Donaghy Didn't Decide Phoenix vs. San Antonio Game 3

[O-Factor]

http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop


Reader Analysis: Tim Donaghy Didn't Decide Phoenix vs. San Antonio Game 3

July 23, 2007 12:11 PM


An excerpt of an email from a TrueHoop reader:

I thought you might like to see this. I'm a Suns fan, which is the main reason I did this study. Being a Suns fan I wanted this to come out that there was even more to show how unfair that series was. After reviewing the game it's simply not there. If anything Donaghy called the fairest game.

What I did is log ever foul called by referee, and what team and he player he called it on. When multiple refs called the same foul I called it a shared foul. (That is also why, when I tally up how many total calls the refs made it will be higher than the actual game number.)

Eddie F. Rush called six fouls on the Spurs and nine on the Suns. Greg Willard called seven fouls on the Spurs and nine on the Suns. Tim Donaghy called ten fouls on each team. When Donaghy was involved in shared calls, three were on the Suns, and two on the Spurs.

I don't think you can really take anything from this game that would suggest he wasn't doing his job properly.
The reader acknowledges that one late call on Ginobili was bizarre, but his analysis is pretty clear that in the big picture the story here was not one referee going bananas on the Suns.

All those who theorize Donaghy might have been trying to get scores higher by sending players to the line, however, will not that in this study he blew his whistle a good deal more than the other referees.

So, yes we can use this scandal as evidence of a lot of NBA trouble. But we can't blame it for everything.

[Extra Stout]

He may not have changed the outcome, but another possibility is that he made sure the points total was 201 or higher (200.5 was the O/U).

[Johnny RIngo]

Donaghy ruined the S0ns-Laker series. We should have been playing the Lakers in the Conference Semis.

[O-Factor]

He may not have changed the outcome, but another possibility is that he made sure the points total was 201 or higher (200.5 was the O/U).

True, and doesn't phoenix prefer higher scoring games?

[justanotherspursfan]

Yes, but the Spurs really committed fouls. We all know that the Suns have never actually committed a foul.

[Extra Stout]

True, and doesn't phoenix prefer higher scoring games?
If the game play was in any way manipulated, what difference does it make, whether it helped the Spurs or the Suns?

[degenerate_gambler]

http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop


Reader Analysis: Tim Donaghy Didn't Decide Phoenix vs. San Antonio Game 3

July 23, 2007 12:11 PM


An excerpt of an email from a TrueHoop reader:

I thought you might like to see this. I'm a Suns fan, which is the main reason I did this study. Being a Suns fan I wanted this to come out that there was even more to show how unfair that series was. After reviewing the game it's simply not there. If anything Donaghy called the fairest game.

What I did is log ever foul called by referee, and what team and he player he called it on. When multiple refs called the same foul I called it a shared foul. (That is also why, when I tally up how many total calls the refs made it will be higher than the actual game number.)

Eddie F. Rush called six fouls on the Spurs and nine on the Suns. Greg Willard called seven fouls on the Spurs and nine on the Suns. Tim Donaghy called ten fouls on each team. When Donaghy was involved in shared calls, three were on the Suns, and two on the Spurs.

I don't think you can really take anything from this game that would suggest he wasn't doing his job properly.
The reader acknowledges that one late call on Ginobili was bizarre, but his analysis is pretty clear that in the big picture the story here was not one referee going bananas on the Suns.

All those who theorize Donaghy might have been trying to get scores higher by sending players to the line, however, will not that in this study he blew his whistle a good deal more than the other referees.

So, yes we can use this scandal as evidence of a lot of NBA trouble. But we can't blame it for everything.


All well and good....but this scandal is not about a referee helping one team beat another via the pointspread. It's about the total -- the O/U and a referee calling a game to manipulate the final score above or below that number depending on which scenario he was asked to affect.

[da_suns_fan__]

Already been posted in another thread "O"....


andyraz (7/23/2007 at 9:18 AM)
That's terrible, irrelevant, misleading statistical work. Without taking into account what KIND of fouls were called, when, and on who - this is totally meaningless. No good at all. What if all ten of Donaghy's fouls were on Stat, Nash, and Marion? What if they were all free throws for the Spurs (or, for that matter, the Suns) and not the other team? In fact, any ref trying to fix a game worth his salt (which if you don't want to grant that the NBA is completely incompetent, we have to assume Donaghy was) would take care to cover his statistical tracks with some "balancing calls" at irrelevant moments. (I.e. the famous call on Bowen where Coach D yells: "Oh, why even start calling them now?") This is nothing more than league apologism here. I'm nt saying Donaghy influenced anything - I'm just saying nothing about this post or "study" proves he didn't and to pretend otherwise is pure irresponsible journalism.

If you need proof, just watch the three second late call when the Suns were up by nine pulling away in the second quarter (called by Donaghy).

He started to panic. You can see it.

This game was bogus.

[O-Factor]

If the game play was in any way manipulated, what difference does it make, whether it helped the Spurs or the Suns?

statistically, when the scoring is high in a spurs game, our win pct. drops.

[degenerate_gambler]

Already been posted in another thread "O"....



If you need proof, just watch the three second late call when the Suns were up by nine pulling away in the second quarter (called by Donaghy).

He started to panic. You can see it.

This game was bogus.


You're a moron and you've obviously never gambled if you think he was panicking in the second quarter. :lol

Get a clue....

[duncan228]

Yes, but the Spurs really committed fouls. We all know that the Suns have never actually committed a foul.

Tim Duncan has never commited a foul in his career.
See the wide-eyes/ raised hands look after a whistle! :lol

(Come on, we need some humor in all this!)

[George Gervin's Afro]

Already been posted in another thread "O"....



If you need proof, just watch the three second late call when the Suns were up by nine pulling away in the second quarter (called by Donaghy).

He started to panic. You can see it.

This game was bogus.


games aren't won in the second qtr

[nkdlunch]

the only one panicking in 2nd quarter was D'antoni. He was having seizures on the sideline. He sucks as a coach and that is why Suns will never reach finals. Dirty refs or not.

[Shred]

Well, like they say, "no harm, no foul." I look forward to seeing Mr. Donaghy referee more games next season!

[Oh, Gee!!]

Well, like they say, "no harm, no foul." I look forward to seeing Mr. Donaghy referee more games next season!

Hopefully in the finals

or the WCF when we play the Mavs

[Extra Stout]

statistically, when the scoring is high in a spurs game, our win pct. drops.
I don't think you get my point. If the game play is an any affected by an official on the take, even if hypothetically it hurt the Spurs, who won anyway, the legitimacy of the game is called into question.

And it doesn't matter in the way Suns fans are whining about, "Waah, waah, we would have won if not for the crooked ref who made calls against us." They are looking for excuses because they are gutless pussies. We didn't hear a word about Game 3 for two months, but then this scandal breaks, they find out Donaghy worked Game 3, and boom, the whining starts anew.

Pathetic Suns fans notwithstanding, having a dirty official work a playoff game compromises the integrity of the NBA itself, and diminishes the value of winning a title in that league, regardless of the winner.

[BacktoBasics]

I refuse to believe a Suns fan would be this sensible

[Extra Stout]

I refuse to believe a Suns fan would be this sensible
The exception that makes the rule.

[O-Factor]

I don't think you get my point. If the game play is an any affected by an official on the take, even if hypothetically it hurt the Spurs, who won anyway, the legitimacy of the game is called into question.

And it doesn't matter in the way Suns fans are whining about, "Waah, waah, we would have won if not for the crooked ref who made calls against us." They are looking for excuses because they are gutless pussies. We didn't hear a word about Game 3 for two months, but then this scandal breaks, they find out Donaghy worked Game 3, and boom, the whining starts anew.

Pathetic Suns fans notwithstanding, having a dirty official work a playoff game compromises the integrity of the NBA itself, and diminishes the value of winning a title in that league, regardless of the winner.

You are right, I didn't take your point initially and now I see where you are comming from now.

[UV Ray]

If the game play was in any way manipulated, what difference does it make, whether it helped the Spurs or the Suns?
Bingo

[Johnny RIngo]

Already been posted in another thread "O"....



If you need proof, just watch the three second late call when the Suns were up by nine pulling away in the second quarter (called by Donaghy).

He started to panic. You can see it.

This game was bogus.

Who cares? None of that would have mattered if Donaghy didn't fix the S0ns-Lakers series. The Spurs should have been playing the Lakers in the conference semi-finals. The S0ns didn't deserve to be there.

[da_suns_fan__]

Who cares? None of that would have mattered if Donaghy didn't fix the S0ns-Lakers series. The Spurs should have been playing the Lakers in the conference semi-finals. The S0ns didn't deserve to be there.

Come on, Johnny! Are you going to post this exact same thing in every thread now?

Do I need to bump the "Jonny Ringo obsessed with Suns" thread again?

:lol

[wildbill2u]

True, and doesn't phoenix prefer higher scoring games?
However, getting the score higher by the use of fouls to beat the line on the over and under is not the same thing as helping the Spurs win by a point margin. The over and under is relatively neutral in its effect on the teams.

And it certainly doesn't help the Spurs to call a lot of fouls if you consider the Spurs foul shooting percentages.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

http://static.flickr.com/78/155733289_44299089e6.jpg

[lefty]

I don't care about any of that..........



The only thing that matters : we won the championship !!!!
:elephant :elephant :elephant
Fuck YEAH !!!!! :elephant :king :king :hungry:

[zrinkill]

Come on, Johnny! Are you going to post this exact same thing in every thread now?

Do I need to bump the "Jonny Ringo obsessed with Suns" thread again?

:lol

Yet the bitch ass Sun fans keep saying the same thing over and over.

[Johnny RIngo]

Come on, Johnny! Are you going to post this exact same thing in every thread now?

Do I need to bump the "Jonny Ringo obsessed with Suns" thread again?

:lol

da_s0ns_fan seems to be obsessed with me. Guess he likes the taste of my dick or something.