NBA is FIXED!

[RussN]

Well, Tim Donaghy said that the 2002 NBA Lakers-Kings series was fixed to let the Lakers win game 6 to push it to game 7. Lakers shot 27 free throws in the 4th quarter in that game.

This is all on SportsCenter right now. I bet Tim Donaghy comes out with a book once he is in jail with a tell all about all the games that were fixed.

I think a lot of us suspected this of the NBA, but DAMN.

At least we know that the NBA never wants the Spurs to win and our championships aren't tainted. And at least we know they will be fair now.

*by the Lakers 2002 championship.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

wow...

[angelbelow]

very interesting, i wonder what other series were manipulated like this.

[E20]

If this is true then, in your face Phil Jackson. You fucking Coloner Sanders look alike ass gets the asterisk in the end. Someone give me Phil jacksons email.

[LakeShow]

all titles 2002-2007 deserve *

[rAm]

Let's not completely jump to conclusions, remember his situation. You would want the blame to be spread out among all refs and Stern's corrupt organization rather than taking all the blame yourself.

But then again, a lot of it makes sense. And I wouldn't put anything like this past Stern. He just SMELLS of collusion.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

all titles 2002-2007 deserve *

Hell maybe even 2008.

[Mr. Body]

Game 7 of the 2000 Blazers-Lakers series was highly suspicious.

[2centsworth]

that game was clearly fixed('02 Sac). I couldn't believe my eyes.

[atxrocker]

sacramento got raped by the league and everybody fucking knows it. initially i tried not to be too upset when i heard this but fuck that. they singlehandidly fucking robbed our franchises chance of a championship.

[Spur-Addict]

all titles 2002-2007 deserve *

Yeah, B/C Clev and NJ were clearly on par with us, WTF was I thinking. Det is the only team close enough to even consider.

[Spur-Addict]

Game 7 of the 2000 Blazers-Lakers series was highly suspicious.

Hell yes. That Portland team was loaded.

[thispego]

Well, Tim Donaghy said that the 2002 NBA Lakers-Kings series was fixed to let the Lakers win game 6 to push it to game 7.
REALLY?!?!??! :rolleyes

[TheSanityAnnex]

Well, Tim Donaghy said that the 2002 NBA Lakers-Kings series was fixed to let the Lakers win game 6 to push it to game 7. Lakers shot 27 free throws in the 4th quarter in that game.

This is all on SportsCenter right now. I bet Tim Donaghy comes out with a book once he is in jail with a tell all about all the games that were fixed.

I think a lot of us suspected this of the NBA, but DAMN.

At least we know that the NBA never wants the Spurs to win and our championships aren't tainted. And at least we know they will be fair now.

*by the Lakers 2002 championship.That game was a given.

[AceProfits]

Suspicious games and or series:

2000 game 7 lakers vs. blazers.
2001 game 6 lakers vs kings
.04 derek fisher.
2006 Mavericks vs heat
2006 Mavericks vs spurs

add to the list guys...

[Pero]

Well I didn't think it was fixed, but the refs bailed out the Lakers in that series without a doubt.

[2centsworth]

here's the ESPN Article. All sounds plausible.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401

[LakeShow]

With the league promoting the Globalization of the NBA, the Spurs were the poster team for them during those times. It would bring in doubt their titles as well. Along with the officiating in this years finals. I said in the other thread, if the Lakers don't get the calls tonight, I will be a believer in the league being shaky.

[temujin]

Suspicious games and or series:

2000 game 7 lakers vs. blazers.
2001 game 6 lakers vs kings
.04 derek fisher.
2006 Mavericks vs heat
2006 Mavericks vs spurs

add to the list guys...

G3 of the 99 finals.
3' Elie 2 fouls.

Wait untill you see the 08 G3.............

[baseline bum]

With the league promoting the Globalization of the NBA, the Spurs were the poster team for them during those times. It would bring in doubt their titles as well. Along with the officiating in this years finals. I said in the other thread, if the Lakers don't get the calls tonight, I will be a believer in the league being shaky.

I thought all Laker fans already believed it after they got assraped by Detroit in 04.

[temujin]

With the league promoting the Globalization of the NBA, the Spurs were the poster team for them during those times. It would bring in doubt their titles as well. Along with the officiating in this years finals. I said in the other thread, if the Lakers don't get the calls tonight, I will be a believer in the league being shaky.


The ONLY way that international fans would come close to believe that the NBA is NOT just business is a small market team winning 4 titles.

A big market winning is, literally, more than inplausible, it is INCREDIBLE.

And G3 of 08 will be a treat..............

[LakeShow]

I thought all Laker fans already believed it after they got assraped by Detroit in 04.

I have had thoughts but didn't want to believe it because i love the game.

[Marcus Bryant]

Rofl.

[hater]

2006 series vs. Mavs is highly suspicious too.


NBA is BS

[romsho]

But what about Laker Lanny's "Circle of Seven" game fixers...aren't they supposed to work against the Lakers?

[Marcus Bryant]

Isn't most of this shit common knowledge? Stars get preferential treatment from the refs? Shocker. Teams complain to the league about a particular player's first step and suddenly he gets called for traveling 20 times in a row (yes, Sean)? Incredible.

As for "globalization", perhaps. The Mavs did seem to get the favor of the whistle in '06.

[Marcus Bryant]

Yes, the NBA wants to build its 'global' marketing campaign around Argentina, France, Slovenia, and the US Virgin Islands.

Apparently the NBA would rather forego another playoff series with China's favorite athlete in favor of a top 5 US media market.

[bigfish22]

Only logical if Phil Jackson wants to keep making his claims

1999* = 2002*

[Twisted_Dawg]

sacramento got raped by the league and everybody fucking knows it. initially i tried not to be too upset when i heard this but fuck that. they singlehandidly fucking robbed our franchises chance of a championship.

My friend...your team were the champions that year.

[hater]

2002 Game 6 Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta , #16 Ted Bernhardt , #26 Bob Delaney

[SPURSGOAT]

I still love the game...still love the NBA... won't make me stop watching or rooting for the Spurs and will celebrate/ love all the wins as usual. GO SPURS!

[Marcus Bryant]

2002 Game 6 Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta , #16 Ted Bernhardt , #26 Bob Delaney

Surprise, surprise.

[Marcus Bryant]

Knick Bavetta screwing a small market team? Say it ain't so.

[Shank]

G6 2002 was the "Ralph Nader" game...ouch:

-------------------------------------

Nader urges Stern to review officiating

From the court

Complete Finals coverage



Ralph Nader and League of Fans sent the following letter today to David J. Stern, Commissioner, National Basketball Association:

Dear Mr. Stern,

At a time when the public's confidence is shaken by headlines reporting the breach of trust by corporate executives, it is important, during the public's relaxation time, for there to be maintained a sense of impartiality and professionalism in commercial sports performances.

That sense was severely shaken in the now notorious officiating during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings.

Calls by referees in the NBA are likely to be more subjective than in professional baseball or football. But as the judicious and balanced Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon wrote this Sunday, too many of the calls in the fourth quarter (when the Lakers received 27 foul shots) were "stunningly incorrect," all against Sacramento. After noting that the three referees in Game 6 "are three of the best in the game," he wrote: "I have never seen officiating in a game of consequence as bad as that in Game 6. ...When Pollard, on his sixth and final foul, didn't as much as touch Shaq. Didn't touch any part of him. You could see it on TV, see it at courtside. It wasn't a foul in any league in the world. And Divac, on his fifth foul, didn't foul Shaq. They weren't subjective or borderline or debatable. And these fouls not only resulted in free throws, they helped disqualify Sacramento's two low-post defenders." And one might add, in a 106-102 Lakers' victory, this officiating took away what would have been a Sacramento series victory in 6 games.

This was not all. The Kobe Bryant elbow in the nose of Mike Bibby, who after lying on the floor groggy, went to the sideline bleeding, was in full view of the referee, who did nothing, prompted many fans to start wondering about what was motivating these officials.

Wilbon discounted any conspiracy theories about the NBA-NBC desire for a Game 7 etc., but unless the NBA orders a review of this game's officiating, perceptions and suspicions, however presently absent any evidence, will abound and lead to more distrust and distaste for the games in general. When the distinguished basketball writer for USA TODAY, David DuPree, can say: "I've been covering the NBA for 30 years, and it's the poorest officiating in an important game I've ever seen," when Wilbon writes that "The Kings and Lakers didn't decide this series would be extended until Sunday; three referees did ..." when many thousands of fans, not just those in Sacramento, felt that merit lost to bad refereeing, you need to take notice beyond the usual and widespread grumbling by fans and columnists about referees ignoring the rule book and giving advantages to home teams and superstars.

Your problem in addressing the pivotal Game 6 situation is that you have too much power. Where else can decision-makers (the referees) escape all responsibility to admit serious and egregious error and have their bosses (you) fine those wronged (the players and coaches) who dare to speak out critically?

In a February interview with David DuPree of USA TODAY, he asked you "Why aren't coaches and players allowed to criticize the referees?" You said, "...we don't want people questioning the integrity of officials. ... It just doesn't pay for us to do anything other than focus people on the game itself rather than the officiating." "Integrity" which we take you to mean "professionalism" of the referees has to be earned and when it is not, it has to be questioned. You and your league have a large and growing credibility problem. Referees are human and make mistakes, but there comes a point that goes beyond any random display of poor performance. That point was reached in Game 6 which took away the Sacramento Kings Western Conference victory.

It seems that you have a choice. You can continue to exercise your absolute power to do nothing. Or you can initiate a review and if all these observers and fans turn out to be right, issue, together with the referees, an apology to the Sacramento Kings and forthrightly admit decisive incompetence during Game 6, especially in the crucial fourth quarter.

You should know, however, that absolute power, if you choose the former course of inaction, invites the time when it is challenged and changed — whether by more withdrawal of fans or by more formal legal or legislative action. No government in our country can lawfully stifle free speech and fine those who exercise it; the NBA under present circumstances can both stifle and fine players and coaches who speak up. There is no guarantee that this tyrannical status quo will remain stable over time, should you refuse to bend to reason and the reality of what occurred. A review that satisfies the fans' sense of fairness and deters future recurrences would be a salutary contribution to the public trust that the NBA badly needs.

We look forward to your considered response.

Sincerely,

Ralph Nader

Shawn McCarthy — Director, League of Fans

[2centsworth]

basketball writer for USA TODAY, David DuPree, can say: "I've been covering the NBA for 30 years, and it's the poorest officiating in an important game I've ever seen,"

that's about how I saw that game. Plus, I remember the elbow to Bibby's face and nothing was called. The officiating in that game was an abomination.

[E20]

I wonder if we can see a reactoion from the refs when Horry's shot went down.

[2centsworth]

Game 7 of the 2000 Blazers-Lakers series was highly suspicious.

the only thing fishy about that game is how Rasheed Wallace crawled up in the fetal position

[atxrocker]

robbed i said!

[Twisted_Dawg]

2002 Game 6 Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta , #16 Ted Bernhardt , #26 Bob Delaney

If I have to hear from the TV tools including Barkley that Bavetta, Joey Crawford, et al are the best officials in the league, I am going to throw up.

[Gino]

robbed i said!

I feel for you Kings fan.

From this day forth, I will acknowledge that the Kings should have been the 2002 NBA champions.

[Harry Callahan]

With the league promoting the Globalization of the NBA, the Spurs were the poster team for them during those times. It would bring in doubt their titles as well. Along with the officiating in this years finals. I said in the other thread, if the Lakers don't get the calls tonight, I will be a believer in the league being shaky.


Sorry. No poster team being pushed in SA. They were just the best team in the league from 1998-2007.

The Lakers don't like it when others mention the gifts and breaks GIVEN to them throughout their history are mixed in with rougue officials.

There was no desire on in New York (at Mr. Sterns office) for a Kings New Jersey finals in 2002. Sorry.

[TheSanityAnnex]

Interesting tid bit from a kings fan at kingsfans.com


(Side note: About a month after the game, NBA TV replayed the game, and with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the game cut off and NBA Inside Stuff with Ahmad Rashad came on. Honestly. The game cut off in the middle of the fourth quarter and never came back on. I swear. I'll never forget it.)

[GrandeDavid]

I bet Tim Donaghy comes out with a book once he is in jail with a tell all about all the games that were fixed.



If he does, I'm buying it.

[GrandeDavid]

sacramento got raped by the league and everybody fucking knows it. initially i tried not to be too upset when i heard this but fuck that. they singlehandidly fucking robbed our franchises chance of a championship.

I agree. The NBA sucks right now. Major credibility issue, from game fixing allegations to dickhead freaks like Joey Crawford threatening to "fight" 6'11" Hall of Famers, doing so safely among the confines of 20,000 people.

The Kings definitely got jobbed by the refs in that series, I do recall that. That Game 6 was utter bullshit. I'm telling you, once the Spurs get eliminated from the playoffs, I watch no games. I couldn't be paid to watch an NBA game not involving the Spurs.

[Marcus Bryant]

It starts at the top. Something is rotten in the state of Sternmark. The best you can say is that he doesn't really try to hide it.

It's a testament to the Spurs that they were able to win 4 titles in spite of that cocksucker.



http://slamonline.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/absolute_power2.jpg

[td4mvp21]

You didn't have to tell me that game was rigged. Worst officiated game ever. The play I remember most is when Kobe Bryant blatantly elbowed Mike Bibby in the face on an inbounds pass, and they called Bibby for the foul.

[Marcus Bryant]

I wouldn't be surprised if Stern is run out or "steps down" within the next year. Someone's head has to roll. These shenanigans have to have a negative impact on the NBA's revenue and that ultimately speaks loudly to the various team owners and ownership groups. Man, Cuban will piss on his grave.

[td4mvp21]

That kind of sucks though if it's true. That probably means titles/series before that and after that were rigged too (maybe ours?).

[Nbadan]

I've been saying this for years.....Stern has got to resign immediately and the FEDS need to do a serious house cleaning in the NBA front offices.....

[Spur-Addict]

That kind of sucks though if it's true. That probably means titles/series before that and after that were rigged too (maybe ours?).

If there is anything of ours to be debated, it can only be 05. Other than that, no other team was close to us. Not NY, NJ and certainly not CLEVE.

[Marcus Bryant]

That kind of sucks though if it's true. That probably means titles/series before that and after that were rigged too (maybe ours?).

Because the NBA would want the larger market Knicks, Nets, and Pistons to lose, not to mention the LeBrons.

[Nbadan]

....the NBA Lottery is fixed too...

[td4mvp21]

Because the NBA would want the larger market Knicks, Nets, and Pistons to lose, not to mention the LeBrons.

Well it doesn't make sense to me but why would only one series/title be rigged and not others?

[kcplayboi26]

I've been saying this for years.....Stern has got to resign immediately and the FEDS need to do a serious house cleaning in the NBA front offices.....


i agree stern needs to be gone, can we have real basketball please?

[Spur-Addict]

i agree stern needs to be gone, can we have real basketball please?

We do, but we've just been getting it every other year.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Stern is a fool for being so candid in past about not wanting the Spurs to ever be in the Finals, like when some interviewer asked him one time who he wanted to see in the Finals, and he replied, "Lakers vs. Lakers". He did a nice job of making himself a target for all these conspiracy theorists. Whether or not he's a part of the corruption, tha kind of blatant partiality towards one team has/will not help him out in any way as far as his credibiltiy.

[Radiosparks]

You know what upsets me the most is when I hear analyst on radio shows or broadcasters speak how stars can get a call that no ref would dare call for a rookie. A foul is a foul and that's how they should call it regardless of experience. Hell, I just heard it yesterday from Erik Kuselias talking about how Kobe got a foul called on him that he normally wouldn't get called. The foul was on Kobe going through a pick. It was the right call but the fact that an analyst had to bring up the point about calls being called on a star has to tell you something is definitely wrong (ESPN and Stern at fault). I just hate how the game has gone to shit, especially with those respect calls.

[LakerLanny]

Game 7 of the 2000 Blazers-Lakers series was highly suspicious.

Not even close to as suspicious of Game 1 of the 2003 Lakers-*purs series.

[romad_20]

Duh the league is corrupt and fixed....


http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/article/id1635/pg1/index.html

[LakerLanny]

You didn't have to tell me that game was rigged. Worst officiated game ever. The play I remember most is when Kobe Bryant blatantly elbowed Mike Bibby in the face on an inbounds pass, and they called Bibby for the foul.


Did you miss Games 2 and 5 of that series?

Game 5 featured the Queens "game winner" after a ball off Webber was incorrectly ruled to be off LA. This after Kobe was fouled by Bobby Jackson (who ripped Kobe's jersey completely out) on the shot right before that would have put the game away.

I have debunked the Game 6 fix theory 1,000 times at least, not one Queens fan has ever been able to show more than 1 bad call in that 4th quarter and certainly that game doesn't even approach the blatant fix we saw in Boston in Game 2 of this series. Not even close.

[FromWayDowntown]

So when the supposed incompetence or corruption of officials benefits LA, it's a matter to be debunked; when the supposed incompetence or corruption of officials hurts LA, it's conclusively established that the league is fixing games -- a theory that cannot conceivably be debunked.

Why is that take from Lanny not at all surprising?

[Buddy Holly]

With the league promoting the Globalization of the NBA, the Spurs were the poster team for them during those times.

Oh please stfu.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

It's a good source for vindication for fans who bitched about the conspiracy theories/favoritism for Lakers/Star Players.
Maybe they'll finally start improving the credibility of the officiating in the years to come, now that people from the inside are calling attention to it.

I hope there comes some big changes in improving the standards and reputation of the NBA, because it really fucks over the quality of the game. Too bad it's coming out just now, and not sooner. That game 4, no foul call was BIG!
Allowing Joey Crawford to officiate Spurs games sucked as well.

[nfg3]

I've been saying/blogging something similar for years when this subject comes up. As a kid I remember the commercials for the NBA in the '60s and '70s were about the Celtics vs Lakers or Knicks vs Sixers. But starting in the '80s it was Bird vs Magic or Jordon vs Dominique...etc - player vs player rather than team vs team. The emphasis changed in how to market the sport. I believe it all had to do with the Benjamins. The League saw the way out of the hole they were in and it involved marketing players over teams.

When the NBA was in the tank back in the late 70's they needed somethig - anything - to rekindle the interest that was being slowly sucked out of the league. Franchises were in financial trouble and the league attendance was absymal. Then came the NCAA finals in '79 with so to be known Bird and Magic. Interest in the game skyrocketed - could it be something to do with that white boy from Indiana State or the fact that now there was a [6'9" pg with the ability to pass like Cousey? Small school vs big school? Or maybe just that these two players were two of the best to come on the scene in decades. Your call. Both went to the NBA the next year and would you believe to Boston and LA, respectively. (Though there was some uber gamemanship on the part of Auerbach to obtain Bird the pervious draft that's not part of the point here or was there something going on with the league concerniig the rule about 4 year seniors and Larry being a 5th and thereby being draft eligible prioir to his senior year( he was 5 year senior having transfered from Indiana U and losing a year of eligibiliy? Who thought of that?) Maybe Bird going to Boston and Magic going to LA wasn't fixed but it sure did wonders for the league to have two of their storied franchises land such players. In order to bring back the fans they started to market the players and not the teams to build up interest.

So these players had to stay on the floor in order to make good on their marketing ploy. The fans paid good money to see certain players on the floor so fouls were limited against them. Then along came Jordan and the rest is history. By the early '90s I was starting to get the feeling that the NBA was entertainment first and sport second. I thought it was just me and I couldn't pin it down. So I blew it off. But now it seems plausibleat least to a certain degree. Maybe it does and then again maybe it doesn't but in light of what is going on it does seem to have some credibility. I'd hate to finally have proof that the NBA is rigged and on the same level as WWW or ECW. I sincerely hope that Donaghy turns out to be a rogue ref but as of now the NBA has a credibilty issue with many.

It's lack of consistency in officiating is terrible and frustrates me on a game to game basis. During the playoffs FWD used to start threads with the possible ref combos and the scenarios we could expect based on their past experience with the Spurs. We actually debated the pros and cons of each ref and how that would influence our chance for victory. I stat back and thought that this is incredible. We're taking into account the refs and their personnal tendencies, feelings towards the Spurs, whether they were "road" refs or "homers"...etc.

Once agian I hope this is an isolated situation but something tells me to stay tuned cus we ain't seen notin yet.

[Mr. Body]

Not even close to as suspicious of Game 1 of the 2003 Lakers-*purs series.

You'll have to try harder than that. This is looking very, very bad for your team.

[Twisted_Dawg]

You know what upsets me the most is when I hear analyst on radio shows or broadcasters speak how stars can get a call that no ref would dare call for a rookie. A foul is a foul and that's how they should call it regardless of experience. Hell, I just heard it yesterday from Erik Kuselias talking about how Kobe got a foul called on him that he normally wouldn't get called. The foul was on Kobe going through a pick. It was the right call but the fact that an analyst had to bring up the point about calls being called on a star has to tell you something is definitely wrong (ESPN and Stern at fault). I just hate how the game has gone to shit, especially with those respect calls.

I have een echoing that lineofr years. In the NFL do you hear broadcasters say, "Dallas is at home and will get the calls." Or, a top lineman is allowed to hold at home games? Or a superstar is given preferential treatment?

[WildcardManu]

Fuck you, you piece of shit Stern

[kaponodynasty]

i deserve *

fixed

[Tacker]

....the NBA Lottery is fixed too...

no

[NicolasBatum]

Joey Crawford = Tim Donaghy

[sribb43]

get rid of the refs and let the players call their own fouls

[Strike]

no

Bulls fan disagrees with the fix in the lottery?

sssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhocking.

[Kori Ellis]

Richard Buchanan, NBA Executive Vice President and General Counsel:

"According to Mr. Donaghy, all of his allegations have previously been made to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney, and they are clearly being disclosed now as part of his desperate attempt to lighten the sentence that will be imposed for his criminal conduct. The NBA remains vigilant in protecting the integrity of our game and has fully cooperated with the government at every stage of its investigation. The only criminal activity uncovered is Mr. Donaghy's."

[Kori Ellis]

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy has claimed to federal investigators that officials altered the outcomes of playoff series in 2002 and 2005.

The disgraced Donaghy made the potentially damaging allegations in a court document filed by his lawyers Tuesday in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Donaghy, who pleaded guilty last August to charges of betting on NBA games that he officiated, accused other referees of inappropriate behavior, such as fraternizing with players and coaches. The NBA did not comment on the allegations.

Although he did not specify the teams involved, Donaghy cited an instance during the 2002 postseason in which referees conspired to extend a playoff series to seven games.

According to Donaghy, two referees acting as "company men" called made-up fouls against the team attempting to close out the series.

The documents do not mention any particular teams. But the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the 2002 league title, rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to defeat the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference finals.

Game Six of that series was marred by a controversial ending, as the Lakers attempted 27 fourth-quarter free throws en route to a 106-102 victory. The Kings, who shot just nine free throws in the fourth quarter, questioned the officiating in the aftermath of the contest.

Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, who had complained about the officiating earlier in the series, made 13-of-17 free throws in the contest. Sacramento's Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard, who guarded O'Neal throughout the series, both fouled out in the game. Divac and Kings forward Chris Webber were both whistled for first-half technical fouls.

Donaghy also mentioned a series in 2005, when one team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win in seven games. In that postseason, the Dallas Mavericks faced a 2-0 first-round hole against the Houston Rockets, prompting heated criticism from owner Mark Cuban.

After his team ultimately lost that series in seven games, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy accused referees of unfairly targeting center Yao Ming at the request of Cuban. Van Gundy ultimately received a $100,000 fine, the largest in NBA history, before retracting his comments.

http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=nba-news-display&nid=A72123541213140202A

[Mr. Body]

Bulls fan disagrees with the fix in the lottery?

sssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhocking.

The Bulls were given the #1 draft pick in exchange for silence about the Pau Gasol trade, because they were front runners to get Gasol before the famous Jerry West special sent him to LA.

[spurscenter]

Well, Tim Donaghy said that the 2002 NBA Lakers-Kings series was fixed to let the Lakers win game 6 to push it to game 7. Lakers shot 27 free throws in the 4th quarter in that game.

This is all on SportsCenter right now. I bet Tim Donaghy comes out with a book once he is in jail with a tell all about all the games that were fixed.

I think a lot of us suspected this of the NBA, but DAMN.

At least we know that the NBA never wants the Spurs to win and our championships aren't tainted. And at least we know they will be fair now.

*by the Lakers 2002 championship.

Tim Donaghy will become a hero.

securing the movie rights NOW!

[clubalien]

no

Then how do you exaplin the spurs getting two mvp big man in david and tim when they were need to LITERAL save the team from moving.
along with lebron james to clevland?

there is no better case for the nba rigged then the spurs draft "luck"

[BradLohaus]

The Bulls were given the #1 draft pick in exchange for silence about the Pau Gasol trade, because they were front runners to get Gasol before the famous Jerry West special sent him to LA.

It's all fair game now.

And I agree with the poster who talked about how the NBA became all about the player and not the team, unlike the other major team sports. It all goes back to that, no question.

Oh and I almost forgot: Fucking rigged shit! I knew it!!! :madrun

[BRHornet45]

well damnit sons its a shame that the NBA couldn't have used some Katrina sympathy to help get us a title this year. after all sons .... its all about the ratings.

there is NO DOUBT in my mind that the NBA fixes certain games.

[ballhog]

It's so predictable that it's laughable. Doesn't mean that Lakers can overcome the superior team that is the Celts.

[dbreiden83080]

Not even close to as suspicious of Game 1 of the 2003 Lakers-*purs series.

LOL, WTF are you smoking??

[BRHornet45]

The way this game 3 is being called this news doesn't surprise me. The NBA knows that if the Celtics win tonight the series ends at game 6 at the very latest. They want this series to go 7, but if it goes 5 they make less money.

exactly son. you bring up another good point. the NBA will do everything in their power to extend ALL series to at least 6 games. preferably 7 ... more $$$$$$$$$$$

[NewJerSpur]

BR, you wouldn't happen to be a former Houston Astros board member by the name of Colt would you? He too frequently used the term son to address other board members as you often do, that's why I wondered.

[BRHornet45]

BR, you wouldn't happen to be a former Houston Astros board member by the name of Colt would you? He too frequently used the term son to address other board members as you often do, that's why I wondered.

LMAO son no I am not colt ... but I do remember that stupid son of a bitch!

[Spur-Addict]

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy has claimed to federal investigators that officials altered the outcomes of playoff series in 2002 and 2005.

The disgraced Donaghy made the potentially damaging allegations in a court document filed by his lawyers Tuesday in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Donaghy, who pleaded guilty last August to charges of betting on NBA games that he officiated, accused other referees of inappropriate behavior, such as fraternizing with players and coaches. The NBA did not comment on the allegations.

Although he did not specify the teams involved, Donaghy cited an instance during the 2002 postseason in which referees conspired to extend a playoff series to seven games.

According to Donaghy, two referees acting as "company men" called made-up fouls against the team attempting to close out the series.

The documents do not mention any particular teams. But the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the 2002 league title, rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to defeat the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference finals.

Game Six of that series was marred by a controversial ending, as the Lakers attempted 27 fourth-quarter free throws en route to a 106-102 victory. The Kings, who shot just nine free throws in the fourth quarter, questioned the officiating in the aftermath of the contest.

Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, who had complained about the officiating earlier in the series, made 13-of-17 free throws in the contest. Sacramento's Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard, who guarded O'Neal throughout the series, both fouled out in the game. Divac and Kings forward Chris Webber were both whistled for first-half technical fouls.

Donaghy also mentioned a series in 2005, when one team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win in seven games. In that postseason, the Dallas Mavericks faced a 2-0 first-round hole against the Houston Rockets, prompting heated criticism from owner Mark Cuban.

After his team ultimately lost that series in seven games, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy accused referees of unfairly targeting center Yao Ming at the request of Cuban. Van Gundy ultimately received a $100,000 fine, the largest in NBA history, before retracting his comments.

http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=nba-news-display&nid=A72123541213140202A

I'd take back what i had said if they fined me that much. Unless I was a player making millions.

[NewJerSpur]

LMAO son no I am not colt ... but I do remember that stupid son of a bitch!

LOL. Small world....he was a funny guy at times. Nevertheless, just thought I'd check. Back to the subject at hand...

[spursfan09]

With the league promoting the Globalization of the NBA, the Spurs were the poster team for them during those times. It would bring in doubt their titles as well. Along with the officiating in this years finals. I said in the other thread, if the Lakers don't get the calls tonight, I will be a believer in the league being shaky.

Right like the Spurs were the only ones with international talent. Why not Dirk- Germany, Nash- Canada?

[Tobias]

you can tell JVG was scrambling to piece together his league-prompted thoughts. You know hes still totally pissed and only said what he had to.

[lefty]

Jeff Van Gundy

You have diappointed me :flipoff

[mavs>spurs2]

Isn't most of this shit common knowledge? Stars get preferential treatment from the refs? Shocker. Teams complain to the league about a particular player's first step and suddenly he gets called for traveling 20 times in a row (yes, Sean)? Incredible.

As for "globalization", perhaps. The Mavs did seem to get the favor of the whistle in '06.

Are you fucking kidding me?!? The Mavs got raped in 06...

[mavs>spurs2]

sacramento got raped by the league and everybody fucking knows it. initially i tried not to be too upset when i heard this but fuck that. they singlehandidly fucking robbed our franchises chance of a championship.

But the Mavs didn't get screwed in 06 right? :rolleyes

[Tobias]

Not like JVG was gonna flip his stack on natl tv, during his job to say 'I fuckin told ya'll!"

[NewJerSpur]

They also gave the Mavs many, many ticky-tack fouls in'06 to help dethrone the Spurs. I believe Barkeley spoke on it after the series ended.

[Marcus Bryant]

They also gave the Mavs many, many ticky-tack fouls in'06 to help dethrone the Spurs. I believe Barkeley spoke on it after the series ended.

Indeed.

[Twisted_Dawg]

you can tell JVG was scrambling to piece together his league-prompted thoughts. You know hes still totally pissed and only said what he had to.

I thought the exact same thing. The whole thing was bizarre. First making us watch that nauseating piece of how great Kobe is. Then putting the ref scandal piece at the end of halftime. Stuart Scott speaking in that monotone voice. Van Gundy very careful in what he said. He stated he did not want to say anything to support Donneghy. Very sanitized piece. Then the finale cutting to Stern who in his condescending way told us what a liar Donnegh is.

Nowhere was there any intelligent discussion of the games in question, etc.

Just amazing at the sugar coating that went on.

[Spur-Addict]

Jeff Van Gundy

You have diappointed me :flipoff

Losing 100,000 will make you think twice. Stern is ready to steal money for truth being touched upon. Question is, are you willing to stake your families survival on it? Some value family more than basketball. I don't blame him. Stern is absurd.

[clubalien]

I thought the exact same thing. The whole thing was bizarre. First making us watch that nauseating piece of how great Kobe is. Then putting the ref scandal piece at the end of halftime. Stuart Scott speaking in that monotone voice. Van Gundy very careful in what he said. He stated he did not want to say anything to support Donneghy. Very sanitized piece. Then the finale cutting to Stern who in his condescending way told us what a liar Donnegh is.

Nowhere was there any intelligent discussion of the games in question, etc.

Just amazing at the sugar coating that went on.

I thought his comment that he didn't want to basicly endorse what tim said to be a very good point. Tim knows what past events people felt were controversial. That allows him to claim they were rigged. I wouldn't doubt the nba officals were friedly to teams either. That doesn't mean they changed the outcome of games on purpose for that team. However, the I didn't say a nba ref I said an nba offical and other comments were clearly self censorship.

[easjer]

The one thing that has to be considered is that if the league is fixed, then the Spurs titles were likely fixed as well. It's difficult to escape that conclusion - are you really going to tell me that the league only fixes things part of the time? The conspiracy theories have always broken down with the Spurs. They could have been the golden boys/return to the team concept with the right marketing, and instead, they seem more likely to have been conspired against. Certainly, after the ratings and interest disaster of 2003, the NBA would much rather have had the Suns win the Conf. Finals. But the Spurs won in 5 (could have been a sweep, were it not for their typical lackadaisacal game).

Do I think that the NBA has had atrocious officiating? Hell yes.

Do I think that officials could sway games? Mmmmm, yes. I think there are enough examples of games that have been decided by officials (one springs easily to mind) to say that can happen. Likewise, a team can roll on through and play so well that officials don't bother them (or the reverse - the favored team plays so poorly, the officials aren't really given the opportunity to subtly call against the opposing team). I don't see how anyone could argue that 2007 was fixed (apart from the interminable and stupid argument over the suspensions). LeBron beating the evil, dirty Spurs would have been better for national marketing.

Do I think there have been directives from Stern to the head of officials to call games a certain way? Not really. There are too many games/series that don't play into that scenario.

Yes, there are questionable games, and learning they were 'fixed' doesn't surprise me. Learning that it was league sanctioned would shock me a lot though.

[BRHornet45]

sons look at it like this. you are an NBA referee making $200,000 per year. damn good money. then some big shot out in Vegas offers you $500,000-$1,000,000 to make a few bad calls for ONE game in the finals. hmmmm

trust me sons. that shit happens.

[easjer]

sons look at it like this. you are an NBA referee making $200,000 per year. damn good money. then some big shot out in Vegas offers you $500,000-$1,000,000 to make a few bad calls for ONE game in the finals. hmmmm

trust me sons. that shit happens.

I'm inclined to believe that.

I don't like David Stern, and I think he makes a lot of mistakes, including not more publicly reviewing the officials or allowing for reversal of calls or instant replay in certain situations. I think he makes everything worse by hiding it all under a black cloak of mystery.

But the evidence doesn't support a league wide fix, not without reaching. But -- How is it that calls change depending who it is and where the clock is and which court it's on? There is too much room for the officials to mess with things and seemingly too little oversight of officials and crack-downs on people blatantly calling bad games.

There should be more public info - like, egregious bad calls results in a fine for the official. Something more than a belated public apology or refusal to admit anything beyond human error, when there is clearly something more than human error at work.

[MI21]

As soon as I read the headline to all this news, I knew it was going to be about that game.

I actually feel sorry for Sacramento and their fans. Sure they fucked up in game 7 when the reffing was fine, but it shouldn't of gone that far.

[Robinzine]

well damnit sons its a shame that the NBA couldn't have used some Katrina sympathy to help get us a title this year. after all sons .... its all about the ratings.

there is NO DOUBT in my mind that the NBA fixes certain games.
And your proof is what? You just said you have no doubt, so where is your irrefutable proof? Have you sat in on NBA policy meetings where they plot all of these evil schemes? Step away from the conspiracy theories. And don't pull out the Katrina card to stir up whatever guilt you think we're supposed to feel.:rolleyes

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

We need computer reffing, and motion sensory shit that the players have to wear, made by and monitored by a third party organization, who are so far removed from giving a fuck about NBA players and the game.

I'm sure it's not that hard with technology nowadays to officiate these games, without the need for instant replays.

No more stupid human greedy refs, following orders from the league.

[HighLowLobForBig-50]

And your proof is what? You just said you have no doubt, so where is your irrefutable proof? Have you sat in on NBA policy meetings where they plot all of these evil schemes? Step away from the conspiracy theories. And don't pull out the Katrina card to stir up whatever guilt you think we're supposed to feel.:rolleyes

have you seen sportscenter yet

[ducks]

the refs should be hired outside of the nba to ref the games

[ducks]

stern has to be fired
why
stern said refs blew the call that effected the spurs vs big market la game
also that big game he put crawford to ref that game

then this
a head has to roll

bye bye stern

[ducks]

I agree with jeff van gundy
if a gm and coach complains to the nba
and the nba says they will call that next game
they need to let the team that they are playing know that before the game

[Robinzine]

have you seen sportscenter yet
who gives a rats ass what Sportscenter says? Where's your undeniable proof that the NBA is fixed?

[ducks]

who gives a rats ass what Sportscenter says? Where's your undeniable proof that the NBA is fixed?

not sure if it always fixed but where is your undeniable proof it is not

[Robinzine]

not sure if it always fixed but where is your undeniable proof it is not
I'm not the one making the accusation. When someone says he has "not doubt" that the NBA is fixed, again I say prove it or shut the hell up.

[Avitus1]

The refs in the NBA suck to solve this problem and the problem of the league possibly being told what to do by the NBA and thus tainting games. They need to hire leagues from an outside source, and or have the refs work completely independent of the league who do nothing but collect a check, benefits, and make calls.

[ducks]

how hard would it be for the owners to get stern fired

[ducks]

oh I do not want congress to step up and get involved

[ducks]

how much more power does the players union have now

[Robinzine]

The refs in the NBA suck to solve this problem and the problem of the league possibly being told what to do by the NBA and thus tainting games. They need to hire leagues from an outside source, and or have the refs work completely independent of the league who do nothing but collect a check, benefits, and make calls.
Wow, and you thought that up all by yourself?:lol Put this man in the NBA front office and all their so-called problems will be solved.

There is no conspiracy, Avitus, the NBA doesn't fix games, Kennedy was killed with 1 bullet, there are no aliens in Area 51, and Bush didn't cause Hurricane Katrina.

[Mister Sinister]

Wow, and you thought that up all by yourself?:lol Put this man in the NBA front office and all their so-called problems will be solved.

There is no conspiracy, Avitus, the NBA doesn't fix games, Kennedy was killed with 1 bullet, there are no aliens in Area 51, and Bush didn't cause Hurricane Katrina.
I could cover my bed with that statement.

[ducks]

why is the actually drawing not on tv for lottery?

[Nbadan]

It wouldn't necessarily be Congress...they would just appoint someone to head a committee of knowledgeable NBA personnel to investigate these allegations with enough subpoena power to get officials to talk under oath and at the risk of perjury...

[ducks]

congress needs to worry about the dollar and gas prices

[Nbadan]

congress needs to worry about the dollar and gas prices

they can have no effect on either while Dubya is in office.....

[Avitus1]

Wow, and you thought that up all by yourself?:lol Put this man in the NBA front office and all their so-called problems will be solved.

There is no conspiracy, Avitus, the NBA doesn't fix games, Kennedy was killed with 1 bullet, there are no aliens in Area 51, and Bush didn't cause Hurricane Katrina.

Never said there was a conspiracy. I simply said the refs suck and there is a way to solve that problem.

[Avitus1]

why is the actually drawing not on tv for lottery?

It used to be didn't it?

[BRHornet45]

And your proof is what? You just said you have no doubt, so where is your irrefutable proof? Have you sat in on NBA policy meetings where they plot all of these evil schemes? Step away from the conspiracy theories. And don't pull out the Katrina card to stir up whatever guilt you think we're supposed to feel.:rolleyes


son its called sarcasm. please learn to read and comprehend things

[LakerLanny]

You'll have to try harder than that. This is looking very, very bad for your team.

I am all for honest officiating.

Let the best team win, that is all any Laker fan has ever wanted because we don't have a team of floppers, we have ballers.

[Spur-Addict]

I am all for honest officiating.

Let the best team win, that is all any Laker fan has ever wanted because we don't have a team of floppers, we have ballers.

Yeah, Fisher never hits the deck.

[LakerLanny]

Yeah, Fisher never hits the deck.

OK, Fisher excluded!

But it isn't like the Lakers entire strategy is to flop. It is pathetic to see big guys like Horry, Duncan and Thomas diving to the floor when bumped into by a guard.

Be a man, go for a shot block instead of a flop once in a while.

[iminlakerland]

I love how he wants to pin point game 6 of that series as being rigged. LOL was anyone really watching game 5 of that series? People decided to do pull ups on Shaq's arms, Kobe damn near got molested...and the Kings won that game...yet no one wants to mention that game now do they.

[traitoravery]

Can you say....Fisher Foul on Barry in GM 4 this year..... HMMMMM

[iminlakerland]

Actually have you seen me state that it wasnt a foul?

[cze1860]

no foul，no game。

[Brutalis]

I see so many instant retards in this thread.

All the shit I took for calling the NBA out..

A lot of you fuckers look stupid as shit and I'll leave the names to your wondering. You know who you are.

Proof. Today. Finally.

[Brutalis]

Anyways.

2002 Lakers = *Champs
Derek Fishers shot = Finally closure.
2006 Finals = Fixed, although I'm glad the Mavs lost.

Man, this feels good. NBA does not make money off the Spurs going deep. They have been so good over the years they couldn't be denied. I think the NBA has used a give and take strategy involving the Spurs.

[ynh]

If the NBA is fixed they sure do a bad job of fixing it. Unless they had plans to have dismal finals for the past 8 years, have popular teams like PHX not make it to the finals, have the past two top picks (Oden and Durrant) go to Portland and Seatle, and have tv ratings crash.

Sorry not one of these people that believe there is a fix... and like I said if there is a fix they are really really bad at doing it.

[LakerLanny]

I see so many instant retards in this thread.

All the shit I took for calling the NBA out..

A lot of you fuckers look stupid as shit and I'll leave the names to your wondering. You know who you are.

Proof. Today. Finally.

All the shit you took?

I have been pointing this crap out since 2001 at least.

LakerLanny VINDICATED!

[Brutalis]

Lakerfan say what? Laugh, what a funny sounding mumble.

[LakerLanny]

I love how he wants to pin point game 6 of that series as being rigged. LOL was anyone really watching game 5 of that series? People decided to do pull ups on Shaq's arms, Kobe damn near got molested...and the Kings won that game...yet no one wants to mention that game now do they.

You forgot the ball clearly going off Webber out of bounds and then being given back to the Queens anyway before there bogus "game winning shot"

Games 2 and 5 of that series were far worse than anything that happened in Game 6. And why can't won media moron that mentions all the foul shots in the 4th qtr for the Queens in Game 6 ever mention that at least 10 of them were off INTENTIONAL fouls that the Queens obviously WANTED the refs to call?

Lazy reporting, stupid urban legend. Top 5 fixes in recent NBA history:

1. Games 2-5 of 2004 NBA Finals
2. Games 3-6 of 2006 NBA Finals
3. Game 2 of 2008 NBA Finals
4. Games 2 and 5 of 2002 Lakers-Queens series
5. Game 1 of 2003 Lakers-Spurs series

[temujin]

Bryant G1 AND G2: 13 FTs.

Bryant G3 ALONE: 18 FTs.

Ehi Stern, how about some decency?


True, fools want to be fooled, but you are aiming at the foolest among the fools here!

[temujin]

I thought Manu was starting to say something about the 04 Fisher's farce shot.

Coming from latin countries, he hadn't picked up the habit yet.

They must have told him to shut up if he wanted to be in the league any longer.

One should also honestly question the Spurs-Phoenix 07 series, though.

[Slinkyman]

Let's not forget 1993 WCF and the Suns 64 Free throws, biggest fix ever.

[ynh]

Yes.. The NBA conspiracy.. have your biggest market be in the lotto for the past five years (NY) and have one of your smallest market win the championship every other year.. THE FIX IS IN!!!! And while we are at it lets send Bron to Cleveland instead of NY and send Oden and Durrant to the Northwest instead of Boston or NY. The NBA.. Fixing at it's finest!

[ynh]

Think of it this way.. if the refs were helping and this game were fixed.. why were they down 20?

You guys aren't considering the source here. He is trying to plea bargain his way out of jail by saying whatever it takes. He is not the only ref to be fired. So why is he the only one coming out with this information that those other referees would also have? Because it's self serving.

[Matchman]

If the NBA is fixed they sure do a bad job of fixing it. Unless they had plans to have dismal finals for the past 8 years, have popular teams like PHX not make it to the finals, have the past two top picks (Oden and Durrant) go to Portland and Seatle, and have tv ratings crash.

Sorry not one of these people that believe there is a fix... and like I said if there is a fix they are really really bad at doing it.

do u lie to everyone everytime u speak??? of course not, because then nobody will take ur words if u lie everytime. the nba can only fix a few series at a time to make the fix not so obvious.

and regarding the mavs-rox series, all most of the rockets fans and i have to say is - justice is served and i told yall

[Benvolio_Montague]

Part fools. You know not what you do.

[ynh]

Yes not obvious.. you mean like letting the team you want to win dig a 20 point hole then "fixing" them out of it in one quarter? I get it.. Even if the refs are under orders to fix a game they still have to make it dramatic and to throw them off the trail of the Federales. If you let the winning team go down 20 and then allow them to come back and win, I say you are doing the job well. Any ref can call it one sided to make sure a certain team is winning it, but these aren't just regualr refs, these are NBA refs. That means a certain amount of showmanship is required. This NBA fixing is quite compicated
I can hear Stern on the conference call now before game 6.

"We'll let them go down 20 and come back, so as not to draw suspicion..."

[ynh]

Donahy took an easy target, he picked the most controversial game of the last 15 years and said it was fixed. Wow, what a leap. He's got nothing and is trying not to go to jail. Don't believe everything a criminal tells you.

[ynh]

AND.. If the NBA was fixing games, only letting 2 of 3 refs in on it makes no sense.

[temujin]

AND.. If the NBA was fixing games, only letting 2 of 3 refs in on it makes no sense.


While having a single "criminal" referee (official version) determining scores makes a whole lot MORE sense......

[ynh]

If this was at all true and Tim Donaghy had some actual dirt on the refs and the league, he would have turned in his evidence to the Feds at the time of his guilty plea and they would have cut his sentence in return.

I love that it was a league wide conspiracy... to fix one series in 2002. Why didn't they, say, fix a series win over the Pistons in 2004?

You'd think they would've wanted Lebron to win a game in the finals last year, if they control it so much...

Donaghy has no proof and has every reason to lie.

Plain and simple, only a fool would believe him.

[greenroom]

If this was at all true and Tim Donaghy had some actual dirt on the refs and the league, he would have turned in his evidence to the Feds at the time of his guilty plea and they would have cut his sentence in return.

I love that it was a league wide conspiracy... to fix one series in 2002. Why didn't they, say, fix a series win over the Pistons in 2004?

You'd think they would've wanted Lebron to win a game in the finals last year, if they control it so much...

Donaghy has no proof and has every reason to lie.

Plain and simple, only a fool would believe him.

You do understand that Donaghy has said this stuff from the time he was investigated?
I wonder if you have read the letter that Donaghy has sent to the judge.

http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/080610/donaghy03.pdf

This will show that they have been saying this all along. It is the NBA that is trying to cover this up. And in watching Stern who was pissed that this came out. Do I think Donaghy is a piece of shit for what he did, but do you really think he was the only one?? I really do not. And how do you prove that a league did not verbally instruct the refs. Just like the MLB and steroids, where the MLB turned a blind eye, you cannot prove that they did, but you have the feeling that they did.

And Sterns only responce is that donaghy is a felony and that he is a rogue ref.

Lets see what happens when congress gets involved, and I am 95% sure they will at this time.

[kungfu]

wow you guys sound so jealous of the lakers

[gameFACE]

My favorite fortune cookie phrase: "A liar is not believed, even when he's telling the truth".

It wouldn't surprise me at all if this is all true. The NBA is big time entertainment. It's about big big money, gambling and all the corruption that goes hand in hand with sports. Basketball comes in second. But, hey, I like to watch games. What can I say.

Tim Donaghy could be the referee association's and maybe the NBA's Jose Conseco.

[ynh]

The burdon of proof is on Donaghy, not the NBA... unlike baseball there was an FBI investigation came up with nothing...

So in the end the conspiracy theorist have nothing more then some statement made by a drunk that is in jail that has everything to gain for himself by making false statements as such.

Having a feeling and saying they did is two different things.. This thread is not intitled I have a feeling the NBA is fixed.

Again.. if there is such a conspiracy that the nba is covering.. I'm just trying to find the logic in this conspiracy and how it benifted them. No one has answered that. One guy said they can only manipulate one series a year (or something like that) so it's not obvious but yet we are talking about a game where the team that the NBA fixed was down 20 and was "handed" the game in what would of been an obvious way. And any an all games that seem to of been "fixed" didn't benift the NBA and the ones that would of were never made.. It just doesn't add up.. Sorry but when you look at the facts and compare it to a feeling it doesn't add up.

[ynh]

NBA's Conspericay. Check list.

Have Spurs win 4 championships..

Get bad finals matchups..

Have Bron get swept...

Make ratings crash....

Have Yao Ming's (who would give you the greatest world wide coverage) team never get out of first round....

Have Pistons beat Lakers...

Suspend Amare so Spurs win

Don't ever let Suns get to finals

Don't ever let NY in Playoffs.

Get a Spurs/ Pistons Finals.....

[Twisted_Dawg]

Let's not forget 1993 WCF and the Suns 64 Free throws, biggest fix ever.

Oh come now......you seriously don't think the league wanted a Sir Charles vs His Airness finals, instead of a Seattle vs Chicago finals do you?

[greenroom]

wow you guys sound so jealous of the lakers

To me this is not about the Lakers.. Its about the NBA overall.
Have the Lakers got the benifit of the calls.. sure. But to be honest you can say the Spurs have also has received some benifits.

I cannot say the same about my Nuggets...

[41times]

You Spurs fans think that if David Sperm did not let Joey Crawford back in the league that he would have spilled his Guts to the world in the biggest Tell all Book story ever! Hell Yes!

You think Donaughy has something to say, just think about Crawford and how much Underhanded Shit he has seen in the last 30 years in the NBA. Hell he probably knows how the Knicks got the no.1 pick for Patrick Ewing in 1985 in the first ever "Draft Lottery" :toast

[ynh]

Your team is not small market enough Green... see in the land of NBA conspiracy where the NBA controlls the outcome they only let the really really small market teams win 4 championships.. that's his goal cause the NBA is a business and he's out to make money.. or something.

[1Parker1]

:lol I highly doubt the NBA is fixed. Referees are human. And I think NBA refs especially face a lot of behind the scenes scrutiny and harsh talking to by the league front office that we as fans never even hear about. Not only that, but of course refs are going to let who the player is and what arena it's in, and the crowd affect their judgement in one way or another. Superstars are always going to get the benefit of the doubt, period. Parker is going to get a call more so than a Rajan Rondo. Ginobili is going to get a call more so than a Vladamir Radmonovic, etc.

I don't think it's a league wide thing that the NBA is fixed and other than an punished and ex-referee currently on stand for a trial on fixing NBA games, there's really no other hard core proof that the NBA is "fixed."

[1Parker1]

One thing they should work on...

--For one, instead of concentrating on the dress codes and addressing "flopping" issues, maybe Stern should do something about the constant whining by ALL NBA players to the refs throughout the course of the game and minimize this. Why not start fining players for this instead of the flopping? It's really getting out of hand and makes the game a lot less fun to watch when you have to watch grown men, and superstars in this league whine like babies to the refs during games...even if they have a legit case.

[1Parker1]

I cannot say the same about my Nuggets...


Maybe because outside of AI, ur entire team is a jumpshooting team and ur not going to get calls for jacking up 3 pointers. Just ask the Warriors.

[temujin]

Your team is not small market enough Green... see in the land of NBA conspiracy where the NBA controlls the outcome they only let the really really small market teams win 4 championships.. that's his goal cause the NBA is a business and he's out to make money.. or something.

Maybe that small market team has someone who made special friends, a long time ago.
Maybe that someone "convinced" Stern to eliminate a referee after he ejected an important player of the small market team for laughing while on the bench.
A fact is that without that referee, that small market team, which is pretty good by the way, won a title.
Maybe that someone was not that convincing this year, and the "referee" was back blowing wistles in the playoffs. Or, rather, not blowing wistles in G4s.
And that small market team is out.
It's not good to be too greedy.

Yet another fact is that the same "referee" was officiating Boston-LA G3, which could, in all theory of course, have eliminated one of the two teams.

A further fact is that the LA star shot 13 FTs in G1 and G2 and 18 in G3.

I guess he was "attacking the rim" more........

[NBA Junkie]

Suspicious games and or series:

2000 game 7 lakers vs. blazers.
2001 game 6 lakers vs kings
.04 derek fisher.
2006 Mavericks vs heat
2006 Mavericks vs spurs

add to the list guys...

Larry Johnson 4 point play against the Pacers in game 3 of the 1999 ECF where he wasn't fouled.

[ynh]

Maybe that small market team has someone who made special friends, a long time ago.
Maybe that someone "convinced" Stern to eliminate a referee after he ejected an important player of the small market team for laughing while on the bench.
A fact is that without that referee, that small market team, which is pretty good by the way, won a title.
Maybe that someone was not that convincing this year, and the "referee" was back blowing wistles in the playoffs. Or, rather, not blowing wistles in G4s.
And that small market team is out.
It's not good to be too greedy.

Yet another fact is that the same "referee" was officiating Boston-LA G3, which could, in all theory of course, have eliminated one of the two teams.

A further fact is that the LA star shot 13 FTs in G1 and G2 and 18 in G3.

I guess he was "attacking the rim" more........

The Conspiracy thickens!!! Now Stern wants Kobe to shoot a lot of freethrows but forgot to tell them to let him shoot them in games one and two!

Yes.. what a shock... he shot more freethrows then in game one and two.. cause of course those games have a baring on what happens in game 3.. and there is no significants to the fact game 3 was a home game for LA.. Give me a break.. you sound like a loon.. I mean exactly how many people were on the grassy nole now?

[ynh]

I'm still waiting to hear how the "conspiracy" Nba lets NY be a lotto team for almost a decade, has Oden and Durrant go to northwest teams, Doesn't let Yao get out of the first round, gives Yi to the Bucks instead of GS, gives the Spurs 4 championships, gives the Spurs the first pick over Boston to get Duncan, lets the Pistons beat the Lakers in 04, Lets the Pistons and Spurs be the teams in the finals for 05, Doesn't let Bron win one game in the finals, Suspends Amare two years ago, Never lets PHX get to the finals, Didn't let the Lakers get out of the first round for years, Has Bron go to Cleveland instead of NY... on and on and on.

I mean this is a really shitty run conspiracy.

[ynh]

OH.. and let the team they have rigged to win be down 20 going into the fourth.

[Pucho!!!]

all titles 2002-2007 deserve *

Its funny how you want to defend the Lakers when their name was thrown in the conversation, but what would the NBA gain from the Spurs winnin the championship. If foreign fans are a fan of any teams, its prolly the big markets, because I doubt they show Spurs games in Russia over a Celtics, Lakers or hell even the Knicks game. .4 sec, I mean come on, that guy possesses time-traveling abilities or what?

[Pucho!!!]

Your team is not small market enough Green... see in the land of NBA conspiracy where the NBA controlls the outcome they only let the really really small market teams win 4 championships.. that's his goal cause the NBA is a business and he's out to make money.. or something.

hahahaha, yea, one of them came from beating your team, hahahaha, FUCKER

[ynh]

It was the Conspiracy.. Stern wanted you guys to win.. he called Larry Brown and told him to put Prince on Duncan so we could lose our lead... You didn't know this? This is all part of The Great Conspiracy. Stern wanted another small market championship.

[temujin]

The Conspiracy thickens!!! Now Stern wants Kobe to shoot a lot of freethrows but forgot to tell them to let him shoot them in games one and two!

Yes.. what a shock... he shot more freethrows then in game one and two.. cause of course those games have a baring on what happens in game 3.. and there is no significants to the fact game 3 was a home game for LA.. Give me a break.. you sound like a loon.. I mean exactly how many people were on the grassy nole now?

You talk conspiracy.

I talk business.

This is intended to be Boston year.

Book it.

As for NYK, I actually started to pay attention after G3 of the 99 finals. I had never ever witnessed anything like that. Including the games I personally played and that I knew beforehand we couldn't win.

Dream on, dream on.

[temujin]

It was the Conspiracy.. Stern wanted you guys to win.. he called Larry Brown and told him to put Prince on Duncan so we could lose our lead... You didn't know this? This is all part of The Great Conspiracy. Stern wanted another small market championship.

What do you know EXACTLY about the Brown-Popovich-Stern link?

I bet nothing.

[LakerLanny]

If Stern wanted all of this to go away, all he would have to do is allow for a random number generator or lottery ball system to assign his refs to playoff games.

I don't see why he WOULDN'T want to do this if the league was on the up and up.

But he is holding on to control over the officiating assignments with white knuckles. Why is that?

I think the answer is obvious. If he gave up control of the officiating assignments, it would be much harder for the league to manipulate/rig/fix playoff games and he doesn't want to give up that control.

Assign the officials randomly and even though the refs assigned will likely suck, it will take 90% of the conspiracy theories away. Of course, he won't do it because the league DOES manipulate/rig/fix playoff games through the use of the same Circle of 7 officials that have been at the center of these controversies for literally years now.

[LakerLanny]

It was the Conspiracy.. Stern wanted you guys to win.. he called Larry Brown and told him to put Prince on Duncan so we could lose our lead... You didn't know this? This is all part of The Great Conspiracy. Stern wanted another small market championship.

Do you really think your team shooting more FTs in every game of the series vs the Lakers was an accident? Lakers have Shaq and Kobe, yet a jump shooting team shoots more FTs in EVERY game?

What about the 4 jump ball violations to open the first 4 games of the NBA Finals that year? Was that just a random accident?

There haven't been a total of 4 jump ball violations called in the hundreds of playoff games since, yet we see 4 in 4 games in the NBA Finals on taps that were no different than the hundreds of taps before or since.

2004 Finals was the most fixed series of all time, every game was like Game 2 of this year's finals.

[FromWayDowntown]

Do you really think your team shooting more FTs in every game of the series vs the Lakers was an accident? Lakers have Shaq and Kobe, yet a jump shooting team shoots more FTs in EVERY game?

What about the 4 jump ball violations to open the first 4 games of the NBA Finals that year? Was that just a random accident?

There haven't been a total of 4 jump ball violations called in the hundreds of playoff games since, yet we see 4 in 4 games in the NBA Finals on taps that were no different than the hundreds of taps before or since.

2004 Finals was the most fixed series of all time, every game was like Game 2 of this year's finals.

Lakers lose = fix by league against Lakers

Lakers win = fans complaining about officiating are a bunch of unprincipled crybabies

[ynh]

Do you really think your team shooting more FTs in every game of the series vs the Lakers was an accident? Lakers have Shaq and Kobe, yet a jump shooting team shoots more FTs in EVERY game?

What about the 4 jump ball violations to open the first 4 games of the NBA Finals that year? Was that just a random accident?

There haven't been a total of 4 jump ball violations called in the hundreds of playoff games since, yet we see 4 in 4 games in the NBA Finals on taps that were no different than the hundreds of taps before or since.

2004 Finals was the most fixed series of all time, every game was like Game 2 of this year's finals.


Yes.. Stern of course wanted Sheed to win a title! The Conspiracy thickens!!! Sheed threatens refs... Stern hates sheed... Stern tells refs to let sheed get a ring! Stern wanted the Pistons to win so he could change the defensive rules too! Stern wanted the Lakers to lose so Shaq could go to Miami and LA could spend the next 4 years trying to get out of the first round.

[Purple & Gold]

So spur fans only saw one game in the Lakers/Queens 2002 playoff series??

[FromWayDowntown]

So spur fans only saw one game in the Lakers/Queens 2002 playoff series??

Laker Nation works to get its story straight -- it's not that Game 6 was so bad for LA, it's that other games in the series were officiated even more obviously in favor of the Kings.

If only the rest of the world would stop to think about these things, it would see that Game 6 was about the most evenly-officiated game of that series -- indeed, it was perhaps the most evenly-officiated game in the history of the NBA!!

Yeah, that's it; that's the ticket.

[ynh]

SHhhhhhh. Those games don't count.. it took 5 3/4 games for the memo to have the Lakers win to get to the refs.

[Purple & Gold]

Laker Nation works to get its story straight -- it's not that Game 6 was so bad for LA, it's that other games in the series were officiated even more obviously in favor of the Kings.

If only the rest of the world would stop to think about these things, it would see that Game 6 was about the most evenly-officiated game of that series -- indeed, it was perhaps the most evenly-officiated game in the history of the NBA!!

Yeah, that's it; that's the ticket.

WRONG!!! Queens got hosed in game 6. But Shaq got mugged the rest of the series with the refs swallowing their whistle, unless it was to call a foul on Shaq. Get your story straight Laker Hater.

[Indazone]

Ya wonder what the Phoenix Suns fans are saying about these allegations of game fixing after last years playoffs.

[Robinzine]

Everyone's a whiny bitch in this decade. Nobody stands up like a man anymore and accepts their fate. It's a mirror of society. When an outcome doesn't go your way, you complain and moan long enough, find a sympathetic judge, and you'll get the outcome that you want. This is not a knock on just Spurs fans. EVERY team has fans that complain about the refs and yell out conspiracy theories.

Stick with the scoreboard - it always tells the truth.

[Purple & Gold]

SHhhhhhh. Those games don't count.. it took 5 3/4 games for the memo to have the Lakers win to get to the refs.

Seriously Lakers got hosed the rest of the series. But you're right those games don't count. :lol :lol

[LakerLanny]

Laker Nation works to get its story straight -- it's not that Game 6 was so bad for LA, it's that other games in the series were officiated even more obviously in favor of the Kings.

If only the rest of the world would stop to think about these things, it would see that Game 6 was about the most evenly-officiated game of that series -- indeed, it was perhaps the most evenly-officiated game in the history of the NBA!!

Yeah, that's it; that's the ticket.

You can't even name two specific bad calls in that 4th qtr

And answer my question, how many of the fouls committed by the Queens were intentional fouls?

If you don't know or can't answer that, how can anyone take your whining seriously? Don't answer, you are overmatched with me on this topic and we both know it.

[LakerLanny]

Yes.. Stern of course wanted Sheed to win a title! The Conspiracy thickens!!! Sheed threatens refs... Stern hates sheed... Stern tells refs to let sheed get a ring! Stern wanted the Pistons to win so he could change the defensive rules too! Stern wanted the Lakers to lose so Shaq could go to Miami and LA could spend the next 4 years trying to get out of the first round.

Way to dodge the question.

I ask you again, how come the Pistons (a jump shooting team) shot more FTs in every game of the series than a team with Shaq and Kobe on it? How is that possible?

And why won't you address the "jump ball violations"? We both know that was an obvious sign of what was to follow from the refs in the actual game, it was like a giant fuck you to the Lakers from the officials at the start of every game.

There was nothing different on those taps than any other NBA jump ball, in any other game, any other year. Yet, we see it called an incredible four times in a row in four NBA Finals games. It is so far outside the statistical norm at to be the equivalent of finding a specific single pebble of sand on a huge beach.

Piston fan is generally a lowlife without much basketball knowledge so I doubt you have the wits to debate this subject with me. Throw out an insult, ignore my points and we will call it a day.

[Twisted_Dawg]

You Spurs fans think that if David Sperm did not let Joey Crawford back in the league that he would have spilled his Guts to the world in the biggest Tell all Book story ever! Hell Yes!

You think Donaughy has something to say, just think about Crawford and how much Underhanded Shit he has seen in the last 30 years in the NBA. Hell he probably knows how the Knicks got the no.1 pick for Patrick Ewing in 1985 in the first ever "Draft Lottery" :toast

Right.....Joey is going to tell all about the fixing he did.......so he can go to prison and get raped, beaten, etc.

[FromWayDowntown]

You can't even name two specific bad calls in that 4th qtr

And answer my question, how many of the fouls committed by the Queens were intentional fouls?

If you don't know or can't answer that, how can anyone take your whining seriously? Don't answer, you are overmatched with me on this topic and we both know it.

Psshsh. You're the one thinking that guys like Gary Zielinski should be working Finals games.

And I'm not here to say that the officials hosed the Kings in Game 6 -- I never take that tack in assessments of any game.

My point, however, is that it's funny to see you and other Lakers fans who whine and kvetch and moan about the box score differential in FTA come to the defense of the officiating when that same phenomenon benefits LA. It strikes me as insanely hypocritical to be completely convinced that officiating is corrupt -- to the point of claiming entire games or series were fixed -- when things go poorly for your team while shouting down what appears to be one of the more likely instances of game-fixing (complete now with an assertion of same "from the inside") as an imagined thing.

Get your story straight -- if you're convinced that the league fixes games or series, are you truly denying the possibility that such fixes run to the benefit of your beloved Lakers?

As for whose assessments of NBA officiating are more credible in this forum, I'll stand on my record. I'm quite certain that I've spent substantially more time studying NBA officiating than you have.

[ynh]

Way to dodge the question.

I ask you again, how come the Pistons (a jump shooting team) shot more FTs in every game of the series than a team with Shaq and Kobe on it? How is that possible?

And why won't you address the "jump ball violations"? We both know that was an obvious sign of what was to follow from the refs in the actual game, it was like a giant fuck you to the Lakers from the officials at the start of every game.

There was nothing different on those taps than any other NBA jump ball, in any other game, any other year. Yet, we see it called an incredible four times in a row in four NBA Finals games. It is so far outside the statistical norm at to be the equivalent of finding a specific single pebble of sand on a huge beach.

Piston fan is generally a lowlife without much basketball knowledge so I doubt you have the wits to debate this subject with me. Throw out an insult, ignore my points and we will call it a day.


Ah... Cause kobe was doing nothing but shooting jumpers and because Sheed and Prince were actually posting up that series.. and because Billups made Payton a fool with pump fakes that series.. Is that good enough for you? Or I can mention that allot of it was also you guys fouling us off fast breaks that started with our defense.

[ynh]

I never understand how some basketball fans think that Free Throws have to be equal for each team.. Free throws are awarded because the other team fouled.. the idea that every team is going to foul eachother the same amount of times each game of the series (and have the same amount of fouls that result in free throws) is beyond me. There is such thing as one team not fouling as much as the other.

[FromWayDowntown]

I never understand how some basketball fans think that Free Throws have to be equal for each team.. Free throws are awarded because the other team fouled.. the idea that every team is going to foul eachother the same amount of times each game of the series (and have the same amount of fouls that result in free throws) is beyond me. There is such thing as one team not fouling as much as the other.

But, but -- Kobe should go to the line a lot just because he's Kobe; the same was true of Shaq back in the day. It's not actually about what happens on the court. It's much more about the name on the back of the jersey!!

[ynh]

Why did the Pistons shoot more FTs then the Lakers... Cause Slavamevidenko was guarding Sheed and Payton was guarding Billups?

[ynh]

Yea not like it would of helped them anyways.. shaq still would of miss half of them.

[LakerLanny]

I never understand how some basketball fans think that Free Throws have to be equal for each team.. Free throws are awarded because the other team fouled.. the idea that every team is going to foul eachother the same amount of times each game of the series (and have the same amount of fouls that result in free throws) is beyond me. There is such thing as one team not fouling as much as the other.

True.

But it is one of the only "hard" statistics that we can use to actually compare the officiating in a game. For instance, last night Kevin Garnett and PJ Brown continued their practice of setting illegal screens literally on every offensive possession.

They have done this all series long and finally Garnett was called for it late in last night's game. Here is a video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XoZ6R-rM-Y

Those kind of no calls have led to lots of undeserved points for the Celtics in this series, yet that isn't something we can compare in a box score. So FT attempt differential or total fouls is one of the few statistics that fans can look at and debate.

[ynh]

They were setting those screens during our series too.. I do agree with that.. they miss allot of calls.. Traveling being the worst of course.

[LakerLanny]

They were setting those screens during our series too.. I do agree with that.. they miss allot of calls.. Traveling being the worst of course.

Almost every Ray Allen open look in this series has been off blatant illegal screens. They aren't even close to being legitimate, that is why Garnett is getting more and more out of control with it to the point where he is just running into guys because it isn't being called.

How about this play? A technical isn't even called when if Kobe did this, he would be tossed from the game. Kobe gets T'd up any time he makes any motion with his arms in relation to a call, yet this is allowed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U99adLMP_fY

[Purple & Gold]

Lakers couldn't rebound the ball in 2004 that's why they lost. Pistons owned the offensive boards and had 3 shots everytime down the floor. As for Garnett he set an illegal screen pretty much everytime down the court at the end of the game, it was ridiculous. For spur fans to think the Lakers get more calls then the spurs is laughable.

[lefty]

Right.....Joey is going to tell all about the fixing he did.......so he can go to prison and get raped, beaten, etc.

Beaten for sure.

Raped, I don't know........ have you seen the guy ?

[lefty]

Phil Taylor > THE HOT BUTTON


More fuel for the fire: The NBA's perception problem keeps growing Story Highlights


Tim Donaghy's latest allegations are a boon for NBA conspiracy theorists
Donaghy's claims of game-fixing play into the worst suspicions about the NBA
The NBA needs to start making refs more available to explain controversial calls


It's a lot harder to laugh at the NBA conspiracy theorists today, isn't it?

When they tell you that the 1985 draft lottery was rigged to make sure Patrick Ewing would be a Knick, they don't sound quite so paranoid or delusional anymore.

If they lay out their theory that Michael Jordan's first retirement was really a hush-hush suspension for gambling, you don't feel quite as confident in brushing them off.

And if they tell you Game 2 of this year's Finals, when the Celtics shot 38 free throws to the Lakers' 10, smells fishy, well, can you really argue?

That's what Tim Donaghy, the rogue referee who is fast becoming commissioner David Stern's worst nightmare, has brought about with his stunning accusations of biased officiating, fixed playoff games and other improprieties. He has put it all in play -- all the suspicions, all the skepticism, all the whispers that something about the NBA just doesn't feel completely on the up-and-up.

We knew that Donaghy himself had bet on games and accepted cash for inside information to gamblers, crimes for which he has been convicted and faces a possible 33 months in prison. But in a letter filed by his lawyer to the sentencing court Tuesday, Donaghy alleges he was far from the only culprit, that the dishonesty and deception and rigging of outcomes in the NBA reached as far up as the league's executive offices.

The veracity of Donaghy's claims, in which he named no names, is very much up for debate. As Stern pointed out Tuesday, these are the allegations of an admitted felon, and it's easy to attack his credibility. Also, although the specific allegations came to light Tuesday, Donaghy originally shared the information with the authorities months ago, yet he remains the only NBA official or executive charged with any wrongdoing. In short, the possibility exists that the accusations are as baseless as Stern says they are.

But ... there is that "but," isn't there? There is so much smoke that maybe Donaghy is finally exposing the fire. Remember how the Miami Heat overcame a 2-0 Finals deficit in 2006 when Dwyane Wade suddenly began getting every call against the Dallas Mavericks? How about the end of Game 4 of the Lakers-Spurs series this year, when Brent Barry didn't get an obvious foul call just before the buzzer that might have given San Antonio life? Suddenly, crucial, controversial calls or non-calls all seem worthy of another look with a more cynical eye.

Much of what Donaghy alleges seems plausible enough. The charges, if true, would explain a great deal. He told authorities that in 2002 two referees conspired in a playoff series to ensure the series would reach a seventh game. The only series that went seven games that year was the Western Conference finals between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers, in which the Lakers shot a whopping 27 free throws in the fourth quarter of Game 6, helping them to avoid elimination in Los Angeles. They eventually won Game 7 in Sacramento as well.

Anyone who watched that game remembers how strangely lopsided the officiating seemed, particularly in the fourth quarter. Among the egregiously blown calls was a blatant elbow by Kobe Bryant against the Kings' Mike Bibby that somehow escaped detection. It was a game that immediately aroused the suspicion of conspiracy theorists and the suspicion of Kings fans, but it was eventually chalked up as another example of the unpredictable nature of officiating rather than any intentional effort to control the outcome. Now, we're not so sure.

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.

It would be easier to chalk up all of this as the groundless allegations of a desperate man if it didn't play into so many of the suspicions about the league that have existed for years but have been dismissed by the NBA as a minor annoyance instead of a serious issue to address. About two years ago, before the Donaghy scandal came to light, I sat with Stern in a conference room in the NBA offices in New York as he laughed off the idea that the league had a reputation for questionable officiating. He said there were no referees in any sport that were scrutinized more closely than NBA officials, and that he had no doubts about their honesty.

Stern can't be laughing now. Even if Donaghy's claims aren't true, league executives have to recognize that the NBA has given fans reason to believe that his claims are, partly because of the league's cavalier attitude toward the inconsistencies in the way games are called. Players, coaches, media and fans have all questioned NBA officiating at one time or another, and the league would be wise to finally take those questions seriously.

A good place to start would be with making the process more transparent, including having referees give more interviews to explain controversial calls. The league office should also publicly instruct the referees that they are to call the game without giving special treatment to stars, and without considering the time or score. No more swallowing the whistles at the end of close games. There's not much Stern and his associates can do to change what happened in the past, but they can address the future.

Stern can shout from the top of the Manhattan skyscraper that houses the league's headquarters that none of Donaghy's allegations are true, but the real problem for the NBA is that hardly anyone would be surprised if they were.

[MoSpur]

I use to think that the NBA was not fixed. I never wanted to believe it. I still don't want to. However, the more games I watch and as more time goes on, I can't help to belive that the NBA is fixed.

There is way too much money involved for it not to be fixed or persuaded. A lot of people want a piece of the NBA's $$$$$. Is that going to stp me from being a Spurs fan? No. The NBA knows that. It will lose fans because of this, but the NBA will gain a lot more fans than lose fans.

[Budkin]

sacramento got raped by the league and everybody fucking knows it. initially i tried not to be too upset when i heard this but fuck that. they singlehandidly fucking robbed our franchises chance of a championship.

Agreed. But we all knew what was happening during that Game 6. That was the most obvious of them all.

[Pucho!!!]

I am all for honest officiating.

Let the best team win, that is all any Laker fan has ever wanted because we don't have a team of floppers, we have ballers.

ehhmm, Sasha, Vlad, Gasol, Turiaf all flop, oh and Kobe, remember thats part of his shooting stroke to swing his arm to the right, hahaha

[Pucho!!!]

You forgot the ball clearly going off Webber out of bounds and then being given back to the Queens anyway before there bogus "game winning shot"

Games 2 and 5 of that series were far worse than anything that happened in Game 6. And why can't won media moron that mentions all the foul shots in the 4th qtr for the Queens in Game 6 ever mention that at least 10 of them were off INTENTIONAL fouls that the Queens obviously WANTED the refs to call?

Lazy reporting, stupid urban legend. Top 5 fixes in recent NBA history:

1. Games 2-5 of 2004 NBA Finals
2. Games 3-6 of 2006 NBA Finals
3. Game 2 of 2008 NBA Finals
4. Games 2 and 5 of 2002 Lakers-Queens series
5. Game 1 of 2003 Lakers-Spurs series

Dont start throwin in your 2 sense about games and series' not even mentioned in Donaghy's report. Be mad that he called out your team for what it is: FAKE!!!!You FAKER!

[Pucho!!!]

Lakers couldn't rebound the ball in 2004 that's why they lost. Pistons owned the offensive boards and had 3 shots everytime down the floor. As for Garnett he set an illegal screen pretty much everytime down the court at the end of the game, it was ridiculous. For spur fans to think the Lakers get more calls then the spurs is laughable.

no its truth, you believein otherwise is laughable :lol

[InRareForm]

Those kind of no calls have led to lots of undeserved points for the Celtics in this series, yet that isn't something we can compare in a box score. So FT attempt differential or total fouls is one of the few statistics that fans can look at and debate.

eh, how about the points where gasol camps in the lane forever, they never call 3 seconds in the lane, and it happens A LOT

[DarrinS]

fRPYjdgStns

[Purple & Gold]

no its truth, you believein otherwise is laughable :lol

:rollin :rollin :rollin

[slayermin]

Not even close to as suspicious of Game 1 of the 2003 Lakers-*purs series.

You keep bringing up this game but the Lakers were gift wrapped game three and especially, game four.

Also, how can you comment on this game when you didn't even see it all?

From what I recall, twenty minutes of this game was blacked out at the end of the 3rd Qtr and beginning of the 4th because of technical difficulties.

And your circle of seven fixers is the dumbest thing I have ever read on the internet. Stern has a hard on for the Lakers and if he could, he would wear spandex so everyone can see.

[sendman]

Question:
Why is Dick Bavetta still in the business?
Answer:
He knows about every dirty detail in basketball since James Naismith!

[1Parker1]

I never understand how some basketball fans think that Free Throws have to be equal for each team.. Free throws are awarded because the other team fouled.. the idea that every team is going to foul eachother the same amount of times each game of the series (and have the same amount of fouls that result in free throws) is beyond me. There is such thing as one team not fouling as much as the other.

:tu

This phenomonon is only believable by LakerFan. And it stems from what their team's coach spits out. It makes zero sense that people think teams should shoot an equal or close amount of FT's per game.

[41times]

Right.....Joey is going to tell all about the fixing he did.......so he can go to prison and get raped, beaten, etc.

Nope, he was just going to tell all about the league asking them to manipulate games and make Superstar calls and then he was going to verify Donaughy's testimony and then throw some other refs under the Bus but not actually say that he did himself.

And he is a guy that the media would give some credibility. He could F#ck up the league and the guy that fired him, David Sperm, but real good!

[Spur-Addict]

AND.. If the NBA was fixing games, only letting 2 of 3 refs in on it makes no sense.

Yes it does. If few know the truth, it's easier to hold down. Whereas if many know then it's damn near impossible.

[1Parker1]

True.

But it is one of the only "hard" statistics that we can use to actually compare the officiating in a game. For instance, last night Kevin Garnett and PJ Brown continued their practice of setting illegal screens literally on every offensive possession.

They have done this all series long and finally Garnett was called for it late in last night's game. Here is a video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XoZ6R-rM-Y

Those kind of no calls have led to lots of undeserved points for the Celtics in this series, yet that isn't something we can compare in a box score. So FT attempt differential or total fouls is one of the few statistics that fans can look at and debate.


Those types of missed calls go both ways. It just depends on how the officials choose to call the game. Kobe uses his off arm to push the defender out of the way more often than not, a lot ala Sir Jordan, but he doesn't get called for the offensive foul EVERY SINGLE time. I've seen Pau Gasol reach up for an over the back offensive rebound and even if he doesn't get the rebound, shouldn't he be called for the over the back foul EVERY SINGLE TIME? You could interpret that Lamar Odom travels almost every single time when he attempts his little move from the 3 point line to the basket.

If you want to go through play by play by play there are going to be fouls commited by BOTH teams consistently, that may not be called throughout the course of the game. Again, it's up to how the refs decide to let them play the game. Sometimes refs allow the players to be aggressive and decide the game for themselves, sometimes not.

Either way, LakerFan and their Zen Coach needs to man up and quit the whining about the officials. They aren't the reason why they are in a 1-2 hole and could very well have been in a 0-3 hole. Lack of consistent bench production, porous defense, and the disappearance of your soft front line are much more accurate reasons to point to for your current demise.

[Spurs Brazil]

Buck Harvey: NBA's fix – Stern has one option

Web Posted: 06/11/2008 12:36 AM CDT



LOS ANGELES — You can't tell the conspiracies without a program anymore. Not after Tim Donaghy was back in the news Tuesday, and Joey Crawford was back on the floor.

You can't believe anything you see anymore. Not after Kobe Bryant got 18 free-throw attempts in Game 3, just as Phil Jackson wanted him to, and not after the Lakers won, just as the NBA needed them to.

League officials wanted Boston and Los Angeles in the Finals, and they wanted the series to go long, and Donaghy says these things have happened before. This is called a tipping point.


Nothing David Stern says will change the way his business is perceived, and that's why Stern needs to dismantle his business.

If he doesn't, how many will believe games such as Tuesday's are real?

Game 3 sure looked real. Bryant got his free throws, but he also got a technical foul. There wasn't a call or sequence of them that suggested anything was crooked.

If anything, a no-call with about three minutes left went the Celtics' way. Then, P.J. Brown got an arm inside of Pau Gasol, and Gasol went up to shoot with the 24-second clock expiring. Derek Fisher jumping on Brent Barry was no more dramatic.

Kevin Garnett followed with a bank, pulling the Celtics within two points, and then Doc Rivers opted to take the ball out of Bryant's hands. Sasha Vujacic's 3-pointer was the result.

When Rivers didn't trap Bryant on the next two possessions, Bryant scored.

The Lakers won as teams do. And for those wondering if extending this series was a league directive from the top, then the league wasn't as active last year. Then, the Spurs and Cavaliers went down to the final play in their Game 3, and Bruce Bowen reached out and intentionally grabbed LeBron James as James turned to launch a 3-pointer that missed.

LeBron, the marketing darling, didn't get the call.

But that doesn't change the perception, and that doesn't change a letter sent to a New York sentencing court on behalf of Donaghy, the convicted former referee. In it, Donaghy doesn't name names, but he outlines what everyone has always feared.

It's clear, in one passage, that he's talking about the infamous 2002 playoff game between the Lakers and Kings. That L.A. free-throw disparity eventually drew protests from Ralph Nader.

Donaghy alleges two referees then deliberately ignored fouls because they were “company men” who “always” acted in the interest of the NBA.

“That night,” he said, “it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series.”

An official that night was Dick Bavetta. He was also the lead ref in the 1999 Finals, when the Spurs lost another Game 3, this time to the Knicks. Spurs officials then also wondered about the “company men.”

The NBA general counsel issued a statement in response to Tuesday's court filing, and he said Donaghy's allegations “are clearly being disclosed now as part of his desperate attempt to lighten the sentence.”

Maybe that's accurate, but the NBA is as desperate now. Officiating overshadows everything, and coaches such as Phil Jackson don't help. When asked about Donaghy's allegations about Game 6 of the 2002 playoff game, Jackson actually said this: “There's a lot of things going on in these games, and they're suspicious.”

The attitude is part of everything now, and Stern could react in several ways. Cutting away identifiable figures such as Bavetta and Crawford would be one.

But that shouldn't be Stern's responsibility, and it shouldn't be the call of the one he hired to oversee officiating, Stu Jackson. Stern instead needs to make a powerful move — something that changes all perceptions.

He needs to find a way to remove referees from his umbrella. He needs to form an independent branch that doesn't care about television or business, and this branch has to have an autonomous boss.

Until then, there will be whistles, and there will be suspicions.

[email protected]
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/bharvey/stories/MYSA.061108.1C.Buck_Harvey.en.3e9998c.html

[SRJ]

One thing they should work on...

--For one, instead of concentrating on the dress codes and addressing "flopping" issues, maybe Stern should do something about the constant whining by ALL NBA players to the refs throughout the course of the game and minimize this. Why not start fining players for this instead of the flopping? It's really getting out of hand and makes the game a lot less fun to watch when you have to watch grown men, and superstars in this league whine like babies to the refs during games...even if they have a legit case.

When the NBA tried to reign in that sort of stuff, everyone complained that the NBA had the players on too short a leash.

I wouldn't mind a "pre-tech" whistle in conjunction with a new hand signal. The idea behind it being that, after a player or coach has said his piece but still carries on, the ref blows the "pre-tech" and the offender has three seconds to disengage with the official. I think verbal warnings are too confrontational and sometimes words and tone could be misinterpreted and for that, actually escalate the situation instead of diffusing it.

On to fixing...

Of course, it's easy to say that if the fix was in, the Lakers/Celtics/Bulls/Sixers etc. would win every year. But wouldn't it look fixed in that instance? If there is a fix in, it's hard to see through all of the seemingly self-defeating results.

But "seemingly" is the key word. Not a one of us sits in that smoke-filled room with Stern and company. They may have profitable and self-serving reasons for fixing the 2004 Finals in favor of the Pistons, despite the apparent can't-miss cash cow that a Lakers win would bring (that was one example - this thread has shown many others). They may have a whole new set of metrics and demographics to justify the results that they script. Perhaps those results are beneficial to certain stockholders, certain players, franchises...who really knows?

Am I sold on a fixed NBA? Not necessarily, but I don't think it's impossible considering the vast amounts of money at stake. (The same goes for all big-time sports)

[FromWayDowntown]

Of all the things that have been said in the last 24 hours about this, the most interesting thing is Bob Delaney's statement that nobody from the league has talked to him about Donaghy. I'm somehow inclined to believe Delaney in that statement -- perhaps based on the nature of his past and the fact that he stands to lose a great deal by crossing the league -- and it's extremely interesting to me that he would say that in the face of Stern's adamance that the league had interviewed each of its officials about the Donaghy situation. While Delaney's statement otherwise shouted down Donaghy, he did seemingly admit that the league/the Commissioner has misrepresented the nature (or the extent) of its investigation into the Donaghy matter, given that Stern has insisted that the league has interviewed all of its officials on this subject.

I also think it will be interesting to see if anyone can find Ted Bernhardt and see what he -- now a former official who was at the top of the profession in 2001-03, but who left the league's officiating ranks by early in the 2005-06 season -- has to say about any of this.

[TDMVPDPOY]

stern could start of with his resignation

dude is a fukn for the last 10 years seriously which has overshadowed what he has achieve earlier in his management......

lookn back at it he shouldve step up to the plate and made serious fuckn changes that doesnt put the game in disrepute.

[DazedAndConfused]

The only way to save face is for Stern to step down and for the entire officiating crew to be cleaned out. Start fresh.

I'd also look into adding video replay challenges the way they have it in football. 2 per half. With all the commercials they run it wouldn't slow the game down at all. Just review the challenge during the TV timeouts.

[Obstructed_View]

I've never exactly understood how it's such a scandal when the Lakers had a FTA advantage of 40-25 in a game they won, but nobody mentions that the Kings had FTA advantages of 38-25 and 35-15 against the Lakers earlier in the series in games they won, one of which might have been in LA. Where's the investigation about those games?

[LakerLanny]

I've never exactly understood how it's such a scandal when the Lakers had a FTA advantage of 40-25 in a game they won, but nobody mentions that the Kings had FTA advantages of 38-25 and 35-15 against the Lakers earlier in the series in games they won, one of which might have been in LA. Where's the investigation about those games?

Not to mention 10 ft's in the 4th qtr of the 40 ft's total were off intentional fouls committed by Sacramento.

Somehow, not one media tool bringing this up has figured that out.

What is for sure is it pales in comparison to a 38-10 ft attempt differential in this year's NBA finals that featured NO intentional fouls. Yet, hardly a peep about that game.

The Sacramento Game 6 thing is an urban myth, a fallacy.

[Obstructed_View]

Not to mention 10 ft's in the 4th qtr of the 40 ft's total were off intentional fouls committed by Sacramento.

Somehow, not one media tool bringing this up has figured that out.

What is for sure is it pales in comparison to a 38-10 ft attempt differential in this year's NBA finals that featured NO intentional fouls. Yet, hardly a peep about that game.

The Sacramento Game 6 thing is an urban myth, a fallacy.

Oh please. Don't come in here and act like you agree with me, when in truth, you only think the games the Lakers lose are the fixed ones. :rolleyes

[temujin]

I can tell you one thing.
Spurs FO would NOT want Stern to step down.

I think that the Spurs have pretty good connections.

In general, the NBA is as little fixed as business allows it to be.

But saying there is no little fixing here and there is a total absurdity.

[41times]

David Sperm became League Commish in 1984.

The League's first "Lottery Draft" was held in 1985.

In 1985 you had Boston, L.A. and the 76ers leading the league. You had Chicago and Detroit as a good, up and coming teams. Now all you needed was to secure the biggest TV market in the country to complete the revitalization of a league that in 1978-79 was failing.

In the late 1970's teams were practially going out of business. Values were down, attendance was low and even the Finals were not on Live Television. Then came Bird and Magic who saved the league. Then along came Jordan and the future was bright under Larry O'brien.

So Stern takes over in 1984. He institute's the Lottery for some reason and in 1985 the biggest name in basketball goes to the biggest Market in the country. Patrick Ewing to the Knicks with the #1 lotter pick. Reconstruction complete!

David Stern's legacy started in 1985 with what was his first questionable act and it has continued for 23 years since then.

Stern is a smart Business Man. He understands what sells and to some degree he is sort of a teflan commish. But if you look closely at the last 25 years, it is easy to find the one common thread. The old addege "the buck stops here" could easily be replaced by Sterns philosophy "The Buck Starts Here"

[MadDog73]

as bright under Larry O'brien.

So Stern takes over in 1984. He institute's the Lottery for some reason and in 1985 the biggest name in basketball goes to the biggest Market in the country. Patrick Ewing to the Knicks with the #1 lotter pick. Reconstruction complete!

That doesn't explain how the ratings low Spurs get BOTH David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Surely, Duncan at least would go to the Celtics....

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

The only way to save face is for Stern to step down and for the entire officiating crew to be cleaned out. Start fresh.

I'd also look into adding video replay challenges the way they have it in football. 2 per half. With all the commercials they run it wouldn't slow the game down at all. Just review the challenge during the TV timeouts.

:tu

[FromWayDowntown]

I don't think firing all of the officials is a solution. I think there are a number of officials who are working in the NBA now who really do a good job and I think the game would be worse off it those officials were no longer working for the league.

I do think it would help a lot for the league to have its officials studied objectively (to the extent that such a thing is possible) and in a non-directed way (don't try to have the study prove or disprove any particular thing). I'd also like to see the league take action in response to the study -- fire officials who are calling games incorrectly and don't simply give in to seniority. I think the league should also publish the general conclusions that such a study might develop, even if it doesn't provide a report detailing the results for each official on an individual basis.

[LakerLanny]

I don't think firing all of the officials is a solution. I think there are a number of officials who are working in the NBA now who really do a good job and I think the game would be worse off it those officials were no longer working for the league.

I do think it would help a lot for the league to have its officials studied objectively (to the extent that such a thing is possible) and in a non-directed way (don't try to have the study prove or disprove any particular thing). I'd also like to see the league take action in response to the study -- fire officials who are calling games incorrectly and don't simply give in to seniority. I think the league should also publish the general conclusions that such a study might develop, even if it doesn't provide a report detailing the results for each official on an individual basis.

Most would agree the refs overall are awful whether you do or not.

But if you are going to keep the awful refs, just having them assigned randomly to playoff games using a random number generator or lottery ping pong ball system would eliminate 95% of the conspiracy theories.

It is comical to see Stern holding on to his control of the officiating assignments like it is the Holy Grail. Without it, the league might actually have games with random outcomes where the best team might win a majority of the time, wouldn't want to risk that!

[41times]

That doesn't explain how the ratings low Spurs get BOTH David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Surely, Duncan at least would go to the Celtics....

Dude in 1989 when the Spurs got Robinson, Stern probably didn't even notice. He had Bird and Magic at the end of their great careers. He had Michael Jordan approaching the Apex of his great career. He had Isiah and the Pistons winning 2 Championships in Detroit and he had Ewing in New York.

He could not have given a shit about a small market down in Texas.

[diego]

i would do this-

1/ create a "ref academy", an independent organism that trains, certifies, ranks AND reprimands refs. keep stu and nunn as far away from this organism as possible. The Nba pays the academy a lump sum for their service (say 20M a season), and the academy handles all ref related matters, from transport to salary negotiation.

2/ establish an "acceptable margin of error"- lets say 15 mistakes a game.

3/ give bonuses to refs when they make less mistakes, fine them for when they make more mistakes than the average


really, any system that promotes accountability and transparency will do. its absurd how much the league protects these guys.

[41times]

i would do this-

1/ create a "ref academy", an independent organism that trains, certifies, ranks AND reprimands refs. keep stu and nunn as far away from this organism as possible. The Nba pays the academy a lump sum for their service (say 20M a season), and the academy handles all ref related matters, from transport to salary negotiation.

2/ establish an "acceptable margin of error"- lets say 15 mistakes a game.

3/ give bonuses to refs when they make less mistakes, fine them for when they make more mistakes than the average


really, any system that promotes accountability and transparency will do. its absurd how much the league protects these guys.

Agree with this totally. For me Reffing should be a full time job all year around. During the off season they should be training, studying tape, staying in shape etc.

And they should be managed by an independent firm and graded as stated above.

There is way too much good old boyism going on with the refs. I'm not suggesting that you can't be old and referee. However, if you can't get back fast enough to see a play and you make an "anticipation call" only because you can't believe the play can't be made without fouling........you might be to old or out of shape. That happens a lot the....."phantom call"

I mean how can i take a referre seriously when he is in a foot Race with the Rotund Charles Barkley at halftime??????? How old is Buvetta anyway, 70?

[FromWayDowntown]

Most would agree the refs overall are awful whether you do or not.

But if you are going to keep the awful refs, just having them assigned randomly to playoff games using a random number generator or lottery ping pong ball system would eliminate 95% of the conspiracy theories.

It is comical to see Stern holding on to his control of the officiating assignments like it is the Holy Grail. Without it, the league might actually have games with random outcomes where the best team might win a majority of the time, wouldn't want to risk that!

This post is full of so much misinformation that I'm not even sure where to begin.

1. You expect perfection from officials -- perfection is not achievable. There is a huge difference between an official who misses a call here or there and an official who is knowingly directing calls in an attempt to affect the outcome of a game. It's also extraordinarily easy to sit back with the benefit of replays and criticize calls that were made incorrectly. I suggest to you that even with that benefit, the vast majority of NBA officials get calls right at alarmingly high rates, given the nature of the game that they're called upon to officiate. More than that, the people who know the game best generally agree that the men who call NBA games are mostly very good officials. Pardon me for taking their word over yours. Actually, don't.

2. I'm proposing that referees who are shown to be "awful" be fired. I'm not sure how that could really be controversial. I also agree that evaluation of the officials should be a matter that is, in some form or another, farmed out to some objective neutral.

3. You still truly have no idea how officials are assigned to playoff games, which I would argue demonstrates the ignorance that your criticisms are bottomed upon. Study it a little bit (it doesn't take much) and it becomes relatively easy to figure out how officials are assigned to playoff games -- having undertaken that effort, I can assure you that officiating assignments aren't just random things. There is a very orderly process in place. In the last 5 years, having studied those assignments closely, I can assure you that there has been utter predictability in terms of officiating assignments in the playoffs, not the sort of randomness that you propose. It has been so predictable, in fact, that I have been able to give relatively accurate predictions about officiating assignments for Spurs games over the last 3 playoff runs -- particularly as each series has progressed. I'll be happy to point you to evidence of that if you doubt me.

I realize you'll not bother to respond to any of this because: (1) you don't have any sort of actual means to refute my points; and (2) none of it comports with your nonsensical and hypocritical conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, consider this my universal retort to any of your unprincipled blathering. I'll respond to your silliness as I see fit.

[wildbill2u]

How quickly we forget history in the NBA.

HISTORY LESSON 1

In the 50s to 70s, almost every series went the full seven games. In those days the refs were paid by the game, ergo it was in their financial interest to see every series go the distance.

It was also in the interest of struggling team owners and that included virtually every team outside Boston, Lakers and maybe Philadelphia, to have more games with more revenue.

There were many series where bad teams carried the favorites to the seventh game. Perhaps it was luck and pluck---perhaps it was something else. There were enough to make the survival of the league as anything but Wrestlemania with a Ball very iffy.

You can talk all you want to about the honesty of refs in those days---and that owners weren't needy or greedy--, but the cynical criticism by sportswriters and fans threatened to kill the golden TV goose just as the NBA started to pickup steam as a legitimate national sport.

The reaction of the league to the criticism was to change the payscale of the refs in the playoffs so that the number of games didn't matter. Why would they do that if there wasn't a shameful perception that something was wrong. Some of those refs are still in the game and are called the 'best in the business."

[temujin]

How quickly we forget history in the NBA.

HISTORY LESSON 1

In the 50s to 70s, almost every series went the full seven games. In those days the refs were paid by the game, ergo it was in their financial interest to see every series go the distance.

It was also in the interest of struggling team owners and that included virtually every team outside Boston, Lakers and maybe Philadelphia, to have more games with more revenue.

There were many series where bad teams carried the favorites to the seventh game. Perhaps it was luck and pluck---perhaps it was something else. There were enough to make the survival of the league as anything but Wrestlemania with a Ball very iffy.

You can talk all you want to about the honesty of refs in those days---and that owners weren't needy or greedy--, but the cynical criticism by sportswriters and fans threatened to kill the golden TV goose just as the NBA started to pickup steam as a legitimate national sport.

The reaction of the league to the criticism was to change the payscale of the refs in the playoffs so that the number of games didn't matter. Why would they do that if there wasn't a shameful perception that something was wrong. Some of those refs are still in the game and are called the 'best in the business."

:tu

[LakerLanny]

This post is full of so much misinformation that I'm not even sure where to begin.

1. You expect perfection from officials -- perfection is not achievable. There is a huge difference between an official who misses a call here or there and an official who is knowingly directing calls in an attempt to affect the outcome of a game. It's also extraordinarily easy to sit back with the benefit of replays and criticize calls that were made incorrectly. I suggest to you that even with that benefit, the vast majority of NBA officials get calls right at alarmingly high rates, given the nature of the game that they're called upon to officiate. More than that, the people who know the game best generally agree that the men who call NBA games are mostly very good officials. Pardon me for taking their word over yours. Actually, don't.

2. I'm proposing that referees who are shown to be "awful" be fired. I'm not sure how that could really be controversial. I also agree that evaluation of the officials should be a matter that is, in some form or another, farmed out to some objective neutral.

3. You still truly have no idea how officials are assigned to playoff games, which I would argue demonstrates the ignorance that your criticisms are bottomed upon. Study it a little bit (it doesn't take much) and it becomes relatively easy to figure out how officials are assigned to playoff games -- having undertaken that effort, I can assure you that officiating assignments aren't just random things. There is a very orderly process in place. In the last 5 years, having studied those assignments closely, I can assure you that there has been utter predictability in terms of officiating assignments in the playoffs, not the sort of randomness that you propose. It has been so predictable, in fact, that I have been able to give relatively accurate predictions about officiating assignments for Spurs games over the last 3 playoff runs -- particularly as each series has progressed. I'll be happy to point you to evidence of that if you doubt me.

I realize you'll not bother to respond to any of this because: (1) you don't have any sort of actual means to refute my points; and (2) none of it comports with your nonsensical and hypocritical conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, consider this my universal retort to any of your unprincipled blathering. I'll respond to your silliness as I see fit.

You simpleton.

I am saying the utter predictability of officiating assignments IS the problem, it would be better if the officials were all randomly assigned.

If you don't have confidence in your entire group of officials to the point where you trust them to officiate a playoff game, why have them?

And stop patting yourself on the back about being able to pick the officials, I correctly picked two of the three officials (Javie and Washington) for Game 4 in advance and have correctly predicted who would be assigned many times.

Not only are you rude, but your reading comprehension is subpar also. Must be that Texas public school education rearing it's ugly head again.

My advice? Read and try and memorize every single one of my brilliant posts. Let those be the basis for your basketball knowledge base and try and build from there. But first try and understand my point, the very fact that the "officials" can be predicted in advance of the games is 90% of the problem.

Assign the officials randomly and no one can legitimately claim conspiracy and the problem melts away. Is that too confusing Tex? Go milk a cow or castrate a steer or something you dumb fucking hick.

[Trainwreck2100]

You simpleton.

I am saying the utter predictability of officiating assignments IS the problem, it would be better if the officials were all randomly assigned.

If you don't have confidence in your entire group of officials to the point where you trust them to officiate a playoff game, why have them?

And stop patting yourself on the back about being able to pick the officials, I correctly picked two of the three officials (Javie and Washington) for Game 4 in advance and have correctly predicted who would be assigned many times.

Not only are you rude, but your reading comprehension is subpar also. Must be that Texas public school education rearing it's ugly head again.

My advice? Read and try and memorize every single one of my brilliant posts. Let those be the basis for your basketball knowledge base and try and build from there. But first try and understand my point, the very fact that the "officials" can be predicted in advance of the games is 90% of the problem.

Assign the officials randomly and no one can legitimately claim conspiracy and the problem melts away. Is that too confusing Tex? Go milk a cow or castrate a steer or something you dumb fucking hick.

That's great, but what happens when the same ref is selected on back to back games?

[LakerLanny]

That's great, but what happens when the same ref is selected on back to back games?

OK, so you take out the three ping pong balls corresponding to the refs from the previous game.

Bottom line, there is no logical reason not to assign officials randomly to games if you aren't trying to manipulate the games.

Certainly the awful officiating we have seen throughout the playoffs could not be any worse with any of the other NBA refs calling the games.

[wildbill2u]

How quick we forget in the NBA---History Lesson Part II.

Only a few of us oldtimers can remember that the NBA has had serious allegations about questionable practices since the 50s. (See History Lesson I on page 9)

Why is this true of this league, but not other national sports leagues?. You don't find people questioning whether the NFL or MLB is fixed on a regular basis for 50 years.

Here's more history: The rivalry between the old ABA and NBA was fierce. There was only so much money in the sports pot and the NBA, after decades of sucking hind tit to the NFL and MLB, didn't want to share with upstart new teams who they believed hadn't paid the price and whose game was 'inferior'.

So the ABA made the classic move. They began a bidding war for players with superstar attributes. They got players like Dr. J and Gervin and many others who took the staid pro game above the rim. When economics forced a merger, the NBA barons were livid that these upstarts with their red, white and blue ball, their 3pt. shot, and their street game were going to push their way to the big table.

At that time, there were rumors that the big NBA brass and the old line NBA refs who still were in the majority had vowed that no former ABA team was going to win the NBA title for many years. And it didn't happen until 1999 when the Spurs won it all.

Speculation? Sure. But let's look at some history. Shortly after the merger the Spurs had a great team. They went into the playoffs and ran out to a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Washington team that eventually won it all. In the 5th game, a very questionable foul called in the final seconds gave Washington the win. Coach Doug Moe was fined by the league for comments on the officiating and the SA fans collected money to pay his fine. Whatever happened to the theory that the refs don't want to decide the game in the final seconds?

This was one of the few rare instances in NBA history where a team down 3-1 came back to win the series. It was a miracle win for the old league's prestige.

More Spur playoff history. I don't remember the year or the round of the playoffs, but the Spurs were playing the Lakers in LA. At the half, the Spurs had 24 fouls called on them and the Lakers had ZERO. By the end of the game, the disparity had lessened--but you take a team out of its game with that many fouls in the first half.

Star players get hamstrung with fouls and can't play while the other team is shooting free-throws. It was a very suspicious game for the refs.

[NBA Junkie]

Game 7 of the 2000 Blazers-Lakers series was highly suspicious.

How so?

Portland flat out choked with a 15 point lead with ten minutes left.

[wildbill2u]

History Lesson Part III

Ethical Exceptions in the NBA about which there is almost universal acceptance:

1. The refs (pick one: don't, won't, shouldn't) decide the game, especially in the last (seconds, minute, minutes)

This maxim is so ridiculous that it shouldn't be considered as part of accepted wisdom. Would you accept a stricture that the umpire in baseball will quit calling balls and strikes correctly in the last inning?

Secondly, at what point in the game should this ethical exception go into effect? The last: two minutes, one minute, 24 seconds? All bets are off at that point and the players can simply go at it without regard to the rules?

Forget the last second no-call this year in Spurs/Lakers game, what about a no call in the final second that decided a NBA champion. Remember the Utah-Chicago series in 1998? Here's what a former NBA ref Mike Mathis had to say about it in the NYPOST:

"Mathis referenced the pivotal shot in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals by Jordan against the Utah Jazz that gave the Bulls their sixth and final championship in the Jordan era. Many observers maintain Jordan committed an offensive foul, but it was not called because of Jordan's stature and reputation.

"Refereeing has gone downhill," said Mathis, who runs the Mathis Foundation that works with and supplies scholarships for foster kids in Cincinnati. "Remember when Jordan hit that winning shot? I'm going to give you exactly what the commentators said: 'What a great move by Michael.' Was that a great move or was that an offensive foul? There was no question it was a push-off. No buts about it. The only buts you can have is, 'Well, it was Michael Jordan.' That was a defining moment."


That brings up ethical exception 2:

Superstars are inviolate. They don't foul out (until they are over the hill, eg. Shaq) and get special treatment. In no other sport does the player run a big risk of having to leave the game for common infractions, so to keep the superstars in the game, they are given protection by the refs. It's all part of the money angle. Who'd want to watch an NBA game where all the superstars were on the bench because of fouls?

Mathis says it well above. Everyone knows that superstars get away with a lot more than rookies or role players. In fact, a savvy vet like Jordan, Kobe, Tim or whoever KNOWS he isn't gonna get called on a push off in that situation and takes advantage of the edge that the refs give him.

In no other sports do refs acknowledge superstar status of the player and give an edge to the player.

[Galileo]

NBA: Where Rigged Games Happens
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...Lm1_yrDw&hl=en



NBA on CBS 1985 NBA Draft Lottery - COMPLETE VERSION



Infamous Fixed 1985 Draft

NBA on CBS coverage of the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery, the first ever. I got a lot of complaints about my original video not showing David Stern reaching into the drum for the alleged "frozen envolope" so I included the entire thing, as well as Dave Debusschere showing a Ewing jersey already made up. A prelude to the Knicks-Pacers rivalry of the 1990's.

Fans of the bent envelope theory point to 4:50 of the video where the corner of the envelope that would eventually be picked #1 can be seen with a bent corner sticking up.

Narrated by Pat O'Brien



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3779794126037457169&q=lakers+kings+2002+fixed&ei=pAJUSNOxMJW05ALm1_yrDw&hl=en



The O'Reilly F*cktor

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3779794126037457169&q=lakers+kings+2002+fixed&ei=pAJUSNOxMJW05ALm1_yrDw&hl=en

[wildbill2u]

NBA: Where Rigged Games Happens
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...Lm1_yrDw&hl=en



NBA on CBS 1985 NBA Draft Lottery - COMPLETE VERSION



Infamous Fixed 1985 Draft

NBA on CBS coverage of the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery, the first ever. I got a lot of complaints about my original video not showing David Stern reaching into the drum for the alleged "frozen envolope" so I included the entire thing, as well as Dave Debusschere showing a Ewing jersey already made up. A prelude to the Knicks-Pacers rivalry of the 1990's.

Fans of the bent envelope theory point to 4:50 of the video where the corner of the envelope that would eventually be picked #1 can be seen with a bent corner sticking up.

Narrated by Pat O'Brien



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3779794126037457169&q=lakers+kings+2002+fixed&ei=pAJUSNOxMJW05ALm1_yrDw&hl=en



The O'Reilly F*cktor

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3779794126037457169&q=lakers+kings+2002+fixed&ei=pAJUSNOxMJW05ALm1_yrDw&hl=en

The first video is no longer available online. I clicked on it twice to make sure.

[baseline bum]

How so?

Portland flat out choked with a 15 point lead with ten minutes left.

How so? Did you not see Shaq level Steve Smith with a minute left? I mean, he tackled him; it was an NFL hit. No call. It was even worse than the no call on Bryant elbowing Bibby in the face in game 6. Anyone who watched that game has to remember how quick the whistles were on Sabonis and Brian Grant in that fourth quarter.

[Galileo]

try this link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3779794126037457169&q=nba+rigged&ei=hBtUSOSRMZ_k4ALK-OGmDw&hl=en

or do a google search for NBA rigged.

[wildbill2u]

try this link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3779794126037457169&q=nba+rigged&ei=hBtUSOSRMZ_k4ALK-OGmDw&hl=en

or do a google search for NBA rigged.

I found that one. I thought you had one posted up about the lottery with Stern pulling a rat...er...rabbit our of his hat.

[Galileo]

[QUOTE=lefty;2593404][U][SIZE="5"]

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.

[QUOTE]

Where can we find a list of all players ejected in the 2000 playoffs? There couldn't be that many, and even fewer stars.

[daslicer]

[QUOTE=lefty;2593404][U][SIZE="5"]

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.

[QUOTE]

Where can we find a list of all players ejected in the 2000 playoffs? There couldn't be that many, and even fewer stars.

I remember Rasheed Wallace getting ejected out of game 1 in the WCF that year.

[Galileo]

[QUOTE=Galileo;2600728][QUOTE=lefty;2593404][U][SIZE="5"]

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.



I remember Rasheed Wallace getting ejected out of game 1 in the WCF that year.

Good find.

[Galileo]

The fix is in and Bob Delaney is dirty. He's a former undcover cop and a professional liar, the perfect guy for Stern to recruit to the NBA.

[BuzzerBeater]

No, the NBA is not fixed.
It's broken.
Fix it by Oct.

[Avitus1]

The 85 draft was so rigged its not even funny.

[Kindergarten Cop]

[QUOTE=lefty;2593404][U][SIZE="5"]

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.[QUOTE]

Where can we find a list of all players ejected in the 2000 playoffs? There couldn't be that many, and even fewer stars.


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?

[angelbelow]

seems like the nba priority is really becoming capitalism and not entertainment.

[Galileo]

[QUOTE=Galileo;2600728][QUOTE=lefty;2593404][U][SIZE="5"]

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?

Great research. I do believe that the star was ejected in the first quarter, if that helps. I know Wallace was ejected in the first quarter, what about Miller and Iverson?