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Did the NBA fix the 2002 playoff series?

msn.foxsports.com — A disgraced former NBA referee told authorities in a four-page letter released Tuesday that two officials conspired to fix the outcome of a 2002 playoff series among other games. Court documents filed by Donaghy's lawyer detailed the "inner-workings" of a plot in which top league executives used referees to manipulate the games.

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  • dcoolidge, on 06/11/2008, -17/+5Just like the first two games of this years finals...
  • mathewsjw, on 06/11/2008, -4/+15just like the first three games of this years finals...

    and every Blazer - Laker series since the Bill Walton era...
  • stukdog, on 06/11/2008, -4/+2The NBA was really thrown a bone this year with a great Western Conference regular season and a dream matchup in the playoffs. It has really brushed the Donaghy mess under the rug a bit.
  • geezerjock, on 06/11/2008, -0/+43You mean that the presence of HUGE sums of money may have, in some way, damaged the integrity of a sporting event? I, for one, am aghast.
  • zlopez, on 06/11/2008, -10/+3steroids in baseball = (possible) fixing in basketball
    • IronTek, on 06/11/2008, -1/+2And:
      steroids in baseball < fixing in basketball
    • ProjectGSX, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2I dont buy it. Youre talking about player integrity vs. money grubbing league executives.
      • Y2JCrisis, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1player integrity vs. integrity of the entire sport.

        Everybody knows that the NBA is rigged. This is why college hoops is so much better.
  • dooze, on 06/11/2008, -8/+2Sounds like desperate words from a desperate man. Would anyone actually believe those allegations from a convicted felon??
    • stevealford, on 06/11/2008, -3/+0Yeah... because someone who would apply certain rules to one group and not another (calling more fouls on one team than another) to make more money (read: EVERYONE) would never tell the truth.

      /sarcasm

      P.S. If I tried hard enough, I could get YOU and just about every adult in the world a felony conviction. Does that mean no one should ever believe anything you say? You're a ***** idiot, dooze.
    • cryptomystic, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3" Would anyone actually believe those allegations from a convicted felon??"

      Yes, what does he have to lose now by coming clean?
      If you really believe that he was the lone conspirator then you are very naive. I bet you think that Iraq was behind 911 and that Building 7 came down from a gust of wind.
      • akatherder, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1He could be telling the truth or he could be a discredited attention whore like Jose Canseco who wants to sell books and cast doubts on anyone he can.
      • threemagic, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1No one believes Iraq was behind 911.. I believe it was Al Qeada.

        Anyway,

        We have a man who is going to want to NOT go to jail and say whatever he can to do so. If they thought his story is without basis or fact they wouldn't accept it as a plea. They have something...
    • yojiffyskippy, on 06/11/2008, -0/+6There's no way they would extend a series to game 7. Why would they want to do that? /sarcasm/
  • JayG25, on 06/11/2008, -3/+11“Fixing” of games happen at every level of basketball. Anyone who has played basketball knows this. A referee can determine how physical and how fast a game is going to be played and kill another team’s momentum with a single whistle on a ticky-tack foul. Referees have the more power is Basketball than any other sports (I have played).

    Could this of happened, Yes.

    Does it mean the game was fixed, No.
    • akatherder, on 06/11/2008, -1/+1Calling a "ticky-tack" foul is not fixing a game as long as you call it on both sides of the court. Most people don't realize that a referee can't

      Referees in hockey have more autonomy because a penalty is so much more important. In basketball, a foul means one possession, 1 point, or two points out of a 100 point contest. In hockey, you are putting a team on a man disadvantage which means a goal about 1/4 the time (in a game where 4-5 total goals is normal). It will take blood for the referees to even consider calling a penalty in OT of a playoff series.

      On the other hand, sometimes you can watch the same guy get pushed from behind in front of the net 99 times, and then they call it on the 100th time.
      • tkonopkaz06, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1It doesn't take blood if you are the Philadelphia Flyers. Man, I've never seen so many penalties called on one team in the playoffs. But then, this is coming from a Flyers fan. Its impossible to beat a team like Pittsburgh with your 2 best defenseman out of the lineup.
      • threemagic, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3You are wrong. Say a home team goes on a run and the crowd gets fired up. We KNOW that team will continue to roll with the energy BUT a ref can start to calls whistles on both sides of the court, causing the crowd to quiet, and momentum to stop.

        There are many ways to change the game.
    • merdiesel, on 06/11/2008, -1/+1Oh give me a ***** break.
      In the remaining 6 minutes of game 6, the Lakers made ZERO field goals but made 18 field goals. If thats not fixed I don't know what is.
  • MattFid, on 06/11/2008, -2/+28What?! The NBA fixed professional basketball? Well it's about time...

    Oh, THAT kind of fixed.
    • wilfordsy, on 06/11/2008, -1/+1Haha. i LOLed. This is quite surprising actually. Considering I never thought NBA would be the next WWE!
  • orph3us, on 06/11/2008, -1/+9david stern cares more about money and power than truth. The fact that Joey Crawford is back in the league and was alloweed to ref the sanantonio series is mystifying. Too many coincidences. I hope the FBI does a full investigation. That's all we can really hopefor. Honestly though, im not even sure that just fixing the games if there was no gambling involved is even illegal. *crossing my fingers for a full investigation* (although im sure the paper shredding is all but done by now)
    • InfamousAtheist, on 06/11/2008, -0/+6I agree, Crawford is one of the most clearly biased officials in the game.

      I gave up on the NBA's sense of fair play about 10 years ago. Worst league of the big three, IMHO.
    • bfisch1983, on 06/11/2008, -4/+5I wish people would stop asking the government to interfere with sports. It's a private entertainment venue, if they want to fix the game then let them. If the fans don't like it, then they can stop giving them all of their money! The FBI/ congress/ Homeland does not need to be worrying about sports. Would you like them to investigate if wrestling is real or not? Or would you rather have some of your tax money back?
      • TimDigg, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3People don't gamble millions and millions on pro-wrestling...

    • georgemason01, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2The FBI should spend their time on more serious matters, not a sports league. If people are going to be stupid enough to watch and think it's real, then the NBA deserves to make money off of them.
      • orph3us, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1I agree about that. There are more pressing matters in the world. Still, it would be nice if the NBA was brought to justice.....
  • blackinthmiddle, on 06/11/2008, -0/+7Looking at point 5 of this link http://misc.mailarchive.ca/survivalism/2007-07/423 ... Shaquille O'Neal complained of a game in the past (doesn't say which one, but I've heard of this quote before) being "predetermined". He said it at the time, so it's not like revisionist history. And yes, the ref for that game was Donaghy.

    Obviously, Donaghy has a vested interest in singing like a canary. However, the league also has an interest in putting all of this behind them. To me, the weirdest part was Jeff Van Gundy's complaint when he was coach of Houston. He said that "an official" told him they'd be targeting Yao. Which official? And his explanation last night that he didn't want to give Donaghy credit seemed like he was hiding something. Nobody said you should give Donaghy credit. Just tell us which official told you Yao would be targeted. That seemed very weird to me.

    If it's still happening, I don't know how. The Spurs were gone in 5 games this year. Oh well.
  • Blitzwing84, on 06/11/2008, -1/+39I remember being shocked watching the abysmal Game 6 Kings-Lakers series in '02. I've never seen so many terrible foul calls. In one instance Kobe Bryant was being guarded by Mike Bibby. Kobe had the ball over his head and swung an elbow into Bibby's face. Bibby was called for the foul. I would absolutely believe that the fix was in during that game.
    • Cerebral, on 06/11/2008, -8/+1Bury... wrong reply button :)
    • theparttime, on 06/11/2008, -0/+6Lots of people remember the mystery chin elbow bibby kobe foul. I remember the crazy no call of Kobe knocking down Doug Christie in game 7 late in the game.
  • j0hnk377y, on 06/11/2008, -0/+8I've always felt the winner of the NBA championship should be given a belt (like wrestling) instead of a trophy (like a real sport). A bad call is constantly followed by a "make up call", it's so common place it's laughed about by the announcers.

    Lawyers should sue the NBA in some kind of class action Gamblers vs Stern.
    • Cerebral, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1You think they'll have those "win or you have to retire FOR-EV-ER!" games? Guys would play their hearts out then.
    • Y2JCrisis, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3Rasheed Wallace gave all of his teammates replica WWE title belts after their 2004 championship and carried his around the next season. After the next season, when they lost, he proceeded to say that the NBA was faker than wrestling and David Stern got pissed.

      It's true though. NBA is faker than the WWE. Look at last year's Pistons v. Cavaliers eastern conference finals. The calls were ridiculous. Even this year Pistons v. Celtics was ridiculous. The Celtics stayed in a game that should have been a complete blow-out based on free throws alone.
      • wilfordsy, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Seriously? I really did not see this coming. I thought NBA was one of the good stuffs and real stuffs. Not the crappy WWE where it's all 100% fake!
  • Godlike, on 06/11/2008, -4/+1The NBA is anachronistic. I haven't heard of anyone watching anything but college ball in ages... they need to wake up.

    Wait, maybe they did - and saw they would have to have some blockbuster stuff to artificially maintain interest in a sport that was replaced by what kids do in college. Phail.
  • reqage, on 06/11/2008, -2/+12The game last night felt like it was fixed. When the Celtics were up in the 3rd, I told my buddy that they would end up losing because they were told at half time to extend the championship so the NBA would make more money in the long run.
    • rishid, on 06/11/2008, -1/+6I felt the same way within the first 5 minutes of the game, when you could just tell the refs were trying to make up for all the limited amount of FT the Lakers had taken in the previous two games.
    • kiddcode, on 06/11/2008, -0/+7I agree with you, but the funny thing is that they wouldn't have had to fix game 3 *for* the Lakers if they didn't already fix game 2 *against* the Lakers. It's like it was a make-up for the bad calls of the last game. Referees just need to step back and let the players play.


    • cappa1983, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2Sadly, i felt the same way, I was one of those fools who was blinded into thinking the games were not "fixed" but the coincidences just keep piling up. Throwing a basketball game is just as easy as throwing a fight... I hope also, that the FBI does a full investigation on this.
    • rishid, on 06/11/2008, -0/+4Yea I live in Boston, and a huge Celtics fans but there definitely should have been a few more fouls called on the C's that game. While C's were being way more aggresive and were actually drawing more fouls than the Lakers, the refs were blind to some obvious Laker and Celtic fouls.

      I love how the NBA does not allow the TV stations to replay inconclusive calls that would make their referees look like idiots all the time. For instance all the close out of bounds calls, unless they the refs are 100% right, you won't see a replay.
      • kiddcode, on 06/11/2008, -0/+4I've noticed that too. Instead of a replay of the controversial call, we see a replay of some layup from before that no one cares about.
      • wilfordsy, on 06/12/2008, -0/+1Just one of their evil ways to not get caught.
  • evo8ftw, on 06/11/2008, -4/+4Wait you are telling me that the nba is rigged? No way never would of guessed.

    Straight from the files of you don't say.
  • irishjays, on 06/11/2008, -0/+7Being a Cleveland fan I'm always shocked at what they don't call on Lebron, but we all know that if they called every contact foul he gets he would be at the line every drive and the celtics series would still be going on, but I also saw situations that helped the Cavs beat the Celtics that even Lebron admitted were ticktak. It doesn't make sense to see LeBron not get a foul call all game, then get one to stop clock and secure a victory at the end if the Cavs are down in the series, or vice versa.
    • satanatnmtedu, on 06/13/2008, -0/+1It is known that superstars get the benefit of the doubt. The NBA is ***** up rule wise. They need to stop the jumping into the defensive player foul just like they are trying to stop flopping. But, it won't happen as long as people still go to game and pay outrageous sums for tickets.
  • medikit, on 06/11/2008, -0/+9The 2002 NBA semifinals were gut wrenching, I don't really feel like opening these wounds again.
  • Boshow, on 06/11/2008, -0/+15David Stern's title should be the Emperor of Basketball. He controls the NBA like Palpatine controls the senate.
  • okie4life, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2This one and every other one. They are taking over Wrestling's genre. Come on, stick to your own game!
  • jfsimard79, on 06/11/2008, -3/+3Meh, NHL Hockey has been fixed for years. They have the Cup winners predetermined years in advance.
    • mrgreen4242, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2You know, I love hockey, and the NHL. I'm a Michigan native, and it's "Hockey Town" around here... but I have to say that I have suspected they've been fixing SOME games for awhile now.

      For example, the Detroit loss in Pittsburgh felt contrived to prevent a sweep so that Detroit could win the cup at home (they were clearly going to win that series, they were plainly the dominant team in that series). But, then Detroit lost it at home and it sort of threw that theory out the window.

      In any case, as an avid hockey fan (I watch between 50 and 100 games a year, pro and college, live and on TV) I do have agree that something about hockey the last 6 or 8 years has felt... suspicious.
      • mrgreen4242, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Rand out of edit time, but I wanted to say that most of this could probably be fixed by adding instant replay to the game. Reviewing every call, or even automatic review of some calls would slow things down, but they could do two simple things to fix bad calls and keep the games pace. First, automatically review all goalie interference calls and any penalty that calls a goal to get waved off. Currently they can review a goal and take it away if they decide the officials made the wrong call, but they can't review a play and give a goal back to a team if an official calls a penalty on the play and disallows the goal. It happens rarely, but when it does it makes a huge difference in the game. The other thing would be to add NHL style challenges to hockey. Let the coaches challenge any call on the ice, and either lose their time out, if they have one, if the call stands, or get assessed a delay of game (2 min. bench minor) if the call stands and they are out of time outs. Simple fixes that are proven to work in other sports already.
    • cappa1983, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2I'm sure NHL games are fixed as well, but "predetermined years in advance"? that's seems a bit pretentious.. don't you think?
    • sameer06, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2If NHL games were "predetermined" Pittsburgh shoud've won the Stanley Cup finals....It would've been a huge boost to the NHL revenue wise, but who won? Detroit. NHL does not have any fixing and if there is there doing a much better job than basketball because no one really knows. But again, i doubt that. If you actually watch the games they dont seem rigged. I watch about 200 games every year on CBC, TSN and NHL center ice and everything is fine
  • davewashere, on 06/11/2008, -0/+19For a league that dishes out HUGE fines for any negative comments about officiating, the NBA sure does have some questionable characters working as referees. I think the league should repay every fine from the past 10 years, and Daniel Stern should be forced to work as Yao Ming's cleaning lady for a month. This league is a joke. From a competition perspective, this scandal IS worse than baseball's steroid scandal. At least everyone got a fair shot at cheating in baseball. This scandal is far worse than the NFL taping scandal. The only reason there isn't a Congressional investigation is because nobody gives a rat's ass about the NBA. Basketball season ends in early April at the conclusion of the NCAA championship game.
    • Jambi, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2The NBA commissioner's name is David Stern. Daniel Stern is a bad actor from the 80s and early 90s, he was in City Slickers.

      PS: Yao Ming's biggest problem isn't refs, it's being injured too often. I'm hoping he'll be back for the upcoming Olympics.
      • davewashere, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3He's been commish for 25 years and I'm still mixing him up with the guy who played Marv in Home Alone. I guess that shows what a footnote he is in the world of sports. In any other sport, a commissioner who stayed at the top position for an entire generation would have been expected to leave some sort of positive legacy. Stern had everything going right for him when he came in (Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, etc) and 25 years later we have a league of thugs and corrupt officials. These things should have been cleaned up 15 years ago. The whole "make-up call" problem has been escalating, to the point that it's getting as laughable as soccer. Also, I realize the refs might not be able to catch "floppers" every time, but league officials should review the tapes and fine AND suspend those that they catch. I don't know why any sport would tolerate that kind of thing from supposed world class athletes.
  • Aero1, on 06/11/2008, -8/+4As a Nets fan, I am outraged. The Nets are the 2002 NBA Champions!!!
  • InfamousAtheist, on 06/11/2008, -0/+11I'm glad to see this coming to light. Most of my sports-fan friends and I have suspected there was some level of fixing in the NBA going back to the late 80s/early 90s with the Bulls.

    Stern is a money-grubbing scumbag. He's always struck me as untrustworthy and more than a little slimy.

    (Edit: I'm a Rockets fan - full disclosure)
  • Cerebral, on 06/11/2008, -1/+1Well first off I would just like to ask why we never hear anything from anybody unless they are "disgruntled" or "former employees"? It makes anything they say just seem so "pissed because they were fired" and it's usually stuff that is always "he said/she said" so there is nothing really to investigate.
    Next I notice people on here all saying the same thing about how some guys get calls and others don't. It's been around forever; look at what MJ used to draw as called fouls. Not only that but it's the same way in baseball. If you are a veteran pitcher, you get a wider strike zone. If you are a veteran batter then you get a smaller strike zone. I don't understand why it is the way it is but when you have sports that have rules that are entirely discretionary you end up with this sort of thing.
    • satanatnmtedu, on 06/13/2008, -0/+1But, we KNOW games were fixed because this ref fixed games. So, if one guy is doing it and there are suspect calls, then it is reasonable to guess that there is more going on here than one lone gambler.
      • Cerebral, on 06/16/2008, -0/+1Again though... here we have a "disgruntled" ref etc. etc. etc. He has already lost everything and this will turn into, most likely, a he said, she said argument and by lying this could be his way at getting back at the league.
        So really... REALLY, how do you know he did any fixing OR that he was not alone in this? He has past issues etc. That's all I'm saying.
  • shawnanigans, on 06/11/2008, -1/+1Well time for the Senate to have a hearing because as we all know sports are of national importance.
  • duncanm, on 06/11/2008, -1/+4Impeach David Stern! (And turn a blind eye to GW Bush.)
  • akatherder, on 06/11/2008, -1/+2I only agree with the idea that the league has been fixed since 2002 because the Pistons always make it to the Eastern conference finals or NBA finals and get eliminated. They are a boring team with no Kobes or Lebrons.

    Yes, that is my excuse for them not being able to win any clutch games. Not because they ***** suck.
    • threemagic, on 06/11/2008, -1/+1The Pistons have the best starting 5 in basketball, bar none. You should take that D out of your avitar this second.

      There problem is because they aren't marketable.
      • akatherder, on 06/11/2008, -2/+1You just parroted what I said. They are a boring team with no Kobes or Lebrons. They are not marketable.

        I would even argue that they've had the best starting five for about 5-6 years running. It's only won them one championship, so apparently it takes more than that, right? They could have been a dynasty, but now they are just the Braves of basketball.
    • 3rnesto, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2In the ECF this year I think it was game 4 Detroit had 25 FT to Boston's 40 and the game was in Detroit.Rasheed said it best its all entertainment its not basketball.
  • 420ilerBuzzed, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3The NHL has been fixing series for years - the NBA just took a page out of their book.
  • matt247, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0Why would you believe Donaghy?
  • ChanM, on 06/11/2008, -2/+1Bring back 90's basketball.
    • gerbco, on 06/11/2008, -0/+5You mean when Jordan was getting every whistle in his favor?
  • galvo, on 06/11/2008, -2/+1The 2001 Finals were also fixed. The 76ers should have beat the Lakers.
  • canewediggit, on 06/11/2008, -4/+5Attention idiots that buy any of this, please explain the following if you believe the league is fixing games by using refs-
    1. Game 7 Lakers/Kings- Kings shoot 2-20 from 3pt and 14-30 from FT line
    2. The Spurs dynasty and Tim Duncan - the most boring superstar in the history of the ESPN era, the most boring team in decades, small market
    3. The Phoenix Suns continued playoff losses - the most entertaining team the league has had in 2 decades somehow can never win anything
    I'm going to reply w/ part 2 since the comment box isn't scrolling





    • canewediggit, on 06/11/2008, -2/+4Part 2.......

      4. The Rockets losing in the first round every year - Yao Ming is the biggest thing in China since the Great Wall, but Stern would allow 1 billion viewers to turn off their TVs when the Rox get bounced in the playoffs?
      5. The Pistons title- Stern hates Sheed, Sheed hates Stern, but Stern let them get a ring?
      6. The NY Knicks - Stern allows the team in the biggest media market to become the laughing stock of sports
      7. Timmy can't name names and only comes up w/ this when he's facing federal prosecution
      8. Spurs/Nets Finals - Clearly the work of a genius looking to boost ratings
      9. Space Jam

      Please tell me how the league is fixed when all of the above took place.
      • Harringstone, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2maybe not everything is fixed...?
      • gerbco, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1so you don't think the superstar players get favorable treatment? You give a better than average player the advantage of the whistle and he turn into a superstar, this is the highest level of athletic performance you don't think biased officiating makes a difference???
        • canewediggit, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2i won't argue the fact that stars get preferential treatment. but that's entirely different than fixing the outcomes of games/series.

          explain the spurs dynasty to me, someone. anyone. tell me how a league that is fixed allows 4 years of championships by an utterly boring team. tell me a how a league that is fixed lets the fundamentally sound spurs sweep a team led by lebron james, the most marketable name in the league. tell me how a fixed league doesn't let steve nash, the most exciting white player since bird, never win anything substantial. tell me how a fixed league lets the billion strong chinese market never get to see their hero in the second round.

          this fails the logic test so hard.
        • Y2JCrisis, on 06/11/2008, -1/+1I don't feel the Spurs are boring. I think they are the only team in the west that actually play basketball. The Suns are boring. Run, shoot, run back. No defense, no rebounding. BORING. Why not just watch practice if you want to watch guys shoot a bunch?

          Offense without defense is just as boring as the other way around.
        • micflo, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2Nobody said Stern was smart. Maybe he was just trying to see if america would embrace Duncan (Virgin Islands) Ginobli (Argentina) and Parker (France). Since the league is filled with foreign players nowadays.
      • rudsud, on 06/12/2008, -0/+0#2 The city of San Antonio may be a small market, but the state of TEXAS is definitely not. Think about that.

        #6 Good one. Thought for sure NY would end up with #1 this year.

        #7 We don't have all the information.

        #8 Things don't always go as planned.

        Personally, I'm done with the NBA until they clear all the officials and start from scratch.
    • coolku, on 06/11/2008, -0/+4Attention, canewediggit.

      1. They had an off night. period. And your point? That's the thing: if they deserved to win in earlier games, they wouldn't have to play a game when they're off.

      2. They're good. period. And your point? We're talking about other games, in fact specific games.

      3. We know too little of the potentially ugly inner workings of the NBA if they decide to fix. God knows who's behind these teams? Money could come from many sources.

      4. Again, alot of agendas we might not see.

      5. They're just a better team playing against a team that imploded.

      6. Mean they'd go so far to fire Isiah?

      7. I'm no expert in legal procedures. But I'd check first to see if that's a standard protocol before commenting on it. Maybe you already have, but your comment didn't show.

      8. Again, we don't know.

      9. This, I can't disagree with you. BAD BAD call. :-)

      I wouldn't rule out whether the league is fixed so soon. Plus, it's like horse racing. Do you think that's fixed? Any time money is involved, there'll always be people thinking about ways to get themselves rich... correct?
      • canewediggit, on 06/11/2008, -0/+21. You can believe a fix was in, or you can believe a Chris Webber team choked. Which of those have historical precedent? In the words of Sheed, "ball don't lie."
        2. So the better team won? That means there was no fix
        3. "We don't know" does not pass mustard when we know exactly how the league generates revenue. Better TV ratings = more money. And the Suns (and even the Nash/Nowitzki Mavs) bring a lot more viewers to the tube than the Spurs.
        4. See 3 above. If you think for a second the NBA is better off financially by letting China tune-out you need to go take a few business courses at your local college.
        5. See point 2
        6. Meaning something would happen, not sure exactly what. But if the premise is the league is rigged, the Knicks becoming the crappiest franchise in professional sports doesn't match.
        8. We do know. It's called ratings and Spurs/Nets is bad for them. Spurs/Cavs was worst in history. If you think that was fixed you have to believe Stern is the dumbest sports commissioner in history. You don't fix a Finals with teams the casual fan doesn't want to see.

        You're right, lots of money is involved. And since it is, the points I've laid out prove that Stern can't be fixing the league because all of those result in significantly less money.
      • theparttime, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2Spacejam was awesome.
      • nelsonmj917, on 06/25/2008, -0/+0canwediggit you make some good points. But I think that we can go beyond the dichotomy of believing either that everything in the NBA is fixed or that nothing is and see a third alternative which is that the NBA referees acting alone (Donaghy) or on behalf of their employers (Dick Bavetta and at least either Bob Delaney or Ted Bernhardt, maybe more) occasionally influence games when they are able to. We know that the actions of Donaghy weren't to call every foul possible the way he wanted it to go, just to shave a point here and there to keep from arousing suspicion. I’m sure he didn’t always have his way in the games he was calling, and I imagine the NBA wouldn't either, but that doesn’t exonerate them from the possibility of influencing the game to have it tend to go the way that they’d like it to.

        So nothing the NBA would do could save the Knicks from Isiah’s terrible decisions, and sometimes the ball bounces the right way and the boring or small market teams are good enough to still win.

        If you haven't seen it recently, you should look at the footage of the particular game in question (Game 6 2002 Kings-Lakers), which is available on YouTube. There was clearly something wrong. The fact that it was so obvious to everyone watching just reflects that the refs had a terrible night as their attempts at influence on this particular night were over-zealous and badly disguised.

        You can’t ignore what’s been pointed out by coolku and others on here that with the amount of money involved, it’s not at all surprising that things like this would happen. There is a history of things like this happening in American sports with the Black Sox scandals, lots of boxing matches I’m sure, baseball looking the other way with steroidal players breaking home run records to renew interest in the sport, etc.
  • coolku, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Have we not changed this to NBE yet, from NBA? I think it'll be more fitting to call it the National Basketball Entertainment... since this is what it came down to, in recent years.

    It's only a matter of time we realize what they're really doing and suggest a name change... and it's a shame for them to continue calling the NBA champs the "WORLD champs"... it's soooo untrue now.
    • wilfordsy, on 06/12/2008, -0/+1Agreed. It's just because they have so many marketable players in the NBA that makes it the best bastketball series in the world.
  • nacker, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1I do not agree with most of the "policies" in the NBA.

    But lets not forget folks, this is entertainment. Its a product. And it has to sell. No suprise to see whats going on.
    Reminds me of Wrestling (WWE)
  • ProjectGSX, on 06/11/2008, -0/+7The NBA is taking cues from the WWE. Any day now they are going to start having theme music for particular players.

    Anyways, its been obvious for years that either the games are fixed (or influenced, at the very least - some nights a team can play so bad that you just cant make them win) or the refs are completely incompetent.
  • TheDeepFriar, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0obviously no. They broke it.
  • hardcoremofo, on 06/11/2008, -2/+1this League has been rigged for years man. The big market teams and the draft. Check out the lottery this year man. You can't tell me Chicago got the #1 pick with a .0008% chance. We don't know what happens behind those closed doors on those lottery balls.

    They like to use "commissioner" but really it's "CEO".
  • gerbco, on 06/11/2008, -0/+5No but they sure helped Dwayne Wade, a better than average NBA player look like a superstar a few years ago.
  • aschwartz, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Its unfortunate. Is there a way to blame the collapse and total joke that the knicks have become on Donaghy?

    I didnt think so, but at least it would make me feel better as a fan
  • Barnstormer, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1The league has a vested interest in a playoff round that goes to seven games.

    Vegas has an interest in beating point spreads.

    Refs make how much?

    If you ever even consider betting on hoops, have your head checked. If you must persist, try to think like the crooked refs and you might have a shot.

    /I'm a fan of 'The Truth' and I approve of this message.
  • stockgotti, on 06/11/2008, -4/+1And this is exactly why the Boston Celtics lost last night. The Lakers could tackle Paul Pierce and nothing gets called but if the Celtics so much as breathed too heavy on precious little Kobe he was going to the line. This series would go four games and out if there wasn't cheating and the NBA would lose millions. That is why the inferior Los Angeles Lakers won last night against an infinitely better team and will probably win the next game too. A bunch of crooked zebras are handing over free wins.
    • zomgflamer, on 06/11/2008, -1/+2Naw dawg. Your team has three losers who have been know to pull a disappearing act. They can't win on the road because they don't get those sweet home cookin BBQ. Unlike the celtics, lakers have kobe bryant. If you got him then its over in the 4th q.
  • AROERS, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2all about the money, maximize ticket sales, and tv ratings. I believe all pro sports are rigged or are attempted to do so at some point.
  • mnortei, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/DarkFormati ...
  • standalonematt, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3Funny thing is this game is when I gave up on the NBA and placed it in a category with WWE wrestling.

    Sad thing is Sacramento spent years loving and supporting the team - selling out games when they were beyond bad. Finally the fans would get rewarded with a finals appearance and this happens. The NBA is to blame for their reaction to game 6 - when most sports journalists, fans and Ralph Nader(!) called the game into question. Had the NBA come down hard on the officials publically (after the series) maybe fans would have been satisified, but the attitude of Stern and company that nothing was wrong just fueled the theory.

    Had this game not been under such high suspiscion it wouldn't be as big of a deal - but where there was already glaring signs of wrongdoing - it just inflames this controversary all over again.

    Oh - and this is not going away - I think there are possible class-action suits from season ticket holders/etc - for sure there will be congressional hearings also.

    You will probably see an independent 3rd party investigation (similar to the mitchell report) and the NBA might have to outsource referee operations to try to rebuild trust.

    This is worse than the steroid scandal and the black-sox scandal. If the NBA itself is guilty of this (or are percievd to be) that is much much worse than any sports scandal before this. If it is true then the NBA better hope nobody else rolls over to investigators - if they do - this is fraud and criminal and could mean prison for people.
  • sicksb, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3i think the ABC sports and espn wont replay any tough calls during a game as per an agreement with the NBA , especially during the playoffs and finals.
    just watch a bad call, or a questionable call, it will not be replayed in slow motion. you wont see it again.
    you will see some throwaway shot of the players on the bench drinking a gatorade!
  • billygreen23, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2The NBA has become to basketball what the WWE is to wrestling. It's entertainment with superstars and drama.

    Have you watched a game recently? It's basically a joke as far as serious basketball goes. But it's entertaining and people pay to watch that.
  • NightflyLester, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0If the league wasn't already weasly enough, they're sueing Donaghy for $1M to cover the costs of the investigation into crooked refs.

    As I've said for years, the basketball season is over after the last game of the NCAA tourney...
  • coyasun, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2Yes, and they do often. See my two cents here: http://markinchicago.typepad.com/cuban_and_the_cub ...
  • ronster72, on 06/11/2008, -2/+4Fill in the blank
    The NBA is full of [ ]iggers

    Answer: Riggers

    The NBA is fixed
  • merdiesel, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3In my heart, I have always felt like the Kings were cheated. Hell, anybody who watched that ***** series could see it. The Kings were clearly the better team but it was obvious the league wanted the bigger city to win. As a life-long Kings fan, this makes me ***** sick to my stomach. Fans pour their ***** guts out for their team and you're going to ***** rig the game!? ***** that. I will never watch another NBA game again. Go ***** yourself David Stern.
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