06.12.08
Stern owes Kings championship rings
I dedicate this to everybody who called Kings fans, Kings players and Kings coaches crybabies or whiners in 2002. Former NBA ref Tim Donaghy, who has admitted to betting on games, including ones he worked, has now alleged in court papers that the Kings - Lakers series of 2002 was tampered with. The document, submitted by his lawyer, reads:
“Referees A, F and G were officiating a playoff series between Teams 5 and 6 in May of 2002. It was the sixth game of a seven-game series, and a Team 5 victory that night would have ended the series. However, Tim learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games. Tim knew referees A and F to be ‘company men,’ always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA’s interest to add another game to the series. Referees A and F heavily favored Team 6. Personal fouls [resulting in obviously injured players] were ignored even when they occurred in full view of the referees. Conversely, the referees called made-up fouls on Team 5 in order to give additional free throw opportunities for Team 6. Their foul-calling also led to the ejection of two Team 5 players. The referees’ favoring of Team 6 led to that team’s victory that night, and Team 6 came back from behind to win that series.”
Team 5 is the Kings, Team 6 is the Lakers, and Douchebags A, F and G are Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney and Ted Bernhardt. The three allowed L.A. to take 27 free throws in the fourth quarter alone. They scored 16 of their last 18 points at the line, while centers Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard both fouled out trying not to breathe on Shaq.
“My first thought [upon hearing Donaghy’s allegation] was: I knew it,” Pollard said Tuesday night. “I’m not going to say there was a conspiracy. I just think something wasn’t right. It was unfair. We didn’t have a chance to win that game.”
“This is a hard one to swallow,” Pollard said. “If it’s ever proven, the league owes me a ring. I guess I can’t really say that, because it doesn’t change much. It just breaks your heart.”
Anyone who watched the game, including honest Lakers fans, knows that should’ve been the end of the series. Instead, the Lakers won game seven and the championship over a weak New Jersey team.
NBA Commissioner David Stern had his chance to respond to the allegations, and basically said that Donaghy was a felon with no credibility and that his claims were “baseless.”
How can he be so sure? How can he dismiss the idea so quickly? The felon and cheater was employed by the NBA for 13 years, and Stern had no idea.
He might be right, but he needs to wipe that smirk off his face while he answers, cause I’m not laughing. I don’t think it’s funny, I don’t think it’s ridiculous, and I’m not satisfied with his answer. If anyone wants to argue that there wasn’t a conspiracy, then they have to offer an explanation for the officiating. How could it be so bad? It was more than the volume of calls that came just when the Lakers needed them, it was the calls themselves (e.g. Bibby’s bloody face fouling Kobe’s sharp elbow).
Stern also acted like this was old news. Apparently the NBA launched a $1 million investigation after Donaghy got caught. But I don’t know how thorough it was because Delaney said nobody has tried to contact him about the game. You would think you’d be interested in talking to the refs involved in this game.
I’m still not convinced there was an explicit conspiracy, but I have to think the league wanted a game seven and the refs knew it. Most importantly, perception is reality. Nobody trusted NBA refs before Tim Donaghy. Stern’s casual brush-off isn’t acceptable. Kings fans have never gotten over that series, and especially game six. Saying “Don’t worry about it” isn’t good enough.
As crazy as it sounds, Donaghy getting caught might be the best thing that could’ve happened. The NBA needs a revolution in the reffing department. Get rid of all of them and start over fresh. Right now, people are convinced that corrupt or just plain bad refs are costing their teams games, series’ and championships. Referees robbed the Kings of a championship in 2002, and I’m just one of the many who are pissed off about it.
Stumble it!
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Jorge said,
June 12, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I find this very interesting because of the similarities with baseball. Here we have a “bad guy” making incredibly damaging accusations about the league. Ever heard of Jose Canseco? His said some pretty bad stuff about the MLB, kind of what like this ref is saying about the NBA. Canseco’s accusations turned out to be 100 percent true. And I’m sad to say - this ref is probably right too.
tim said,
June 13, 2008 at 8:27 am
New story: The Feds have investigated Dick Bavetta. One ref even said he was asked more questions about Bavetta than Donaghy. Also, here’s what ESPN’s Bill Simmons wrote in 2002:
“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 Dick 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: Dick 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 …)”
Jorge P. said,
June 17, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Personal fouls [resulting in obviously injured players] were ignored even when they occurred in full view of the referees.
Wasn’t that the game where Bibby got the nasty elbow in the face? I hear you about the refs, soccer has had the same problem- game fixing, dubious foul calling, lots of fakers falling all over the place.