The IronDog Chronicles

I’ve been in the dark with the NBA over the past six years…

My light finally switched off after the Los Angeles Lakers/Sacramento Kings Western Conference Final in 2002. Yes, I’ve always felt that there were separate rules in order to give favored treatment for stars, which is highly understandable. Vets and superstars in any sport always will get the subjective calls. That’s respect, and they have paid their dues.

Yet, the news that has exploded yesterday from the allegations from former NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, shouldn’t be the surprise. What should be the surprise is that no one…not one media outlet followed up on this story when Tim Donaghy’s attorney’s dropped the allegations on May 22 that players, officials, and coaches affected the games. More surprising is that no media outlet has delved into this incident and the Donaghy claims.

As a long-time supporter of the NBA, and believe me, I’ve taken some serious lumps for my loyalty, I began to lose my faith with that 2002 series. I’ve always sworn both Games 4 & 6 stunk like a three-day old ashtray filled to the rim with cheap Swisher Sweets.

The officiating in both Games 4&6 were not only so egregiously bad that even the most passive NBA fan noticed how the officiating was. Even Ralph Nader was in on the mix.

For those of you with short memories, the Lakers shot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter and scored 16 of their final 18 points at the foul line in a 106-102 victory. Nader pointedly noted that Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s elbow to Mike Bibby’s nose that was not called a foul with less than 20 seconds left “prompted many fans to start wondering about what was motivating these officials,” (Actually, my wonder arrived in the stretch of a three calls of one Divac and two quick whistles on Pollard.)

Nader may not be the voice of the common fan or the mainstream sportswriter, but his call in 2002 was spot on with his quote. “Unless the NBA orders a review of this game’s officiating, perceptions and suspicions, however presently absent any evidence, will abound,”

The sham is that no one seemed to follow-up on the purported ‘rigged games.’ Game 4 of the 2002 series was brutally called. With Game 6, Kings Forward, Scot Pollard, replayed his memory tape in AOL’s FanHouse here. It’s good that he still holds disbelief around how both him and Kings Center, Vlade Divac fouled out of the game. As bad of a ‘flopper’ that Divac was known throughout his career, the calls upon him that game were deplorable.

I’m also glad to hear that he believes that the league isn’t a conspiracy with his statement. “If any games were ever fixed in the league, it would have come out. That’s a hard secret to keep. For that many people? That’s a lot of refs … I just don’t buy that there were that many refs over those many years.”

However, there are groupings of three officials on the floor. To hear that groups of officials can not be swayed is bewildering. (I would love to hear more about the infamous Knicks Game 7 victory over the Bulls in ‘94…That was atrocious.)  To assume that there is only a ‘rogue’ individual affecting the outcomes of the games is insulting. To hear Donaghy’s claims that officials are ‘company men’ who want to extend a series to seven games isn’t suprising. Yet, if you’re part of a small-market team, the integrity of outcomes has been seriously damaged.

Now, I’m supporting the belief that David Stern is impacting the judgements of officials or league officials. He would have way too much to lose. However, I do not only wonder where the allegations of the Donaghy case will head, but also what will be done to solve integrity issues with playoff games. (By the way, here are the possible legal outcomes from these latest charges from ESPN’s Lester Munson.)

On one hand, I’m glad that finally the officiating of the Kings/Lakers series has been brought to light.   On the other hand, this blows the integrity of the game out-of-the-water for me. In some fashions, the game seems to be designed in a eerie WWE/Vince McMahon produced way…How can you trust the middle parts of a series, the swing 3,4,5 games, which are the best part of a series? If you’re a ticket-holder, player, or a coach, of a mid-market team or a team on the decline of marketing capabilities, you have to wonder that if your team is not up +10 in the latter portion of a game, what’s going to happen.

With outcomes being affected, franchises (Hornets, Grizzlies, Sonics?) moving for nefarious reasons, the lack of protecting the brand of the sport by not enforcing a more solid age limit, the league has taken major hits. Changes are going to have to be made, which is a shame because the NBA was a great game.

White Light,

BD