Ex-Ref Tim Donaghy Blows Whistle on NBA's Secrets

[Impakt]

Doesn't it just make you shake your head

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=7eY8qGHU52E[/youtube][/youtube]

[Andrew]

You shouldn't allow your personal hopes or biases get in the way of Judging this, Andrew. This could end up being the equivalent of the steroid era in basketball. It's not looking good and really couldn't have come at a worse time.

True, my hope is that the allegations aren't true and that probably is clouding my judgement at least to a certain extent. With the allegations having been made it does seem to fit but that's the only evidence we have so far. No other officials have been implicated as yet, all we have to go on is the word of someone who isn't exactly trustworthy, who's trying to get a lesser sentence.

I agree that it doesn't look great though and it could end up being similar to the steroid scandal in baseball as you said but Donaghy's word alone isn't proof. I hope that proof doesn't exist and these are the actions of a desperate man trying to strike a deal. If he's telling the truth then it's certainly in the league's best interests to come clean and put a stop to the practice.

tim danaughy maybe thought what he was doing was not really different to what the league was doing.

I highly doubt it, considering Donaghy's actions were linked to personal debts and he (supposedly) concealed them from the league.

[Jing]

Wow, that video really showed the flaws and biases of the officials. The announcers are absolutely baffled. Loved how they constantly commented on the favors the refs are giving towards Dick.

[-Young Buck-]

Wow is all i can say when watching that video. But its nothing new, Jordan had superstar treatment, as did wade during his finals appearance. In that video they just added on the Dirk superstar treatment and did all they could to take Yao out of the game.

Its sad to think that the Kings could have won a championship if the refs called the game right. Im starting to lose faith in the league, especially after game 3 of the finals. You could just tell the refs favored the Lakers.

I would really like for the NBA to change its fouling out rule though. According to the reports the refs were told not to eject superstars. I think it would be best to change the rule so you cant foul out. Keep the best players out there.

[Sauru]

you know if any of this gets proven this will be worse than the steroids problem with baseball, its already bad enough and a big enough black eye on the league with the gambling on games, if its proven that the league is forcing the series to go longer by picking a winner then the league will be in for some serious trouble

[benji]

I've always thought these things aren't active interference, but passive. We all know refs are only human, so they make errors, get caught in the flow of the game, wanting to call with or against it. They're all supposed to be punished by the head of referees when they make bad calls though, and I wouldn't completely deny the possibility that a directive comes from up high to ignore bad calls in games that have favorable results.

There's an old ESPN the Magazine article, in 2000 or so that describes how the entire referee system works. In it, the ref who made the Phantom Four Point Play on Larry Johnson says he knew it was the wrong call the instant he made it. But he didn't immediately reverse it, nor did any of his two fellow refs. It is those kind of instances where you think they might have gone "whoops, bad call, oh wait, league wants the Knicks, nevermind."

[Jeffx]

David Stern has to take a big hit on this too. Instead of being Mr. My-League Has No Problem, he should admit the officiating is inconsistent, and work on improving it. Even if Donaghy is proven wrong, there's a perception that the officiating isn't on the level and that the league is fixed(this isn't new - folks have been saying this for a long time). Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the refs in the 2002 Kings/Lakers series work the Finals? How does Stern let that happen, after the Game 6 debacle?

[Jeffx]

Its sad to think that the Kings could have won a championship if the refs called the game right. Im starting to lose faith in the league, especially after game 3 of the finals. You could just tell the refs favored the Lakers.

But you knew that was coming, especially after Phil Jackon's comments. BTW, how come Phil doesn't get fined for that sh!t, but Jeff Van Gundy got socked for $100K??

[BIG GREEN]

Because phil won 9 more championships than van gundy

[Jing]

Van Gundy's young, he can take the shock and fine. Phil would probably have a heart attack at his age.

[jonthefon]

As a Mavs fan, my thoughts:

-Yes, we robbed Houston during the series. I don't remember too many offensive fouls called against Yao, but Fin got away with a huge game-deciding non-call along with all that crap on the video.

-Of course, I'd have taken a 2006 championship along with the ignominy of losing a first-round series to Houston

[Laxation]

I agree, its stupid. But it's not necessarily "star treatment" as you said in your earlier post.

If you know exactly what I'm talking about, why bother arguing about it?

that's true, game 2 was called fairly....Kobe & the Lakers were just a jump shooting team....in game 3, they attacked the basket....and vice-versa for Boston....game 2 they were aggressive....game 3 they were pansies....

The games didn't appear to be called badly, like you said - it was just 2 teams playing completely different styles of basketball.
I mean, the refs 'let' Radmanovic get away with running halfway down the court without dribbling...

[BZ]

I feel sorry for Kings fans...

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=7eY8qGHU52E&eurl

As a Rockets fan, that game is still in my mind. Believe me, I was a Grizzlies fan when they were in Canada, but the officiating in that Dallas-Houston game was the new definition of horrible imo.

[Jing]

Hm, that's the same video as above.

[-Young Buck-]

Even if Donaghy is a fellon, and cheated, his comments should be taken seriously, and as truth. He is talking to F.B.I. Agents/Federal Prosecutors ...and if you dont tell them the truth he could have another felony/jail sentence for lying to them about these stories.

Apparently these attacks were started because the NBA wanted Donaghy to pay up 1 million dollars to pay for the investigation expenses. So in retaliation he fired back with these secrets of the game.

[benji]

So when does some snarky media gadfly type ask Phil Jackson if the 2002 Lakers deserve an *?

[Matthew]

I think there is a bigger question mark, or asterisk, next to the 2002 championship then the 1999 one. I'm sure most of us remember how that WCF was essentially the NBA finals with the East being at its weakest maybe in the history of the game.

I agree, its stupid. But it's not necessarily "star treatment" as you said in your earlier post.

If you know exactly what I'm talking about, why bother arguing about it?

Because favourable calls are not just given to star players which is what you said earlier.

My gut feeling about this whole thing is its true. I hate to say it, and I hope I'm wrong, but it's there. People ask for the evidence, and the more I look at the 2002 conference finals the more I think "the evidence is right there in the 4th quarter of game 6". Then when I don't look at I think I'm going paranoid, but other people see it too. People who have been around the game for a long time. What really made me stop was Bill Plaschke on ATH. Plaschke is maybe the biggest homer I've ever seen and for him, a Laker homer, to say something wasn't right in that game is significant.

[Andrew]

David Stern has to take a big hit on this too. Instead of being Mr. My-League Has No Problem, he should admit the officiating is inconsistent, and work on improving it. Even if Donaghy is proven wrong, there's a perception that the officiating isn't on the level and that the league is fixed(this isn't new - folks have been saying this for a long time). Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the refs in the 2002 Kings/Lakers series work the Finals? How does Stern let that happen, after the Game 6 debacle?

Stern insists that the league has nothing to hide and has pointed out that the NBA has fully co-operated with all the investigations to date but I'd have to agree with the suggestion that's making the rounds of all the analysts right now and bring in an outside party to evaluate the officiating and investigate these matters if he really wants to remedy the situation and prove that the allegations aren't true.

Even if Donaghy is a fellon, and cheated, his comments should be taken seriously, and as truth. He is talking to F.B.I. Agents/Federal Prosecutors ...and if you dont tell them the truth he could have another felony/jail sentence for lying to them about these stories.

They should be taken seriously and the NBA should be taking steps to prove his allegations aren't true rather than simply attacking his character but I don't think that means we must assume that he's telling the truth without any evidence. Right now, it's his word against the NBA's and it's not as though he's proven himself to be an honest, trustworthy individual. I don't think we can conclusively say either side is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth at this juncture.

My gut feeling about this whole thing is its true. I hate to say it, and I hope I'm wrong, but it's there. People ask for the evidence, and the more I look at the 2002 conference finals the more I think "the evidence is right there in the 4th quarter of game 6". Then when I don't look at I think I'm going paranoid, but other people see it too. People who have been around the game for a long time. What really made me stop was Bill Plaschke on ATH. Plaschke is maybe the biggest homer I've ever seen and for him, a Laker homer, to say something wasn't right in that game is significant.

I don't think there's any question that the sixth game in that series was badly officiated but it's still questionable as to whether the league specifically ordered the referees to call the game that way or if it was simply a case of human error and/or poor judgement. Also, while that game may have decided the series in a sense it was followed by a seventh game that isn't similarly marred by any game fixing implications. If the NBA wanted to influence the outcome that series, surely they would have done more to ensure victory for the Lakers in that seventh game.

That's not to say there wasn't bias in Game 6 but it may not have come from above. Former referee Jake O'Donnell admitted a bias against Clyde Drexler after he retired, it's possible that a similar situation existed with the crew that called Game 6. Obviously that's still not good and a problem that the league should not have swept under the rug but it's not quite as scandalous as the NBA instructing them to call the game that way.

Perhaps I am being naive here but it does seem like a lot of people these days want to believe there's a conspiracy and that David Stern is some sort of evil puppetmaster so the allegations seem to automatically carry a lot of weight. I remain skeptical, perhaps naively in the hope that Donaghy isn't being truthful but it seems to me that if they did it in 2002, why not other years when presumably less desirable teams made it to the Finals?

The other interesting tidbit about the 2002 Playoffs is that the Celtics/Lakers rivalry could have been renewed had the Nets fallen in the Eastern Finals. It seems odd that if the NBA were fixing games and series they wouldn't have tried to make that matchup happen back then.

[The X]

Andrew, the way I understand it is that the NBA didn't order anything....it was the veteran referees who decided it was in league's best interest to extend the series....seems stupid for them to do, if they did it....

[benji]

the NBA should be taking steps to prove his allegations aren't true

How could they possibly do this?

[BIG GREEN]

By pointing out which games were actually rigged.

[Andrew]

Andrew, the way I understand it is that the NBA didn't order anything....it was the veteran referees who decided it was in league's best interest to extend the series....seems stupid for them to do, if they did it....

But that's not what Donaghy is claiming. Donaghy is claiming they were acting under the orders of the league.

How could they possibly do this?

By demonstrating that they have nothing to hide. It's all well and good to question Donaghy's character but that's obviously not going to be enough to clear the league's name. That probably means opening things up to further investigation, similar to the Mitchell Report in Major League Baseball. I'm sure not everyone will be convinced but surely it would lend the league more credibility than simply saying Donaghy is a criminal, you can't trust his word. That line of thinking is enough to take the allegations with a grain of salt but not necessarily dismiss them altogether.

[benji]

But if they rigged other games, how is that proof they didn't rig these games?

EDIT: Andrew posted at the same time as me.

By demonstrating that they have nothing to hide. It's all well and good to question Donaghy's character but that's obviously not going to be enough to clear the league's name. That probably means opening things up to further investigation, similar to the Mitchell Report in Major League Baseball.

But how would they ever demonstate they have nothing to hide? If they conduct an investigation won't it be just as easy to say "of course they wouldn't find anything! Why would they indict themselves!"

The accusations are perfect, the league can never disprove them. The burden is on others to come forward and prove them, but the league has no possible way to disprove this so it will forever taint them. Their only method is the one they already chose, attacking the character of the people making claims.

[BIG GREEN]

..cause it would seem less likely that the games in question were rigged if they are willing to admit which ones were. I guess it wouldn't be solid proof....but i'm just shooting from left field.

[Andrew]

But how would they ever demonstate they have nothing to hide? If they conduct an investigation won't it be just as easy to say "of course they wouldn't find anything! Why would they indict themselves!"

Of course people will continue to scoff. There are people who believe the moon landing was staged on a Hollywood set and nothing can convince them otherwise so they'll continue to question the integrity of the NBA and its officials. But an outside investigation would surely demonstrate that they're doing something, something beyond "he said/she said".