OT- Donaghy may have been in on game 6 of the 2002 WCFs

[Shishnizzle]

To me all of this is true. The fact that L.A and Boston both pull off miraculous trades and end up in the finals looks totally manufactured.

I have always had a problem with the fact that you have super star calls, rookie calls, veteran calls, home team calls, calls that are not made late in games, big market calls and small market calls. To me thats just bs. Either its a foul or its not a foul. The reason I watch sports is to see the best team win. Of course I want my team to win, but I respect sports when I am watching teams and players compete in a fair environment. I have not watched one single game since the Magic got knocked out. I would love to watch the sport if I felt it wasn't rigged. I boycott any other games as a protest against what I see as unfair practices by the NBA. I feel the only way to change it is for the ratings to suffer. Of course they get big market teams in the playoffs and they see big ratings, but I believe their ratings would be much higher if people believed in the league. I think the game itself is fantastic but I think the NBA is corrupt. I don't feel this way because the Magic get treated unfairly, because we had a great season and I felt we had some favoritism this year, but I have watched a lot of games by other teams and have noticed bias in the over all majority of games.

I think the NBA is the worse when it comes to this. The NFL has instant replay and it keeps the officials in check, but again holding is subjective and it happens on almost every play. It only takes one or two holding penalties in a drive to kill a drive, but I still think the NFL is way better. I really don't think you can use replay to debate foul calls so thats not my point here. I just think it's hard to officiate in the NBA so it's more difficult to get bias out of the game. The simple fact is advertising and money dominate everything. Greed and money corrupt everything. It's all a big joke. I hate the system really.

[flyingvee]

The spin thrown at Donaghy will require more.

Let's face it, the guy's reputation is seedy at best.

True, but whats getting lost in this, is that fact that the problem was deeper than just Donaghy and very possibly and likely stemming from Stern himself. So for Stern to call Donaghy seedy when the orders were coming from him is hyocritical. Of course Stern will spin it and scramble to cover his ass. Fact is the video tape from all these years is there and public record. Yo have Nader in 2002 calling for an investigation and Stern brushing it aside like Nader was a nobody. Sterns answer has always been that they (the NBA) will investigate it. How can they investigate it when they are the ones initiating it.

There is mention of the 2005 playoffs, the series with the Rockets? Thats the series VAn Gundy said a ref warned him about, and what did Stern do, he hit him with a $100,000 and Van Gundy shut up as if a mafia hitman had paid him a visit. Coincidence that Donaghy mentions this same series now? There is too much at stake. How about Jordan retiring from the game the first time. It all got swept under the carpet the fact that he was going to get investigated for betting on NBA games, so he retired to avoid that.

[OrlandoMagic]

The thing that pisses me off even more are the dumbass laker fans who really thought this was a fairly called game. I am almost certain Kings fans and other fans as well were complaining about the game, while the Laker fans just said "Get over it" or "No our team is just better" or "Sure blame the refs" or "Your just mad you lost". I wonder now if the Laker fans would agree the Kings were the better team and should have won. Its sad to say but I really think the paste few champions should have an asterik next to their names, because I really doubt the best team won it those years. Whos to say the Kings werent going to be champions??

[Shishnizzle]

What about what the league did to Dallas when they gave Miami the championship? They are ruining the sport for money.

[TheRevTy]

Well, at least we have a young up and coming superstar with the charisma the league desires. Maybe we'll be on the right end of some of these fixes soon.

[flyingvee]

I was thinking the same thing, that Howard will be so marketable, unless James moves to NY. Then again if you look back, the league liked that Shaq/Penny combo until they relaized that orlando is a small market. And how Shaq wound up boting to LA still puzzles me, even though I was still in NY at the time. My impression at the time, was that the Magic were matching the Laker offer but then somehow Stern allowed the Lakers to go above the cap to sign him? Don't remember the details, but seems it was suicide for the Magic to just let him walk with NO compensation at all. Did Stern muscle the Magic into letting him go to LA? I have never trusted that weasel. And hands down the Kings were the best team that year and in fact outplayed the Lakers minus the bogus calls.

[Potterman]

Hard to say. I big part of me wants to believe him because it only makes sense. A bigger part of me hopes it's all a lie and that all this issues are just bad coicidences or conspiracy.

Then again he already has altered several games himself. So it has now been proven that it CAN happen. That's something nobody seems to mention.

Ouch!

[Optimus_Steel]

We could of won the finals this year if not for refs.

Jk.

But yeah, thats horrible.. get some clean refs ffs.

Exactly darnnnn refs we should still be playing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jk.

For this to really be big would be if other people, and people that are more believable, to step up and say yes some things were being orchastrated. Until then its hard to just take one shady man's statement. Do i believe its possible though, yes i do. I have to say though, lately i have been much less interested in the league outside of the Magic. Mainly because of the whole Gasol trade fiasco, flopping and the refs. If this turns out to be true then the fans will revolt and wont pay attention anymore, and the league is done as one of the top 4 stick and ball sports. Then again how about the betting in baseball in the early 20th century (was it the Black Sox?) and the recent steroids cases, and the MLB is as strong as ever. Who knows.

[TheGlyde]

My impression at the time, was that the Magic were matching the Laker offer but then somehow Stern allowed the Lakers to go above the cap to sign him? Don't remember the details, but seems it was suicide for the Magic to just let him walk with NO compensation at all. Did Stern muscle the Magic into letting him go to LA?

LOL... just LOL.

Read Shaq's autobiography written during his rookie year.

There is a whole chapter devoted to how he grew up a Lakers fan and spoke to his agent after the draft about the possibility of forcing a trade to the Lakers without ever playing in Orlando.

Devos lowballed Shaq offering ~54mill for 7 years... The Lakers had the cap space, they cleared it and offered Shaq a monster ~121million deal over 7, Devos tried to match it but the damage was done, it was before the days of restricted free agency so Shaq was free to choose.

The combination of the lowball, the Sentinel poll where the Orlando public voted that Shaq wasn't worth 120million, and Shaq's boyhood Laker love, saw him leaving for LA.

[craig01]

The Magic offer actually was higher in dollars up front, but had a shorter term.

The Magic offered a 4 year $54 million contract.

Shaq was gone no matter what the Magic had offered anyway.

Where the league "looked" the other way was with tampering violations by the Lakers. They did, we knew, the NBA knew, and nothing was ever pursued.

Back to the topic now.........

I don't believe that the NBA would ever condone officials steering a game to finality. It would be suicide as a league if they did so and got caught.

I do think the NBA officials have inconsistent standards throughout, I also believe that officials "manipulate" games by steering them with the whistle.

Just look at how the officiating can change when a referee gives a technical to a coach, and then that team starts getting the flow of calls turn their way. Some of this is the human factor, but some of it is the "even up" factor too.

This is the only league that has blatant "make up" calls.

There is rarely official's accountability from the league. Performances are such a guarded secret that it speaks volumes about either ineptness or corruption.

JMO.

[flyingvee]

On the Shaq thing, I did say I did nto remember the whole thing, but yes, the Lakers did in fact start tampering early on and of course Stern played stupid as he wanted the combo of Shaq and Hollywood.

As for the league having the refs steer a game to finality, think about this. Do you think those three refs took it upon themselves to call the game so bad? If it was refs alone you don't think the league would have mentioned something? If these refs were crooked and acting on their own would not officer Stern stop them? Do you think refs let Jordan get away with murder because they were in awe at him or scare dof him? At your job, would you go and run things your way and not worry about your boss, or would you most likely be doing what your boss wanted? I think these refs got BIG payoffs, either from the league or another source to call the games a certian way.

Of note, yesterday Stern said that none of this was news, that the FBI knew about it all last year. NOT TRUE. According to reports the FBI has NEVER looked in these allegations about the 2002 series. The damn weasel is flat out lying now. Another thing from that series, wasn't Shaq going around calling the Kings the Queens? In a league of taunting fouls and Stern concerned about how players dress, there was nothing wrong with Shaq making what could be seen as a derogatory statement?

[craig01]

I don't think the NBA would ever pay off referees.

That would be "fixing" a game.

If caught, that would mean jail time for those responsible.

Even Stern wouldn't stoop that low, plus, as smart as he is, I could not imagine him daring his own fate for ratings . It's not logical.

There are major problems with fairness and consistency between officials and teams.

There are doubts about integrity.

There is the hush of secrecy at all times within the league office.

It will be interesting to see where this goes.

[flyingvee]

OK, so with an open mind, lets say you were one of the refs that officiated that game. What would prompt you to call it in favor of the Lakers? Keeping mind that the NBA and Stern is your boss. Would you such blatantly bad calls on a whim?

Just because the NBA is a legit (cough cough) business, does not mean that Stern and his cronies could get their message about wanting the series to go 7 games without actually saying the incriminating words. Such as the mob has done for years. Maybe Stern is out of the loop, I dont know. There is no other reason why refs could twist a series so obviously if the league did not approve. PLus you throw in the 2005 incident and Van Gundy's fine, plus years of Jordan and then Shaq/Kobe favortism, including this years so-called greatest match-up for the years as they have called it. How many peopel on here, the day the Lakers got Gasol said the league wanted a Laker-Celtic final, and they got it.

Someone at work mentioned the year Barkley was with the Suns and the league was hyping a Suns-Bulls finals from months before, and the Sonics would have knocked out the Suns had it not been for the refs again. From my vantage point I have suspected Stern since the early 90's, and from I have witnessed since then has only made that suspicion stronger.

I'm going to have a hard time getting hopes up for the Magic to reach the finals if Lebron gets another star next to him, because then I'll know that somehow the refs will make sure Lebron reaches the finals.

[craig01]

Well, if it did or did not happen, the NBA again looks silly to the general public.

Actually, the NBA looks corrupt in the eyes of the naysayers..... who grow by the day.

This will be a long time stain no matter how much of it is true.

[flyingvee]

Kind of interesting that this hyped match-up of the century which was going to go seven games suddenly won't now that Stern is under the microscope and the refs couldn't bail out the Lakers.

[TheGlyde]

lmao... yes, thats the reason... now if the Lakers win the next two its cause Stern rigged it that way.