someone else from Basketball Operations would review complained-of plays; Jackson or Nunn would then respond by either email or phone to the coach, general manager or owner.
Nunn reviewed the plays that Mark Cuban forwarded to the League and determined that nine of the twenty-nine challenged screens were in fact illegal. In response, Nunn sent an email to the Dallas Mavericks with the League's response, explaining which calls were correctly called and which ones were incorrectly called.
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsupdate/archives/2008/10/nba_referee_rep.html
Part of the report referred to events of the 2005 playoff series between the Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks.
• Full report (http://www.nba.com/media/PedowitzReport.pdf)from nba.com
• More (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6035883.html) on Lawrence Pedowitz's report on Tim Donaghy
Team 3's Owner alleged that referees were letting a Team 4 player get away with illegal screens. NBA Executive Y told Referee Supervisor Z that the referees for that game were to enforce the screening rules strictly against that Team 4 player. Referee Supervisor Z informed the referees about his instructions. As an alternate referee for that game, Tim also received these instructions. The referees followed the league's instructions and Team 3 came back from behind to win the series. The NBA benefited from this because it prolonged the series, resulting in more tickets sold and more televised games.
Referee Supervisor Z told Tim that he had contacted the Team 4 coach about the NBA's instructions. The NBA launched a secret investigation, except that the investigation did not relate to the team that received preferential treatment. Rather, the NBA fined the Team 4 coach $100,000 for not disclosing the name of the official who had informed him of the behind-the-scenes instructions. The NBA was concerned only with keeping secret the leaks of behind-the-scenes instructions...
These allegations clearly refer to the Round 1 Western Conference playoff series between the Dallas Mavericks ("Team 3") and the Houston Rockets ("Team 4") and the well-known controversy over whether referees were told to "target" Yao Ming of Houston ("Team 4 player").
The thrust of Donaghy's allegations seems to be that the NBA sought to extend the playoff series by instructing referees to call more fouls on one of Houston's star players. As we explain below, we have found no evidence that anyone in NBA management or any referees who officiated the series sought to do anything other than get the calls in this series right. Nor have we discovered any evidence that the NBA instructed referees to call illegal screens more "strictly," or differently, on Yao Ming than on other players, or to make erroneous calls...
We have been able to determine the following based on interviews, a review of the League's investigative files from the time and a review of press and other public materials:
The Dallas Mavericks lost the first two games of its 2005 playoff series with the Houston Rockets. Both games were played in Dallas. Following each game, Dallas owner Mark Cuban ("Team 3's Owner") contacted the League and flagged a substantial number of calls that he believed were incorrect. In particular, following Game 2, Cuban sent two emails to the League complaining about twenty-nine alleged "moving screens" he claimed had been set by Houston's Yao Ming during the first two games. This type of complaint was not unusual, but for the large number of plays that were questioned. Coaches, general managers and owners will often contact the League to complain about particular calls or plays ― even when their team has won the game, although not as frequently as when they lose. For many years, the League has believed it appropriate to take such complaints from teams and to respond.
To the extent that errors are identified during this process, the information is then communicated back to the complaining team, and often also back to the referees to prevent them from making similar errors in the future, without advising the referees that a team made a complaint. During this time period, Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President for Basketball Operations, Ronnie Nunn, Director of Officials, or someone else from Basketball Operations would review complained-of plays; Jackson or Nunn would then respond by either email or phone to the coach, general manager or owner.
Nunn reviewed the plays that Mark Cuban forwarded to the League and determined that nine of the twenty-nine challenged screens were in fact illegal. In response, Nunn sent an email to the Dallas Mavericks with the League's response, explaining which calls were correctly called and which ones were incorrectly called.
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsupdate/archives/2008/10/nba_referee_rep.html