Ex-ref blows dirty secrets

WakeUpPies

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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...stle_on_n.html

Tuesday, June 10th 2008, 4:10 PM

Tim Donaghy, who pleaded guilty to charges of betting on games he officiated, is now airing NBA's dirty laundry.

Ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy told the feds two refs fixed the outcome of one playoff series - and that officials were told not to eject star players from games for fear of hurting ticket sales.

The bombshell allegations are contained in a court document filed Tuesday by Donaghy's lawyer. It describes the "inner workings" of the NBA in which top league executives used referees to manipulate games.

Donaghy, who pleaded guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court to charges of betting on games he officiated, told FBI agents "league officials would tell referees that they should withhold calling technical fouls on certain star players because doing so hurt ticket sales and television ratings," the document said.

Donaghy claims he was told that two refs who were "company men" acting in the interest of the NBA conspired to extend a playoff series in 2002 to a seventh game.

The referees allegedly ignored flagrant fouls committed by the team that needed to win. They also reportedly called "made-up fouls" against the other team which led to the ejection of two of their players. The team favored by the refs won that night and the next game to win the series.

The document does not name the teams. The Nets were in that playoff series, losing the championship finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Donaghy also claimed a supervising referee told refs that an unidentified NBA executive did not want them to call technical fouls on star players or boot them from the game.

Donaghy told feds the league reprimanded a referee who disobeyed that edict in January 2000 and ejected an unnamed star player from a game in the first quarter.

Lawyer John Lauro filed the four-page letter to Federal Judge Carol Amon because none of the information was included in the government's letter to the judge seeking leniency for Donaghy when he is sentenced next month.

Lauro has gone to war against Brooklyn federal prosecutors for offering plea deals to Donaghy's betting accomplices that give them less time than the disgraced ref, despite his extensive cooperation.

Donaghy claims referees have accepted autographs, free merchandise and meals from team coaches and managers. He told probers one referee used a team's practice facility to exercise and another played tennis with an NBA coach.

"These activities were against NBA rules, indeed, such inappropriate relationships could influence the outcome of games," Lauro wrote.

Lauro said he withheld the names of the teams, referees and league officials because the feds may still investigate the allegations.
 

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WakeUpPies

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one more thing, i told you guys the refs call fouls on Yao on purpose

Jeff Van Gundy ultimately backed off comments that a referee told him officials had targeted Yao Ming in the Houston Rockets' 2005 first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. Maybe Van Gundy was right after all.

The letter alleging referees altered games mentions only the year 2005, but the circumstances make it apparent that it is referring to the Rockets-Mavs series.


"Team 3 lost the first two games in the series and Team 3's owner complained to NBA officials," the letter says. "Team 3's owner alleged that referees were letting a Team 4 player get away with illegal screens. NBA Executive Y told Referee Supervisor Z that the referees for that game were to enforce the screening rules strictly against that Team 4 player. Referee Supervisor Z informed the referees about his instructions. As an alternate referee for that game, Tim also received these instructions."

Team 3 = Dallas
Team 4 = Houston
Team 3 owner = Cuban
Team 4 player = Yao


Check out the Video of game 5 http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7eY8qGHU52E , Finely is GOAT, he can steal the ball when he is out of bounds
 

Stiffy_18

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#3
He just confirmed what every true basketball (read non-Laker) fan knew for all this time. There was only one series that went to 7 games that year and we all know what happened in game 6.
 

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#5
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401

...It also alleges that referees helped alter the outcome of the controversial 2002 Game 6 playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings...
I guess Bibby just ran into a Laker elbow, got a blood nose and picked up a foul :rolleyes:

Thats just one of many incidents in game six that just cannot be logically explained ;)

http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/1003807.html

Was Kings' 2002 series loss fixed?
By Scott Howard-Cooper

The former NBA referee facing prison after admitting to gambling on games claims the controversial Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals was fixed to ensure the Los Angeles Lakers would beat the Kings.

In a letter to the sentencing court attempting to show his level of cooperation in hopes of receiving a lighter jail term, Tim Donaghy alleges two of that game's three referees were "company men" who used "manipulation" to extend the series to a deciding seventh game. The team that lost Game 6 had two players "ejected," the letter claims, and later lost the series.

Donaghy does not specify the teams or the referees. But Lakers-Kings was the only 2002 series to go seven games. And while no Kings were ejected, Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard did foul out as Shaquille O'Neal attempted 17 free throws.

"Referees A, F, and G were officiating a playoff series between the Team 5 and Team 6 in May of 2002," the letter states, using placeholders instead of names. "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 best interest to add another game to the series."

The letter goes on to say the two referees heavily favored Team 6, ignoring blatant fouls committed by its players and calling "made-up" fouls against Team 5, giving Team 6 more free-throw chances.

"The referees' favoring of Team 6 led to that team's victory that night and Team 6 came back from behind to win the series," the letter states.

The referees - a highly rated crew of veterans Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney and Ted Bernhardt - called the Kings for 31 fouls in the game that sent the Lakers to the line for 40 attempts, including 27 in the decisive fourth quarter of the 106-102 L.A. win. Three of the Kings' fouls were intentional to stop the clock and get the ball back over the final 19.8 seconds. The Kings, by comparison, shot 25 free throws the entire game on 24 Lakers fouls.
 

Stiffy_18

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#7
sacbee is a lovely publication isnt it? ;)
But it also quotes what the actual letter says but hey if you want to burry your head in the sand then go right ahead!

No one in their right mind would think that the game 6 of the 2002 series was well refereed. Oh, I stand corrected, only the Laker fans ;)

EDIT: Its not only the sacbee thats writing this ;)

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-bettingprobe&prov=ap&type=lgns

...In one of several allegations of corrupt refereeing, Donaghy said he learned in May 2002 that two referees known as “company men” were working a best-of-seven series in which “Team 5” was leading 3-2. In the sixth game, he alleged the referees purposely ignored personal fouls and called “made-up fouls on Team 5 in order to give additional free throw opportunities for Team 6.”

“Team 6” won the game and came back to win the series, the letter said.

Only the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings series went to seven games during the 2002 playoffs. And the Lakers went on to win the championship.

At the time, consumer advocate Ralph Nader and the League of Fans, a sports industry watchdog group, sent a letter to Stern complaining about the officiating in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals.

The Lakers, who beat Sacramento 106-102 in that game in Los Angeles, shot 27 free throws in the final quarter and scored 16 of their last 18 points at the line
...
 

peternorth

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But it also quotes what the actual letter says but hey if you want to burry your head in the sand then go right ahead!

No one in their right mind would think that the game 6 of the 2002 series was well refereed. Oh, I stand corrected, only the Laker fans ;)
nope i remember the game well. worst reffed game ever. even LA reporter on espn this morning agrees. phantom calls everywhere.
 

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#9
Wow. I have been outraged about this since it happened. I continue to rant and rave every chance I get. I am so easily baited on this topic.
I took a look at my hometown newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, and found the forum filled with Kings fans who are saying "finally, we get confirmation"

We didn't hit our free throws in G7 and Peja and Christie seemed to fold under the pressure. That was always easier to accept than a conspiracy.

Laker fans can talk about G4 when Horry hit that shot, but what EVERYONE seems to forget is that Samaki Walker hit a 3 AFTER THE BUZZER to end the 1st half of G4. Because it made the score 65-51, nobody seemed to worry about it. TV showed it several times and it was after the buzzer. It should have remained 65-48. So, when Horry lets go of that 3, it's 99-94, instead of 99-97.... See, I am going through it again. It still makes my blood boil. I have to go sit down and meditate now!:mad:

I cannot get into the head of Donaghy, but I don't see why he would lie about this. He's plead guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Very interesting to see what happens these next few days with this story.
 

peternorth

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Wow. I have been outraged about this since it happened. I continue to rant and rave every chance I get. I am so easily baited on this topic.
I took a look at my hometown newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, and found the forum filled with Kings fans who are saying "finally, we get confirmation"

We didn't hit our free throws in G7 and Peja and Christie seemed to fold under the pressure. That was always easier to accept than a conspiracy.
shhhhhhhhhhh
 

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It is a sad, sad day for bball. You as a fan put all your emotion into a team for them to win it all only to have it exploited by refs and, probably Jew David Stern.

We all knew the NBA was rigged to an extent, but we all kept some hope that perhaps it wasn't....that our love and emotions for our teams was not being taken for granted....but it was.

Kings lakers 02, Mavs-heat 06 and game 2 of this series are prime examples among endless evidence the NBA wants only certain teams to win it all.


This is not sport...this is WWE.

It hurts that something you follow for so long can turn out to be run by conmen like David Stern.
 

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#12
It is shocking news.

Sad to think that people's livelihoods, reputations and careers are placed into the hands of these guys every year.

Watching the Van Gundy interview at half time, he did an excellent job of holding back. I think he feels the exact same way, just a sad, sad day for basketball.
 

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Lol, yes let's all believe the convicted criminal. ;)

The guy is a saint.
 

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Lol, yes let's all believe the convicted criminal. ;)

The guy is a saint.
Well its been WIDELY believed that game 6 was as close to rigged as humanly possible. So many phantom calls, so many calls missed. I think his claims aren't far fetched as you make them out to be.

Sure his track record is not great but he has NOTHING to win by coming out with these claims. He will get his punishment but he gains nothing out of this. Except, the NBA might sue him for those comments but in reality they won't because deep down, they know that it would open up a real big pandoras box and expose the NBA for what it is.


Oh and thats right, Bibby gets called for a foul. I guess his chin went into Bryants elbow ;)

 

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Oh and thats right, Bibby gets called for a foul. I guess his chin went into Bryants elbow ;)

hahahahaa what a BS call!!! seriously laughable that a ref would call that a foul

also. scott pollard reckons that the kings lacked poise and execution which lost them the series and not game 6.
 

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peternorth

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Did some digging around and found the complete letter

http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/080610/donaghy03.pdf

And this would be of some interest too. TD will no doubt do time as he should but I just can't help but think that there is an ambitious FBI Agent out there who would want to get to the bottom off this and expose the corruption in the NBA. We might find out in 5 years time what NBA really is...

http://espn.go.com/media/pdf/070815/battista_martino_complaint.pdf
and to think that the deeper the nba (or whoever) delves into this it could turn out that more and more games were fixed so to speak.
 

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hahahahaa what a BS call!!! seriously laughable that a ref would call that a foul

also. scott pollard reckons that the kings lacked poise and execution which lost them the series and not game 6.
Look, no doubt we choked in game 7. Absolutly no doubt what so ever. However, if it wasn't for a refereeing debacle that was game 6, there would never be a game 7 and Sacramento would be known as 2002 NBA Champions.

Lets face it, these WCF was THE finals. The Nets had NO chance against any of the genuine WC contenders. Lakers swept them, Kings would have done the same.

All pointless at the moment really because that was a great team with a bunch of great guys that loved playing with each other and thrilling fans world wide with their exciting brand of basketball. If these allegations were to be proven true, then it would hurt those guys even more.

Pollard also said the following
"I knew there was something wrong about that game from the beginning. I'm skeptical that the game was fixed, though. How could they keep that a secret?"

"Even if this is proven true, it's not gonna get me a flag or a ring. I hope it's not true because that would make it even worse."
 

peternorth

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Look, no doubt we choked in game 7. Absolutly no doubt what so ever. However, if it wasn't for a refereeing debacle that was game 6, there would never be a game 7 and Sacramento would be known as 2002 NBA Champions.

Lets face it, these WCF was THE finals. The Nets had NO chance against any of the genuine WC contenders. Lakers swept them, Kings would have done the same.

All pointless at the moment really because that was a great team with a bunch of great guys that loved playing with each other and thrilling fans world wide with their exciting brand of basketball. If these allegations were to be proven true, then it would hurt those guys even more.

Pollard also said the following
should we start a thread and poll on the bolded bits?

i wonder if webber had anything to do with the choke and $$? ;) :D
 

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and to think that the deeper the nba (or whoever) delves into this it could turn out that more and more games were fixed so to speak.
Wouldn't surprise me one bit! The signs have been there for a while and it would confirm what many have suspected for a while now.

Stern is a dictator. No other ways about it. And when you get dictator in power, you get corruption.
 

Stiffy_18

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should we start a thread and poll on the bolded bits?

i wonder if webber had anything to do with the choke and $$? ;) :D
Please do!

No EC team would have had a chance to beat the Kings or the Lakers that year. EC that year was probably the worse its been in quite a while. Lakers needed 7 games to account for the Kings who lets not forget had the best record that year and a healthy squad prime to go all the way!
 
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