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dbandits30	NBA Fixed?		Lead	[-]
Posts: 227 10/27/07 10:03	Tags : None Rasheed says NBA "wanted'' Cavs, LeBron in finals Saturday, Oct 27, 2007 7:09 am EDT Getty Images It may have only been the end of the exhibition season, but Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace was in mid-season form. "I still don't think they (Cavaliers) beat us, we beat ourselves," Wallace said. "And I think we also fell victim to that personal NBA thing where they are trying to make it a world game and get (television) ratings. They wanted to put their darling in there (the NBA Finals) and they did, and look what ended up happening. "This game ain't basketball anymore, it's entertainment," Wallace said. "It's starting to get like the WWF. There ain't no real wrestling anymore either. It's all fake."
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dbandits30		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 227 06/10/08 09:52	Ex-NBA referee: playoff series manipulated By TOM HAYS, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 37 minutes ago Buzz Up Print In this April 10, 2007 file ph… AP - Jun 10, 6:21 pm EDT In this April 10, 2007 file ph… AP - Jun 3, 5:45 pm EDT 1 of 2 NBA Gallery NEW YORK (AP)-NBA referees, influenced by cozy relationships with league officials, rigged a 2002 playoff series to force it to a revenue-boosting seven games, a former referee at the center of a gambling scandal alleged Tuesday. Without identifying anyone or naming teams, Tim Donaghy also claimed the NBA routinely encouraged refs to ring up bogus fouls to manipulate results but discouraged them from calling technical fouls on star players to keep them in games and protect ticket sales and television ratings. Speaking before the start of the NBA finals Game 3 featuring the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, NBA commissioner David Stern called the allegations baseless. "All I can say is that he's looking for anything that will somehow shorten the sentence, and it's not going to happen," Stern said. The allegations were contained in a letter filed by a lawyer for Donaghy, who pleaded guilty last year to felony charges alleging he took cash payoffs from gamblers and bet on games himself. The 41-year-old Donaghy faces up to 33 months in prison at sentencing on July 14. ADVERTISEMENT "If the NBA wanted a team to succeed, league officials would inform referees that opposing players were getting away with violations," the letter said. "Referees then would call fouls on certain players, frequently resulting in victory for the opposing team." The league called Donaghy's allegations false and self-serving, saying the scandal was limited to him and two co-defendants, both former high school classmates who also pleaded guilty to gambling charges. Donaghy's lawyer has sought to convince a federal judge in Brooklyn that Donaghy, of Bradenton, Fla., deserves more credit for coming forward before he was charged to disclose behind-the-scenes misconduct within the NBA. The letter, filed Monday, suggests prosecutors have hurt Donaghy's chances for a lesser prison term by downplaying the extent of his cooperation. Donaghy's attorney, John Lauro, and prosecutors declined comment. "He's a singing, cooperating witness who is trying to get as light a sentence as he can," Stern said. "He turned on basically all of his colleagues in an attempt to demonstrate that he is not the only one who engaged in criminal activity. The U.S. attorney's office, the FBI, have fully investigated it, and Mr. Donaghy is the only one who is guilty of a crime. And he will be sentenced for that crime regardless of the desperate attempts to implicate as many people as he can." 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. In this April 10, 2007 file ph… AP - Jun 3, 5:54 pm EDT The letter also alleged manipulation during a 2005 playoff series. "Team 3 lost the first two games in the series and Team 3's owner complained to NBA officials," the letter said. "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. … The referees followed the league's instructions and Team 3 came back from behind to win the series. The NBA benefited from this because it prolonged the series, resulting in more tickets sold and more televised games." Donaghy's letter said that in the first of several meetings with prosecutors and the FBI in New York in 2007, he named names while describing "various examples of improper interactions and relationships between referees and other league employees, such as players, coaches and management." For example, it said, referees broke NBA rules by hitting up players for autographs, socializing with coaches and accepting meals and merchandise from teams. "The NBA remains vigilant in protecting the integrity of our game and has fully cooperated with the government at every stage of its investigation," Richard Buchanan, NBA executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. "The only criminal activity uncovered is Mr. Donaghy's." Associated Press Sports Writer Brian Mahoney in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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dbandits30		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 227 06/10/08 10:01	Donaghy docs allege refs altered games, broke league rules ESPN.com Updated: June 10, 2008, 10:44 PM ET Comment Email Print 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. A letter sent to the sentencing court on behalf of convicted former referee Tim Donaghy outlines just such a plan. 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. Donaghy's legal team is trying to demonstrate his cooperation with a federal government investigation before he is sentenced on July 14 on felony charges of taking cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on games himself. In other documents filed with the Brooklyn court, Donaghy's lawyers responded to the NBA's claim that he must pay $1 million in restitution to cover the cost of the league's private investigation. Speaking before the start of the NBA Finals Game 3 featuring the Lakers and Boston Celtics, NBA commissioner David Stern discounted the allegations. "My reaction to Donaghy's lawyer are that clearly as the date of sentencing gets closer, and the things that he's thrown against the wall haven't stuck, he's rehashing a variety of things that have been given to the U.S. Attorney and the FBI, fully investigated, and are baseless," he said. The letter alleging referees altered games mentions a playoff series in 2005, and 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 said. "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." Mavs owner Mark Cuban complained after his team lost the first two games of the series, and Dallas went on to beat Houston in seven games. Van Gundy said that a working referee had told him about the league's plan. Donaghy's letter claims that Supervisor Z contacted the coach. Van Gundy was fined $100,000. Documents • Tim Donaghy, right, claims that other referees were involved in altering NBA games. Read PDF • The Donaghy legal team addresses the NBA's claim that he must pay $1 million restitution. Read PDF Looking at box scores from the series, however, the only game in which Yao fouled out was Game 1. He did average 4.4 fouls per game in the series. During halftime of the Lakers-Celtics game on Tuesday, Van Gundy, a commentator for the game, said that while he still thinks Yao was unfairly targeted, he does not lend any credibility to what Donaghy has to say. The letter also details an incident in the 2002 playoffs in which Donaghy alleges that two referees, who were known as NBA "company men," wanted to extend a series to seven games. "Team 5" could have wrapped up the series in Game 6 but saw two players foul out, lost the game and ultimately the series. Only one series went to seven games in the 2002 playoffs: Lakers-Kings. In Game 6, the Lakers made 34-of-40 free throws to 18-of-25 for the Kings. In the fourth quarter alone, Los Angeles hit 21-of-27 from the line while Sacramento made 7-of-9. After that game, a 106-102 Lakers win, Kings coach Rick Adelman expressed his frustration with the officiating. "Our big guys get 20 fouls tonight and [Shaquille O'Neal] gets four? You tell me how the game went," Adelman said. "It's just the way it is. Obviously, they got the game called the way they wanted to get it called." The Lakers went on to win the championship in 2002. Donaghy also alleges that team executives conspired with the league to prevent star players from being called for too many fouls or being ejected. He claims that league officials told referees that doing so would "hurt ticket sales and television ratings." According to the letter, when an official did eject a star player in the first quarter of a game in 2000, he was privately reprimanded. In addition to game-altering allegations, Donaghy's letter claims that many officials carry on "relationships" with team executives, coaches and players that violate their NBA contracts. For example, it said, referees broke NBA rules by hitting up players for autographs, socializing with coaches and accepting meals and merchandise from teams. "Tim described one referee's use of a team's practice facility to exercise and another's frequent tennis matches with a team's coach," the letter says. Donaghy's letter said that in the first of several meetings with prosecutors and the FBI in New York in 2007, he named names. The NBA issued a statement on Tuesday from Richard Buchanan, NBA executive vice president and general counsel. "According to Mr. Donaghy, all of his allegations have previously been made to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney, and they are clearly being disclosed now as part of his desperate attempt to lighten the sentence that will be imposed for his criminal conduct," the statement reads. "The NBA remains vigilant in protecting the integrity of our game and has fully cooperated with the government at every stage of its investigation. The only criminal activity uncovered is Mr. Donaghy's." Lamell McMorris, head of the NBA referees union, also issued a statement: "Tim Donaghy has had honesty and credibility issues from the get-go," the statement reads. "He is a convicted felon who has not yet been sentenced for the criminal conduct he has already admitted to. He may be willing to say anything to help his cause and he may believe these most recent allegations will help his agenda. I'm not aware of any improper conduct by any current NBA referee in the playoffs six years ago or any conspiracy by the NBA to affect the outcome of any game then or now. Frankly we're tired of Tim Donaghy's cat and mouse games." Donaghy's attorney and federal prosecutors declined to comment to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Donaghy faces up to 33 months in prison. Information from ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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dbandits30		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 227 06/10/08 10:09	Donaghy says refs fixed playoffs; Stern says noby FOXSports.com Updated: June 10, 2008, 9:24 PM EST 919 comments RSS blog email print The Tim Donaghy scandal just got more serious. The disgraced former NBA referee told authorities in a four-page letter released Tuesday that two officials conspired to fix the outcome of a 2002 playoff series and influenced several other post- and regular-season games. The fix is in? Tim Donaghy did not mention which series in 2002 was fixed, but the Lakers-Kings Western Conference finals was the only series that fits his allegations. A statistical look at Game 6: Stat Lakers Kings Halftime score 51 56 Final score 106 102 Free throws 34-40 18-25 4th Qtr. FTs 21-27 7-9 Fouled out None Divac, Pollard Fouls 24 31 Game 6 officials: Dick Bavetta, Ted Bernhardt, Bob Delaney Court documents filed by Donaghy's lawyer detailed the "inner-workings" of a plot in which top league executives used referees to manipulate the games. Donaghy claims two referees were "company men" whose job was to extend a playoff series in 2002 to a seventh game. The documents did not name the series, but the Lakers-Kings Western Conference finals was the only series in 2002 that went to a seventh game, with the Lakers winning both Game 6 and 7 to reach the NBA Finals. "Personal fouls (resulting in obviously injured players) were ignored even when they occurred in full view of the referees," the document says of the unnamed series. "Conversely, the referees called made-up fouls on Team 5 in order to give additional free throw opportunities to Team 6." Two players from Team 5 fouled out in the game, the document said, and the "referees' favoring of Team 6 led to that team's victory that night." Team 6 also went on to win Game 7 of the series, according to the document. NBA commissioner David Stern flatly denied the allegations Tuesday, dismissing Donaghy's allegations as a despearte attempt to ease his sentence. "My reaction to Donaghy's lawyer is that clearly as the date of sentencing gets closer and the things he's thrown against the wall haven't stuck, he's rehashing a variety of things that have been given to the FBI, have been investigated and are baseless," Stern told reporters. "He's a singing, cooperating witness trying to get as light a sentence as he can." The Lakers trailed the Kings three games to two in 2002 when Los Angeles rallied to win each of the final two games and eventually went on win the NBA championship. Key Kings big men Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard both fouled out in Game 6. Shaquille O'Neal scored 41 points and pulled down 17 rebounds against the Kings in Game 6, and drew most of the fouls that sent Divac and Pollard out of the game. "Our big guys get 20 fouls tonight and Shaq gets four? You tell me how the game went," Kings coach Rick Adelman said after the game, according to SportsTicker. "It's just the way it is. Obviously, they got the game called the way they wanted to get it called." "I knew before the game I'd be out of it," Divac added. "(O'Neal) went out (on fouls) up there (in Sacramento). It had to be the same down here." Lakers coach Phil Jackson, speaking with reporters before Tuesday's Game 3 of the NBA Finals, stressed the need to wait for proof before any judgments are made, but was not shy to offer a low opinion of the officiating in the 2002 series. "Was that after the fifth game, after we had the game stolen away from us on a bad call?" he said, referring to a game-changing play by Kings guard Mike Bibby in the final moments. The letter doesn't name anyone involved. Donaghy's attorney and prosecutors have declined to comment. The league has denied the scandal goes beyond Donaghy and two co-defendants. Must-read:Kriegel: Lakers need to stop whining O'Connor: Arnie vs. Jack part II? Vote for your favorite Yankee moment Must-see:Rosenthal: Do ChiSox need Lofton? Video central: Lakers-Celtics finals View more videos >>Top headlines:Donaghy: Refs fixed '02 playoff series Tigers ship Dontrelle to Class A Big Brown trainer blames jockey All of today's top stories >>Worth a thousand words:Griffey through the years NBA Finals: Game 2 action View more photos >>Donaghy also claims that a 2005 playoff series was improperly influenced, saying that referees were instructed to call illegal screens more strictly on a particular player after an opposing owner called to complain after falling behind 2-0 in the series. Though the document again does not name anyone specifically, Mark Cuban did complain to the league that year about the officiating after his Mavericks fell behind 2-0 in their series with Houston. Dallas went on to beat the Rockets in seven games. Then-Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy claimed at the time that an official - who was not working the playoffs - informed him of the plan. "I didn't think that really worked in the NBA, but in this case it has," Van Gundy told reporters after the fourth game of the series, according to USA Today. He was later fined $100,000, a record sum for a coach. The document also described other alleged infractions, including league officials telling referees that they should withhold calling technical fouls on certain star players because doing so hurt ticket sales and television ratings." Donaghy also said refs broke league rules by routinely fraternizing with players, coaches and team management and that the resulting inappropriate relationships may have influenced the outcomes of games. He claims one general manager in 2004 made a game-day phone call to referees to encourage them to call more personal fouls against an opponent. Donaghy claims referees have accepted autographs, merchandise and meals from team representatives. He said one official used a team's facility to exercise and another played tennis with an NBA coach. The veteran referee pleaded guilty last year to felony charges alleging he took cash payoffs from gamblers and bet on games. He faces up to 33 months in prison. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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dbandits30		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 227 06/10/08 10:23	Ex-referee Tim Donaghy blows whistle on NBA dirty secrets By JOHN MARZULLI DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Tuesday, June 10th 2008, 4:10 PM Murphy/Getty 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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