Los Angeles Lakers 108, 
Phoenix Suns 88
Two unrelated events changed how I viewed the Suns’ 20-point loss to the Lakers last night in LA: First, the 60 Minutes interview with former NBA referee Tim Donaghy that aired an hour prior to the game, and second, the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Cardinals and Vikings in Glendale. The former provided context for the Suns-Lakers game, while the latter provided relief from it.
The Donaghy interview was something I’ve been waiting a long time for. This was his first time talking in public about his story – the gambling on games in which he worked (although he did not say whether he gambled on the infamous 2007 Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Suns and Spurs – I suppose we’ll have to wait for his book or blog to answer that. The book is being published btw, just not by Random House), the prison time he did (during which a mobster cracked his kneecap with a blunt object), the fallout including losing his four daughters and wife, and most intriguing, his allegations that the NBA allows and even encourages favoritism and court justice to be practiced by its referees.
Donaghy specifically mentioned that he and his fellow refs gave Allen Iverson unfair treatment in 2007 during a January 6 Nuggets-Jazz game. The day before the game, The Answer threatened referee Steve Javie. Donaghy said he conferred with fellow refs, Bernie Fryer and Gary Zielinski, and decided to get back at Iverson by making his life tough on the court. 60 Minutes played video clips for Donaghy, which gave the disgraced ref a chance to point out non-calls when Iverson was hacked during the game, and vague fouls assessed against Iverson such as palming violations.
And then this: Donaghy explained that he knew when to gamble in favor of the Lakers based on communications with other refs. Donaghy said that more than once the order came down from above to make sure Kobe Bryant received preferential treatment. In one example, Donaghy said that the Lakers sent the league a series of plays highlighting what were thought to be fouls in a previous game, and intimated that Bryant deserved different calls in the following game. Donaghy said that his supervisor gave it a green light, and surprise, surprise – the Lakers won their next game.
Backing up Donaghy’s claims (and thereby refuting David Stern’s admonitions that Donaghy is a lone criminal within the NBA ranks) is former FBI agent and mobster-tamer Philip Scala. Scala has an impeccable track record as one of the FBI’s top agents in the mafia wars, and he says Donaghy is telling the truth about the NBA. All this must make Stern’s stomach turn. Whatever the veracity of Donaghy’s claims, they may end up changing the NBA as we know it, and nothing would promote change faster than a new commissioner.
Following the interview, I felt a little less inclined to care about the results of the Suns-Lakers game. I would still watch it, but the thought of a biased set of officials calling the game removed the drama and excitement from the affair. And besides, it was yet another back-to-back game (designed by Stern?) against a top-tier team, and the Suns needed their starters to play heavy minutes the night before to pull out a win over Sacramento. Phoenix put up a solid first quarter but after that it was all over. The Lakers, with their twin 7-footers Gasol and Bynum – who cost millions more per year than Frye and Stoudemire – and their sharp shooting wing players, were too much for a tired, smaller team missing two of its rotation players. I wasn’t surprised at the result, and after hearing Donaghy’s words and deciding that he is believable, I didn’t much care.
But hey, at least the Cardinals were beating the snot out of the Vikings. Flipping the channel to the NFL, with its devices for foiling bad calls such as the instant replay challenge, was easy to do.
Comments
Although the NBA is ostensibly an athletic, fair competition, it is also a business. And like a business, it makes sense to maximize those markets with the most money, which teams like the Lakers and Knicks have. Unfortunately for Mr. Stern, it seems increasingly like he has been caught treating this game as more of a business and less of a sport. Sure, one could point to all the mechanisms that Stern has put in place to try and make the game fair, like revenue-sharing, salary caps, free-agency, etc. But in the end, he still has a product to push and money to make, and if the big-market teams aren’t bringing in the money, it could be a bust for the league. To my point, look how much $$ teams like Dallas, the New York, Houston, Portland, Orlando, Cleveland and New Jersey have put towards trying to win a championship, with nothing to show for it in the past decade. And the Celtics would have been included in that number had they not mysteriously acquired two great players to complement Paul Pierce in 2007. I mean, the numbers work, sure, but it’s a mystery why the Timberwolves and Thunder would give up Garnett and Allen for what was mostly cast-off fodder.
Stern has been commish for 26 years now. I think it’s time for him to step down and let some fresh air in.
jason,
It’s a good point but the Spurs and Heat both won titles this decade, so I can’t say that the league is rigging Finals and playoffs strictly for big markets.
But, one point Donaghy made was that the refs are encouraged at times to lengthen and sustain series in order to simply play more total games, which brings in more $$$. This is probably much less suspicious than say engineering only LA-BOS-NY to win it all.
As for the Lakers, they have something of an unfair advantage in that they out-spend everyone. Unlike the Suns, who are over the cap too but less inclined to pay for a title with the banking bizness in tatters.
Jason –
Good point about Stern, but the Spurs and Heat both won titles this decade, so I can’t say that the league is rigging Finals and playoffs strictly for big markets.
But, one point Donaghy made was that the refs are encouraged at times to lengthen and sustain series in order to simply play more total games, which brings in more $$$. This is probably much less suspicious than say engineering only LA-BOS-NY to win it all.
As for the Lakers, they have something of an unfair advantage in that they out-spend everyone. Unlike the Suns, who are over the cap too but less inclined to pay for a title with the banking bizness in tatters…
One thing I enjoyed about the Lakers game : Lopez’ performance.
I think Robin matches up well with Bynumb, and does a decent job on gasol too. Although those two went off in the 3rd quarter, I felt Robin was able to bother them at times with his height.
I hate Stern.
Scala says Donaghy is telling the truth about the NBA. That’s just an opinion. There is no way to know if pathological liar is telling the truth. They can beat polygraph machine without using any trick just because they actually believe in the lie. And we are talking about a guy, who lived double life for years…
I guess, we will never know what is true, but I know what’s not. Saying Donaghy didn’t influence games he had money on is a lie. It’s not possible, even if he wanted to stay “honest”.
And if he himself doesn’t believe that he influenced the games (which is possible), he can check youtube clip of infamous Game 3 for a reality check.
I noticed that as well, and hopefully that bodes well for the future. Nothing like a Sideshow Bob to disrupt the taller guys; they’ll be afraid that he’s going to kill them and then sing about it. Or sing then kill. Whatever. Go Suns!
Rude,
That’s the thing – Donaghy is tough to believe. But, during the 60 Minutes interview, I thought he came across as believable. It’s just a hunch but I felt he was only confirming what fans have suspected for years, that the NBA influences games through the officiating.
NE – Only when Stern presents the SUNS with their 2007 Trophy will I relinquish similar feelings.
[...] Finally, a game against the Lakers without asterisks. [...]