http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/sp...ll&oref=slogin
Claims May Be Bogus, but the Perception Is Real
By WILLIAM C. RHODEN
Los Angeles
N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern can huff and puff all he wants. But the league faces a potential crisis of credibility and needs to do less huffing and more introspection.
On Tuesday, John Lauro, the lawyer for the former N.B.A. referee Tim Donaghy, claimed that a 2002 playoff series was manipulated to go to seven games and that a 2005 series was also manipulated. These are the most serious accusations leveled at the N.B.A. during Stern’s tenure.
There was no supporting evidence, and Donaghy has pleaded guilty to conspiring with gamblers. But in a letter filed in federal court, his lawyer also claimed that N.B.A. executives routinely encouraged referees to ring up bogus fouls and discouraged them from calling technical fouls on star players.
This is a nagging tick that will not easily be removed.
On Tuesday, Stern met with reporters and correctly noted that the timing of this bombs accusation was designed for optimal media attention during the finals. Stern called the letter “sour grapes.”
“He picks his spots, figures the N.B.A. finals game in L.A., he’ll file it today,” Stern said. “And then all you guys will come running in breathlessly to see whether there’s something new that the N.B.A. should respond to from a convicted felon who really violated probably the most sacred trust in sports.”
Breathlessly, we came running.
Stern dismissed Donaghy as a felon who cannot be trusted.
“He’s a desperate man, and he’ll make whatever allegation he can at the most propitious time, somehow, I think, to manipulate the process,” Stern said.
He called Donaghy a “singing, cooperating witness” who is merely trying to save his neck.
Stern has a point.
From Michael Vick to Marion Jones to Brian McNamee, we have seen how effective federal investigators can be at persuading suspects to provide information that aids in related investigations.
What else do investigators want from Donaghy, who is going to jail no matter how loudly he sings? Do they want more names? Do they want to know how large — or small — a network Donaghy was part of?
•
The perception that the N.B.A. is somehow scripted has been building for some time now. We, the breathless news media, have warned the N.B.A. that the league, in pursuit of the entertainment dollar, was in danger of becoming perceived the way professional wrestling is.
The elasticity of N.B.A. rules is more pronounced than in any other league: there are makeup calls and superstar calls. A franchise player can travel; a rookie cannot. Playoff basketball is different from regular-season basketball because of what is and is not allowed.
Three years ago, Jeff Van Gundy, the Houston Rockets’ coach at the time, accused referees of unfairly targeting center Yao Ming. He said that an N.B.A. official — not a referee, but an official — disclosed that the league would single out Yao for setting illegal screens.
After Game 2 in Boston on Sunday, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson was flabbergasted by the disparity in free-throw shooting. The Celtics had a 38-10 edge at the line.
“I’m more struck at the fact that Leon Powe gets more foul shots than our whole team does in 14 minutes of play,” Jackson said. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve never seen a game like that in all these years I’ve coached in the finals. Unbelievable.”
The experts, who know the N.B.A. as they do, predicted the referees would make it up to the Lakers at home.
Presto. On Tuesday, the Lakers were treated to a banquet of foul shooting: Los Angeles shot 20 of the first 22 free throws. Over all, the Lakers were awarded 34; the Celtics had 22.
The beauty of the N.B.A. is its fluidity: what is true one night is not true the next.
Last season, Stern suspended the veteran official Joey Crawford for his conduct toward the San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan. Duncan said Crawford challenged him to a fight during a game in Dallas.
Crawford was reinstated last September and was chosen to officiate Game 4 of this year’s Western Conference finals between the Spurs and the Lakers. The series turned on a crucial noncall when the Spurs’ Brent Barry was bumped by Derek Fisher with time running out and the Spurs trailing by 2 points. The closest referee was Crawford. In the aftermath of that game, the N.B.A. issued a rare apology for missing the obvious foul. Why apologize after the fact?
There is a troubling close-quarters relationship between those who officiate the game and the executives who run the game. For example, the director of officials has an office at N.B.A. headquarters in Manhattan. Maybe he should move.
•
The commissioner was asked whether he was concerned about the accusations raised by Donaghy’s lawyer. With typical dismissive bluster, Stern said, “The concern I have is that when a letter gets filed on behalf of a convicted felon, news media run with it as a major blockbuster series of allegations, when, in fact, this guy is dancing as fast as he can to throw as much against the wall so his sentence won’t be as hard.”
Stern said, “There is this continuing flow of allegations from, don’t forget, an admitted felon.”
Anyone is capable of lying, and even a convicted felon may be capable of telling some truths. Donaghy will soon have time to think about his actions.
The big, bad, sprawling N.B.A. had better start doing some soul-searching of its own.
"The perception that the N.B.A. is somehow scripted has been building for some time now. We, the breathless news media, have warned the N.B.A. that the league, in pursuit of the entertainment dollar, was in danger of becoming perceived the way professional wrestling is"
The only difference is that pro wrestling does not pretend it is legitimate.
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