theonlyeastcoastrapsfan wrote:Donaghy is a criminal, but where would the justice system be if the words of criminals were automatically discounted as total lies.
As well, wouldn't it be also true that NBA has been proven to employ refs who fix games, and were unable to notice the activity when it was right under their nose, nor was there any sign, prior to if coming out publicly that his performance as a ref was in question? Makes you wonder, are they even looking?
Good point. I read the first few pages of this thread and was amazed how no on even refered to what Donaghy actually said on the Blair show. He has been in the room when NBA supervisors come to prep refs before a playoff game. He said how they make it clear what they want called between the 2 teasms, and how he as a ref would come away from those meetings knowing which team the league wanted to win. And how refs who toed the line and did what the league wants, get to work the next round and so on.
The other major point - a Brooklyn-Miami 2nd round series is hugely more profitable to the TV networks ratings, than TO-Miami. This isn't just a Toronto thing, it put the small market and less glamorous teams at a disadvantage. With muliple millions of TV dollars at stake, you have to be very naive to think there is no bias towrds teams with bigger stars, usually but not always from large markets.
Having watched the NBA since about 1070, I always suspected the league was not totally honest in its dealings. And it became more evident to me that it changed about 1991, under David Stern, when NBC paid huge money to win the contract from CBS. That coincided with the start of the Jordan dynasty title run. When I first heard that an NBA ref had been accused of betting on games, I thought oh no, this will be a distraction from showing the systemic bias of how the NBA operates, he will be seen as a rogue criminal. Because a ref gambling and the league systematically favoring certain teams are 2 different issues.
Then I finally got around to reading Donaghy's book. Turns out that, with his inside knowledge, his gambling succes was based on the exact referee bias that many had always accused the NBA of. He admitted his gambling, lost his job, served time. There is no reason to discredit his uncoveing of the league's inner workings because he is a "liar." He simply has nothing to lose now from antagonzing the NBA power structure. Whereas players, coaches, broadcasters, etc stand to lose a lot if they discredit the integrity of the NBA money machine.
I love Jack Armstrong, and in both games so far he has been on the verge of really complaining about how one sided the officiating has been. But then you can almost feel him bite his tongue and hold back, especially in game 1 when they showed a shot of Adam Silver at the game as Jack was going on about no fouls called in the 4th quarter. He knows, or likely was warned by the producer via headset, not to go too far in telling the truth. He could lose that job if the NBA found he was too critical of the refs.
How do I think it all works? Not by a memo from Stern or Silver saying, we want Miami to win in 6 this series. Nothing so direct. It's by the kind of inuendo from referee supervisors in meetings, that Donaghy talked about on the Blair show. Refs can easily make a 10 or more point difference in a game with no calls, phantom calls (like Pierce's and one call that alowed the Nets a chance in game 2), and a big one, getting certain players in foul trouble so they have to sit.
The NBA's ideal champ is a big market team full of the sexiest stars, like the Jordan Bulls or Kobe-Shaq Lakers. They would love the Knicks to be a power, but no amount of bias could elevate the bad basketball teams the Knicks have fielded for years now. Next best for the league is a team like Miami, and even small market OKC, because they have young dynamic stars popular with kids. Even if the Pacers had not gone into a recent skid on their own, even if they were still playing great as they were earlier in the year, there is no way they would ever have been alowed to beat the Heat to get to the Finals. Barring a majot injury to Lebron or Wade that is. A team that plays well without supertars using teamwork and everyone contributing, like the Pacers, and the Raps too, are just not the glamorous type of team the NBA wants as champ. They never want a repeat of the ratings-killing Pistons-Spurs Finals of the mid 2000s.
There goes my hero. Watch him as he goes.
