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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > June > 11 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USIs there some truth to Donaghy’s claims?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lee Harvey Oswald was JFK’s lone assassin, and Tim Donaghy was the only referee in NBA history ever to fix a game or to think about it.
Yeah, that makes sense.
This makes better sense: There were more shooters on the grassy knoll, and Donaghy is telling much of the truth regarding his allegations of league-wide attempts through the years to fix playoff games.
He says top NBA executives were the masterminds of the attempts. He says referees were told to protect star players. He says those same referees were asked repeatedly by those top NBA executives to call bogus fouls in an attempt to manipulate the outcome of games.
Whatever Donaghy says, he likely isn’t telling the whole truth, because he is trying to shorten his future stay in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges regarding his alleged taking of cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on NBA games.
It’s just that Donaghy makes more sense than Richard Buchanan, the NBA executive vice president and general counsel, who said of Donaghy’s allegations, “The only criminal activity uncovered is Mr. Donaghy’s.”
And the only shooter in Dealey Plaza was in the Texas School Book Depository.
Anyway, according to Donaghy in a letter to a federal judge, those top NBA executives had referees manipulate playoff games in an effort to make each series reach a highly lucrative seventh game. He gives an example from 2002 involving the Lakers and the Kings, and another from 2005 involving the Rockets and the Mavericks.
Both examples are plausible, especially given the controversies surrounding both series at the time. Donaghy’s conspiracy remarks become even more plausible after hearing NBA commissioner David Stern Tuesday night before the Lakers-Celtics playoff game in Los Angeles.
Said Stern, “The U.S. attorney’s office, the FBI, have fully investigated it, and Mr. Donaghy is the only one who is guilty of a crime.”
That’s nearly the same thing Buchanan said about Donaghy’s claims. Sounds like talking points, as in top NBA executives are trying to be careful with their words here.
For all we know, the league conspired earlier during the playoffs to keep the Hawks from whipping the Celtics in that Game 7 in Boston.
Well, probably not.
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Comments
By sammy
June 11, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this
It has been going on forever. The officials answer to the executives at the NBA. The NBA is about making money not playing basketball. Game 7s make money. The top players never foul out or get into foul trouble. How many times did Michael Jorden foul out? What about Colby or LeBryon or any other play like that? What we are hearing is just the tip of the iceberg. Just like the baseball/steriod stuff when it first came out.
By AndyW
June 11, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this
TM is right on here. Donaghy is not exactly the most reliable guy but it’s hard NOT to believe him.
I’m no conspiracy theory nutcase, but I really think that Stern has been ‘fixing’ playoff series for years. This certainly does not prove anything, but where there’s smoke…
By ET
June 11, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this
I’ve watched pro and college sports a long time. Long enough to know that “the fix is in” on some games. The calls are one sided to the point that it is almost laughable at times.
This Donaghy guy is low life, but there has to be some truth to the allegations this dirt bag is making. I hate to say it but I think between the commish and Donaghy I’d have to say that Donaghy is more believable. That is a sad commentary on the state of sports in the USA.
By WWNBA
June 11, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this
Welcome to the WWNBA. Anybody who saw the game 6 of the Lakers/Kings knows something was up. One ref can have a bad game but 3 at the same time? As bad as the Celtics were playing in the playoffs somehow you knew every call would be made to get them to the finals. I can’t tell you how the championship series is going I haven’t watched!
By Terence Moore
June 11, 2008 10:03 AM | Link to this
Here’s something else to consider: If you’re a conspiracy person, you needn’t look further than this NBA Finals.
Going into Tuesday’s Game 3 in Los Angeles, the Celtics were going to the foul line at a ridiculously higher right than the Lakers.
Remember? The Lakers’ Phil Jackson even took a gigantic poke at the NBA for the situation.
Whatever the referees are doing when it comes to calling this series, it just doesn’t look right, especially given the Donaghy claims.
By Mangos Jerry Mangos
June 11, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this
Right about more refs being invovled. Completely wrong about more shooters on the grassy knoll. I refer you to the Penn and Teller show Bulls**t #3-03 Conspiracy Theories.
By Howard
June 11, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this
Terence…another column of yours with which I agree…surprise! Seriously…I take Donaghy’s statements as about 75% truth…and 25% CYA. Think about it when you watch an NCAA or NBA game…put yourself in a ref’s spot and ask yourself…couldn’t you call a foul every time down the court on almost anyone of the 10 players out there?? Heck, they travel 75% of the time…and under the basket it’s brutal…almost like the old game of pitch up tackle you played in your backyard when you were a kid. Same thing goes for the NFL too…Major League Baseball is a little tougher to rig thru manipulation of the rules. But the NBA? I believe that Mafia referee as much as anyone in the NBA front office!!!
By Who Cares!!!
June 11, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this
Does anyone REALLY care about the NBA anymore. The NBA was pronounced dead once the Jordan, Bird, Nique, Magic and Barkley eras were over. Give or take a year or 2. These men were men of great competitive nature but have more class between the 5 of them than the entire NBA and upper NBA management combined these days. Once the hip-hop mentality took over the NBA, it was done. The fixing of games and the current debacle will only be the straw that broke the camels back.
By The Bear
June 11, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this
Terence, great article. You are truly one of the great sports writers of the 21st century. You should be placed in the pantheon of great African American writers: Du Bois, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Jimmy Walker, Terence Moore. Could you maybe help Jeff Schultz learn to write? Maybe you could start a home school program at the AJC for all of the paper’s subpar columnists (wow, that would be a large class of students). Does Jeff write his columns with a crayon? Jeff belongs in a pantheon of greats that would include: Gomer Pyle, Rip Torn, Tonya Harding, and Spuds Mckenzie.
By Money Talks
June 11, 2008 11:03 AM | Link to this
The NBA is not a sport, it is a business. Owners only concern is their profit margin. Star players like Jordan and Bird were protected high revenue generating assets.
By Wink from Lithonia
June 11, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this
Sure there is some truth to what Donaghy is saying. Can he be the only one that is guilty probably not. Remember the referees who while on vacation went to casinos in New Orleans. See how quickly that went away.
We have all seen the phathom fouls on superstars. If you are a rookie in the NBA you can not even breathe on a superstar without picking up a foul, and God forbid you are a bench player and have the audacity to guard one.
At the half last night in game 3 of the Finals, the Lakers had taken 18 foul shots to Celtic 2. Which is the exact reverse of the prior game in Boston. Every ball that went out of bounds on contested rebounds went to the Lakers; refs were calling Lakers ball before the ball even landed out of bounds.
I would go even further with the power of the NBA executives. Did anyone see, as I did at the very beginning of the game first minute, Paul Pierce flexed his knee & grimmace like he had a pain in it. This same knee, he came back and played on in the very game he hurt it. He also had days off, where I am sure they treated and pampered that knee with kids gloves. At that moment I said somethings up. Pierce had been hyped how he loves to play the Lakers in LA and his average is higher in these games. Well, he did not have that agressive look in his eye and he had a terrible game; his passing was atrocious.
Also, where was that defense, that worked so well on Kobe in games 1 & 2, that team defense. The open the game with Rondo guarding Kobe, and this lit a fire in Kobe and he just went to the basket, drawing fouls. I don’t really like Boston or the Lakers, so I can see the imbalance in the way the game is played & officiated. Even Jeff VanGundy did some back sliding on some statements he made regarding the officiating of that Houston series he coached. Is Donaghy the only guilty party I think not!
Said Stern, “The U.S. attorney’s office, the FBI, have fully investigated it, and Mr. Donaghy is the only one who is guilty of a crime.”
I think what you have in Donaghy is a guy who has decided not to continue to fall on the sword. Because they all are saying the same thing…this guy acted alone.
Terrance make a good point below:
That’s nearly the same thing Buchanan said about Donaghy’s claims. Sounds like talking points, as in top NBA executives are trying to be careful with their words here.
By jojo
June 11, 2008 11:16 AM | Link to this
You are dead on it. I knew after game 2 and Phil Jackson’s press conference that: 1.) LA was going to the line enough to win the game (Last night, LA 34 to Bos 22 free throws) and 2.) The NBA officers and officials were not going to let this series get out of hand…..in other words, unless Boston plays “lights out” and the Lakers just don’t show up, this series will be manipulated to go seven games.
Look at the ACC. UNC and Duke go to the line significantly more than their opponents…especially Clemson, Maryland and GT. This past season, GT lost to UNC by one and Tyler H. shot 5 more free throws than the entire GT team. And this has been going on for years. It is predictable and it is in the college ranks as well as the pro’s. Very sad.
By MilMan
June 11, 2008 11:24 AM | Link to this
I have been saying it for years the NBA is most definetly fixed and if you don’t believe me check back after game 7 of this series. It was a fix to get these two teams in the championship and the lakers will win all three at home and the only game they will let them play is game 7.
By Wink from Lithonia
June 11, 2008 11:28 AM | Link to this
One last thing: the little commish makes the rules, or governs over the rules…and is a little self indulgent…loves to flex his power to create his own little world of order….very Bush like! My point the rule to disqualify Amare & Diaw in that Suns / Spurs series for stepping over the line at the other end of the court away from the altercation on the floor, but his interpetation of that same rule changed this year in the Atl / Boston series when Perkins / Garnett stepped over the line no supension for either. Not only does official effect outcomes but so does the commish, maybe he should be investigated….power struck ..ie bench dress code, changing the basketball…only one official is guilty because he said so.!!!
By The "B" in NBA stands for boring
June 11, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this
I personally think the NBA is fixed, too. I have seen too many blatant, “how did they make that call?”, calls over the past 20 years to believe otherwise. The NBA seldom fouls out a star player. Regular season, I don’t have much of a problem with that, but in the playoffs, it should never happen. I came to despise Jordan as he and the Bulls routinely got away with murder. Hawks/Celtics, 1988: Kevin Willis (who had had a great series) and Kevin McHale were killing each other in Game 7, yet I believe the Celtics had a 3-1 advantage at going to the free throw line. In 2002, Kings/Lakers, Gms 6 & 7, Vlade Divac, who had done a great job of slowing Shaq down the entire series, gets into foul trouble early in both games…and fouls out in each, with the game still on the line. I think Shaq got to five fouls, once.
My point is: I do not feel the NBA has any credibility, and I seldom watch it anymore. The NBA will need to have 3rd party officials come in and referee games (with the whole process being overseen by somebody like Sen. George Mitchell) for me to come back…and yes, superstar players will need to start having fouls called on them, too.
Finally, while on the subject of rigging games, why isn’t anyone sceaming more about the Twins rigging the ventilation systems in the 1991 World Series? Nobody considers Barry Bonds the HR Champ, so why aren’t we claiming the 1991 World Series? Three of the games in Minnesota were decided by 1 run, and Scoot Leius and Greg Gagne each homered in the series? I believe the Twins even admitted to doing this, too! So, again, why isn’t there more of the outrage about this, too?
By Bob
June 11, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this
The photograph on the si.com’s homepage today says all you need to know about the NBA. Two guys standing there with their thumbs up their you know what’s as Kobe drives virtually uncontested to the basket. Is this serious? I have no idea why anybody would waste precious minutes of their lives watching this garbage.
By John
June 11, 2008 12:17 PM | Link to this
This is predictable. Everybody knew that once Dohaghy’s misdeeds were uncovered, speculation about ill motives among other refs (and league big wheels) was sure to follow.
At best, the hightly subjective “star” treatment is a misguided tactic designed to provide the best show for the fans. But hell Irene, if they’ed called palming on Earl Monroe or travelling on Elgin Baylor, Dominique Wilkens…the whole freaking league for that matter - would it really detract from the product?
And the tendency for referees to swallow their whistles when it comes to calling fouls on the home team is a dubious practice that’s been around so long it became a cliche a long time ago. Case in point: Boston-Milwaukee playing for the title back in the early 1970’s. Mendy Rudolph allowed Don Chaney to mug Oscar Robertson every time the Big O borught the ball upcourt. Not nary a foul did Mendy call.
Conspiracy? Orders from the top? Who the heck knows. But NBA refereeing has been notoriously subjective ever since I’ve been a fan - in my opinion to the detriment of a great game.
By Bob Sacamano
June 11, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this
People who claim Donaghy is just a crook shooting off his mouth…
… well, how reliable did we believe Jose Canseco was once upon a time?
The thing is, it’s usually the crooks who blow the whistles like this to save their own skin.
David Stern is a Puppet Master.
Doesn’t anyone also remember the 2006 Finals, when Dwayne Wade got about 13, 648 foul shots in the last four games?
You don’t think David Stern’s dislike for Mark Cuban and not wanting to see Mark Cuban win a title had anything to do with that?
The NBA is the EASIEST league to fix by league officials. And it has been. The proof is there right before your eyes for anyone who isn’t blind.
Kind of like with Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds.
By mikem
June 11, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this
As a heat fan, i was laughing during the finals watching D-Wayne just go near the hoop and get put on the line, I actually said to my friend, atleast they are fixing it for my team.
By No Dawgs Here
June 11, 2008 12:49 PM | Link to this
I believe he is telling the truth. Now HE got caught the NBA is throwing him to the wolves. Of course, the NBA is going to deny everything. We ALL know that some games are fixed and we ALL know that NBA stars do not foul out. Michael Jordan got away with more fouls than any player in history. Kobe is such a great defensive player becuase he fouls all the time. Face it money talks and bll sht walks. Money can buy you a championship in ANY sport!! Not just the NBA. Even the NCAA has some rather lopsided called games.
By Patman
June 11, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this
Oh come on, who didn’t know that what this man is saying is true? There are numerous examples, in addition to the ones he gave! Remember the Knicks-Bulls series in 1994 when the bulls weren’t as marketable due to Michael Jordan attempting to play baseball? Who can forget the phantom foul that Hue Hollins called on Scottie Pippen in that game knowing that the Knicks were the NBA’s most marketable Eastern conference team at the time? How about then Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller got in a fight and only Miller got ejected? how abut the 1980s when the Celtics got every ridiculous call and no-call imagineable (at the risk of offending everyone in the free world, the Celtics were the league’s only majority white team at the time)? I can go on and on but we know what’s up. I don’t know if David Stern had a hand in any of it but I think donaghy’s only scratching the surface!
By Veteran Fan
June 11, 2008 1:50 PM | Link to this
David Stern makes over $20million a year to ensure that the league has integrity! He should resign! How many of these issues have surfaced under his oversight and he just keeps spinning! Why do we even need all these people in the league office when they are constantly surprised by these matters. It is like a giant welfare system for attorneys! Fire all these guys and have one person to oversee disputes and one to supervise officials and maybe we can afford to take some kids to a basketball game again. By the way, struggling franchise wins three games at home against darlings of the east and is selling season tickets like crazy for next season, yeah the fix was in! Perkins and Garnett should have been suspended for game 7 if there was integrity!
By Singindablues
June 11, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this
It’s only a matter of time before the NBA will be forced to partner with the WWWF for live Monday night doubleheader telecasts. They’ll even be able to have the same refs call both events!
It’s sad because I believe the players are getting the royal shaft. They know what’s going on but they know their careers are over should they ever step up and speak out.
By Spud Webb
June 11, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this
Donaghy is a complete bofon. But he probably is telling the truth about fixes. This has been going on forever in the NBA, but just now coming to light. Make no mistake about it, the NBA is all about the money and more games = more money.Lakers vs Celts = more money. Game 7 (which I GUARANTEE will happen, because of the NBA) = more money. Even the Celtic fans (read Curt Shillings blog) couldnt believe how there were no calls in Boston. Now their in LA and shocker, the calls are going to the Lakers. Stupid, this has been going on FOREVER in the NBA. Stern is a joke. Jordan was suspended, he was gambling, and called it retirment. The knicks getting ewing, heck even Cleveland landing Labron (from Ohio). Were not stupid Stern. We know whats going on, your just now getting exposed. The NBA is a bunch of crooks, trying to keep the thugs in line. I love it.