Deadspin: Excerpts From The Book The NBA Doesn't Want You To Read

[HarlemHeat37]

I also remember that Wolves game, it was the worst officiated game I've ever seen, only next to Lakers-Kings game 6..I remember KG fouling out on an extremely questionable call in OT, Kobe getting an and-1 on Wally when he didn't even touch him..

I don't believe the NBA is fixed though, it's just too difficult..I do believe certain teams and players get the benefit of having more calls, but everybody already knows that..

[newacc]

The most obvious cheating was the Spurs vs. Mavs 2006 series. You want proof of fixing go watch that series. The Spurs were murdered with so many bad calls on the road, they couldn't come back in those games. I wouldn't be surprised if the Spurs then got some favorable return on games 5 and 6.

Also, I didn't watch all of it, but from what I did see, Mavs got robbed vs. D. Wade.

Most times I think they leave the games alone. Others they probably disguise it well, but if you watch some of the important playoff games there are just too many "unbelievable" calls to think otherwise.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I also remember that Wolves game, it was the worst officiated game I've ever seen, only next to Lakers-Kings game 6..I remember KG fouling out on an extremely questionable call in OT, Kobe getting an and-1 on Wally when he didn't even touch him..

I don't believe the NBA is fixed though, it's just too difficult..I do believe certain teams and players get the benefit of having more calls, but everybody already knows that..

Come on. Too difficult?

It was a game that the Lakers abso inglutely had to win. If they didnt they are down 3-1 and heading back to Minny.

Whats so difficult about all the ed up calls starting in the 3rd quarter with the Lakers down by 3 dozen?

Whats so difficult in the refs intervening on almost every call in the last four minutes?

Quite frankly you make me a ref and I can make whoever I want to win whenever I want them to win. The hard part isn't doing it. The hard part is doing it in such a way that people don't notice it.

[DespЏrado]

If I were a ref the games would be ridiculously easy to manipulate. Its not very hard to shift momentum within a couple of plays.

One thought I have about finding proof for this. When the refs are calling a game fairly the calls should be fairly random. The same number of types of calls should be made throughout a game. When a ref tries to control a game they would no doubt start skewing that randomness to some kind of discernible pattern.

Like a ref who is actually calling a game evenly would see an offensive foul if it were to happen, right after a holding call. But a ref that was trying to game the system they would probably have a pattern to their calls, like I called an offensive foul last time so I have to call something different like a lane violation.

[newacc]

Read more from the book here:

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts...nt-you-to-read

Doesn't sound like a fairy tale to me. Guy is a criminal but the story adds up, especially the Bavetta part. Obvious that DB loves attention and tries to make his games exciting.

[sabar]

Possible, but the dude is in prison with no job. Who wouldn't lie for the chance at a fat check from your tell-all book? He's already infamous, of course he will try to profit from it, true or not.

[wildbill2u]

This may be extraneous and useless information, but I used to run into Nunez all the time after games at a tiny little spot called "Sonnys at the Park" that was way out on N. St. Marys at the entrance to Brackenridge Park.

He usually brought one or two refs with him and he did love San Antonio.

[tmtcsc]

This is absolute bull imo. We beat Phoenix and have owned them in the playoffs for years. Do you seriously think Bavetta would say half that stuff to some young ref ?

The guy is a crook and a con. He needs to make money from this book. I wouldn't get too uptight about what he says.

[tp2021]

This is like steroids in baseball...everything will be questioned.

This is awful.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I thought the Jose Canseco comparison someone made is spot on because this puts the NBA in the same spot as any major leaguer whose named was mentioned in the same sentence as HGH or steroids. If they fight it then they doth protest too much, and if they say, "No comment", that's as good as a confession in some people's eyes. Ultimately you have to put some blame on the league and the refs for allowing the sort of behavior that Crawford and Bavetta have become known for that lends even the slightest bit of credibility to Donaghy's claims.

Oddly enough it seems Phil Jackson would be the man on both sides of people's arguments. On the one hand you could say that no one talks more about the refs than Phil and when was the last time his teams really got shafted on calls for a whole series? Doesn't make sense that the refs would target a team just because of an owner in that light. On the other hand, you could say that he was always the coach in the big market with the biggest stars who talked the most about the refs and yet, he never ended up on the wrong side of the whistle? Why would that be? Hmmmmm.

From what I've read here it sounds like he could have just as easily written this book by trolling message boards like this one over the last few years, copying down every bitter fan's conspiracy theory, and claimed it as fact as a whistleblower with insider information. It's probably more bull than not, but like I said, Stern and league have to shoulder some of the blame for creating an environment in the league where such accusations could gain a foothold in the fanbase.

[TJastal]

It sucks that the refs are crooked, and it's just becoming more and more obvious since David Stern took over the league years ago.

Last year, the league favored

1. Lebron
2. Lakers
3. Bulls/Celtics

(in that order)

I'm sure if the knicks had any relevancy they would be way up in the list.

It's really hilarious when Stern and his crooked cronies try their damndest to affect the outcomes and fail miserably. Last year they gave it their best shot to get the hapless cavs past the magic in the ECF but no amount of bull calls could get it done. I loved watching the magic pummel the out of crooked bas s.

[picc84]

I remember that lakers/wolves game. To me that was more fixed than the lakers/blazers game 7 - waaaay more fixed. Blazers imploded on themselves bricking everything and giving up easy points. Wolves were just victims of an agenda. That was hard to watch and I was hoping Minnie would win the game.

I believe everything out of the book. The nba is not above manipulating its product for a more profitable bottom line like most businesses do, and a lot of the stories told in the excerpts are too mundane, "boring", and obscure to be purely imaginary. Were Donaghy just making up I imagine many of the accusations would be a bit more fantastical.

The truth is that the NBA pulled strings to pull the plug on this book. Some damage has already been done but they quelled what could have been a firestorm on this, at least potentially. I'm reminded of Andy Dufresne mailing out his memoirs from the bank in Shawshank Redemption and the police showing up to the prison right after to dispense justice. Only with Stern being the Warden and Stu Jackson the CO.

[greywheel]

Donaghy book canceled over liability

Time to re le the book "If They Fixed It" and place it next to OJ's.

[FromWayDowntown]

While I think that some of what is reported to be in this book makes sense, I have questions about Dongahy's credibility as a starting point.

On top of that, though, it sure seems like I'm not alone in questioning the veracity of things that are reportedly in the book. The fact that the publisher was willing to withdraw the book from scheduled publication over threats of litigation by the league strikes me as a pretty telling choice. Given what we know at this point, it seems plausible to me that the publisher can't independently confirm any of what Donaghy claims and doesn't trust Donaghy's assurances of truthfulness in those claims. After all, it readily backed down from fears of liability to those who are implicated by the book.

[elbamba]

I have been watching the NBA for over 30 years. I have seen many bad calls and and games that made me question the refs. However, think the game is honest and the better team wins in every series. If a game is blown here or there I am not that concerned. I do not think that it is set up and I do believe this is coming from a guy who has financial troubles and wanted to sell as many books as possible. Lets face it, if he came out and named only himself as the bad guy no one would care. He has to sell his associates out or no one would buy his book.

[Interrohater]

This can all be rectified by ins uting an instant replay official or maybe some challenges, like in the NFL.

[zepn]

It's called "shading" and it happens all the time in the NBA. Just a missed call here, an and-one there - just enough to skew the odds. Teams that are shaded against can still win if they play hard enough and well enough, but the shading usually takes it's toll one way or another. The NBA rarely has to actually "throw" a game, which is good for them because it's pretty damned obvious when they do. And for everyone that says too many people would be involved, all it takes is two. The team schedules are posted before the season starts. Why won't they post the ref schedule then? Because they need certain refs at certain games, and they will only know which games as the season unfolds.

[FromWayDowntown]

The team schedules are posted before the season starts. Why won't they post the ref schedule then? Because they need certain refs at certain games, and they will only know which games as the season unfolds.

In the post-season at least, it's relatively easy to narrow down the list of officials who will work crucial games. I've tracked referee assignments in playoff games for years -- specifically to dispel arguments like yours -- and have been able, in many cir stances, to come up with a list of about 7 officials who might work a game and have all 3 of the game officials on it. I've also been able to say with certainty that a particular official will work a game.

I've posted my information and the patterns I've been able to draw from it in Spurs Talk over the course of several playoff years. And when you study the patterns, it becomes quite obvious, given the patterns, that the league: (1) sticks with the pattern; and (2) decides the pattern in advance of any given round. For the league to monkey with assignments in a particular playoff series to have specific officials work specific games in light of evolving cir stances, it would either have to have a crystal ball or depart from its assignment pattern -- and it doesn't depart from the pattern.

[Death In June]

If you're an NBA executive, I don't see why you would flex your muscle to keep this book from publication. It only furthers the admission of your guilt.

[lefty]

Didn't Tommy Nunez try to help Phoenix in 1997 vs Seatlle ????

[Obstructed_View]

@ Donaghy trying to trash the NBA in an attempt to get revenge and steal money. @ the idiot NBA fans that take it hook, line and sinker.

[zepn]

I've tracked referee assignments in playoff games for years -- specifically to dispel arguments like yours --

Of course it's easy to prove what you are trying to prove...

The NBA has "done their work early", to use Pop-speak, for the playoffs. They already know which teams they will favor, and which games will be pivotal. And they have "their" refs available. And of course the NBA will have them loosely fit into a plausible rotation - they would be stupid not to - but they are still there when it matters, and they still do the NBA's bidding.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

If you're an NBA executive, I don't see why you would flex your muscle to keep this book from publication. It only furthers the admission of your guilt.

My guess is they know there's at least a little truth in one or two of the stories he tells sprinkled in among the bull . Worst case scenario in blocking the book is that they look a little scared of it but they can label the whole book as a pack of lies and only have to deal with it once. Worst case scenario if the book is released? They could end up with reporters and fans asking for comment on every little story mentioned in the book, pouring over hours of old footage and press releases looking for confirmation of something he claims. Maybe somebody slips up or something gets leaked that confirms some embarrassing small story or detail, no matter unimportant it might be to the integrity of the game, and there are people who will take the entire book as gospel.

[Galileo]

Best Video of All Time:

NBA: Where Rigged Games Happens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4t5R...layer_embedded

Note - You can hear the voice of Ralph Nader in the background. The ref, Bob Delaney, who lets Kobe Bryant take Mike Bibby's head off, is a former undercover FBI agent.

The anti-small market NBA conspiracy against teams like the Kings, Spurs and Bucks has been exposed!

[Galileo]

Read more from the book here:

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts...nt-you-to-read

Doesn't sound like a fairy tale to me. Guy is a criminal but the story adds up, especially the Bavetta part. Obvious that DB loves attention and tries to make his games exciting.

Federal prosecutions almost always use convicted criminals to prove guilt to jurors. Especially in conspiracy cases, which is 70% of the federal caseload. Don't let yourself be duped.

Tim Donaghy speaks the Truth.