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We won, anyways.
Spurs-Knicks Game 3 Rigged in '99
"Question: What was the most disturbing subplot of the playoffs?
Answer: The officiating, also the most disturbing subplot of the past four playoffs. If you examine the last four NBA playoff campaigns, during every situation where the league definitively "needed" one of the two teams involved to win -- either to A) change the momentum of a series so it didn't end prematurely, B) keep an attractive, big-market team alive in a series, or C) advance an attractive, big-market team to another round -- the officiating appeared to be slanted towards the team that needed that game. I use the phrase "appeared to be," because reviewing an official's performance is purely subjective. Maybe I'm dead-wrong.
These were just the games that jump out in my mind (again, I could be wrong):
1999, Knicks-Pacers, Game 3 ... LJ sinks a game-winning four-pointer (called a continuation foul by referee Jess Kersey even though LJ was fouled a full second before he released the ball).
1999, Knicks-Pacers, Game 6 ... Knicks last chance to close out Indy before the series shifts back to Indiana for Game 7 ... they get every call.
1999, Spurs-Knicks, Game 3 ... down 2-0, the Knicks get every call in their first home game and win their only game of the series.
2000, Knicks-Heat, Game 7 ... Knicks advance to the conference finals ... falling out of bounds, Latrell Sprewell awarded a timeout by referee Bennett Salvatore with 2.1 seconds left even though none of the Knicks called for one ... Sprewell admits after the game that he hadn't called a timeout ... the Miami players chase the referees off the court after the game, yelling that they had been robbed ... after the game, Jamal Mashburn tells reporters, "They had three officials in their pocket" and Tim Hardaway refers to referee Bavetta as "Knick Bavetta."
2000, Lakers-Blazers, Game 7 ... LA shoots 21 more free throws and rallies back from a 17-point deficit in the final seven minutes ... Shaq plays an illegal defense down the stretch, undaunted ... Rasheed Wallace absolutely gets manhandled down the stretch, yet doesn't get a single call ... up by four with 25 seconds left, Shaq body-blocks Steve Smith out of bounds and the refs don't make the call (the most egregious non-call in recent memory).
2002, Celtics-Nets, Game 4 ... Celts up 2-1 ... the Nets are inexplicably allowed to push and shove Kenny Anderson and Pierce while they dribble the ball ... a number of head-scratchers go against Boston, including three offensive charges down the stretch ... four different "bull-(bleep)" chants during the game.
2002, Lakers-Kings, Game 6 ... LA needs a win to stay alive ... from an officiating standpoint, the most one-sided game of the past decade ... at least six dubious calls against the Kings in the fourth quarter alone ... LA averaged 22 free throws a game during the first five games of the series, then attempted 27 freebies in the fourth quarter alone of Game 6 ... rumors that David Stern wanted to pull a Vince McMahon and declare himself "The special guest referee" for this game prove unfounded.
(By the way, I would feel remiss if I didn't share this information: Bavetta was assigned to every one of the above games. That's an absolute fact. You can look it up. Doesn't mean anything ... I just felt the need to pass that along. It sure looks bad, doesn't it? Maybe the league could do a favor for Bavetta and not assign him to Game 3 of the Finals, especially if the Lakers jump to a 2-0 lead over New Jersey. You wouldn't want to rile up those conspiracy theorists or anything. Ummmm ...)"
Only stupid question is one not
By Bill Simmons
http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/...simmons/020606
I apologize in advance if this has already been posted.
We won, anyways.
I remember that game, it was pure BS. But even at that time I knew they stood zero chance.
So the Spurs got no calls at all?1999, Spurs-Knicks, Game 3 ... down 2-0, the Knicks get every call in their first home game and win their only game of the series.
Zero personal fouls on the Knicks?
I find this difficult to believe.
pull the tapes, .... before David Stern does!
The spurs sweep of the the Cavs kills a lot of the conspiracy talk. Stern would have loved to give Lebron a le or at least extend the series to five or six games...
Tim had foul problems in that game, I gotr it on tape, I have to revisit it, but it was typical BS game where to me homecourt ruled as far as the refs were concerned.
Theres a reason they call him " the Knick"
So the Spurs got no calls at all?
Zero personal fouls on the Knicks?
I find this difficult to believe.
Oh come on, you know what they mean....
Knick Bavetta
"Towards the end of Donaghy's last season I guess the information was getting passed around quite a bit."
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/...y-Scandal.html
Too chancy at the time.
Also, you can't fix every big game, sooner or later someone will talk.
Specifics are needed to substantiate. I won't expect specifics in this thread.
Mario Elie picking up 2 fouls in the first minute of play
That's it?
I'll wait for the spooky synth music accompanied videos from spurfans wanting a retroactive sweep.
Personal Fouls committed in that game:
San Antonio - 27
New York - 23
Free Throws in that game:
San Antonio - 18/22
New York - 23/30
Officials:
BAVETTA
HUE HOLLINS
RONNIE NUNN
I can't say that I recall being too upset about the officiating in that game and looking at the box scores, I still can't seem to remember it being remotely close to Lakers/Kings '02.
and the masks from v for vendetta accompanied by a weirdo voice
That's huge evidence dude! Nothing to sneeze at.
Not that I'm condoning the tin foil hat talk but I remember after that game, the Spurs were basically saying "alright, we got the Bavetta game out of the way, now time for some real basketball".
Tin foil hat wearers have been vindicated this summer!
"and remember that one game, when"
i remember that game, the refs was hurt the Spurs especially Tim Duncan, one time Tim Duncan was in the lane for one second and he was calld for 3 second violation
Not as bad as that one time the Spurs were playing the Lakers and you realized that you forgot to buy beer, made a quickie beer run, and when you got home, David Robinson had fouled out.
One sentence from a Celtics fan is huge evidence?
Ah-choo.
I move a seat over and the Spurs lost. What gives?
I distinctly remember watching that game with friends and we were all in disbelief in what was going on.
In addition to the two famous fouls on Elie in the first minute of play, I
specifically remember a three seconds violation called on a young and fast Duncan cutting the lane on a fastbreak.
That, I had NEVER seen before. Or after. On Duncan or anybody else.
I haven't watched the NBA the same way after that game.
It was actually excellent for my paycheck.
I didn't read your post.
I am happy I am not the only one to remember that "call".
That was VERY creative officiating indeed.
What about Game 3 of the Spurs/Timberwolves series in 2001?
Bavetta worked that one, too, and the Spurs lost that game as well -- on the road!
Believe it or not.
As to the topic at hand, I vividly remember Game 3 of the 1999 Finals and the fact that the Spurs had foul trouble in that game, but it seemed to me at the time to just be a matter of the Knicks playing an inspired, aggressive game at home. I haven't ever thought that there was some sort of fix in the fact that the Spurs experienced foul trouble -- it seemed to be a product of the Knicks playing better than they had in Games 1 and 2 of that series.
The fact that Bavetta was on the floor for that game has never struck me as being anything more than coincidence. In fact, nobody ever seems to about the officiating in Game 3 of the Blazers series that year -- a game in which the Spurs faced much more significant foul trouble (from si.com: "Robinson, Duncan and Sean Elliott -- San Antonio's starting front line -- all were on the bench with two fouls apiece with 3:37 left in the first quarter.") but still won the game.
Game 3 of the 99 WCF demonstrates that if you just play your game, officiating doesn't make a bit of difference.
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