Sports fans are going to have a hard time wrapping their minds around this one, but Tim "the Gamblin' Zebra" Donaghy told federal investigators that the NBA tells its referees to favor stars and ensure certain outcomes.
According to the document, he told FBI agents, "League officials would tell referees they should withhold calling technical fouls on certain star players because doing so hurt ticket sales and television ratings."
Notably, Donaghy also detailed how two officials fixed Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals: with the Kings leading the series against the Lakers 3-2, the refs called more fouls on the Kings, ensuring that LA got 16 more points at the stripe and a crack at winning the series (which they did before sweeping the Nets in the Finals).
As someone with eyes, all I have to say is, Wow, thank God Donaghy has broken this case wide open. Send that guy to Washington and he'll blow the roof off Capitol Hill (Capitol Hill has a roof, right?). It turns out that powerful "lobbies" use money and gifts to influence the representatives that WE elected! Dun Dun DUNNNNHHHH!!!
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Is'nt it accepted by now that the NBA is a fix? I've known this since the powers that be selectively staggered suspensions for the Knicks back in 97 so they wouldn't wipe the floor with Stern's Chicago favorites in the next round. Yeah, I said that shit. F Jordan.
I hear wrestling is fixed too.
Arlen Specter is shocked, SHOCKED, by these revelations, and will be calling for a full Senate investigation.
Well, somebody fell asleep at the wheel for the 2003-04 Grizzlies.
I paid rent for an entire year riding that gambling train!!!
/Always a soft spot for Pau Gasol or as I once knew him, 'The ATM'.
He then went on to add "and often men under investigation by the FBI will try to put the integrity of the institution they've committed a crime against into question in order to shift the focus off of themselves… wait, was that last part out loud? Scratch that."
So the NBA didn't want a Sacramento/NJ final? That is shocking.
David Stern: "This is completely false, hey, hey what are you looking at?!?!?"
*Turns camera away from Lakers/Celtics game*
TP,
Who is your crack dealer? I want the number, cause that shit must be the bomb if you think the Knicks were ever going to be the Bulls in 97 or any other year during the 90's.
So the
NBAENTIRE FREE WORLD didn't want a Sacramento/NJ final? That is shocking.So……… small question:
Calling technical fouls on star players might hurt ticket sales……
….but this HUGE REVELATION that refs often put their slant on certain games to go a certain way…… this is PERFECTLY HEALTHY for ticket sales?
Arlen Specter's gonna have a field day with THIS.
Good to know, though. I don't have to bother watching the rest of the NBA Finals because the Lakers are slanted to win it all.
It damn sure ain't gonna be the Celtics. They haven't won a title since 1986. No need to start now.
One has to assume that everything on TV is basically a lie
/Except for Deadliest Catch, That shit is awesome!
I wish that David Stern wanted The Wire to go on for another season
What? NBA stars get preferential treatment in regards to fouls? I've never seen such evidence. I don't believe it.
/grew up watching Michael shoot 12 free throws a game no matter what
Oh, an TP…..you're fucking high if you think that Knicks team had a chance against the 97 Bulls. Although that Bulls team was not as good as the previous year, they were decent.
They only won 69 regular season games.
Deadliest Catch is actually filmed in my bathtub.
I'm just sayin' I ain't the only one who thought it was gonna happen. Instead of a battle with the NYK, yous guys got the cookie and smooth sailing to another title.
looks like Ralph Nader need to write another letter to Mr. Stern.
@HYY, 69 !
Get the fuck out of here! The NBA has the same moral value as boxing, which is as clean as my toilet after coming back from Taco Bell.
TP,
Crack, as they say, is Whack.
Can we expect anything less from a league run by a gigantic (metaphorically of course) Jew???
the NBA is rigged??
in other no fucking duh news of the day, jenna jameson sucks cock, hugh hefner is still getting more poon tang than he rightfully should, and Elton john is homosexual.
thanks tim!
@swany – shit, I thought Crack was Back!
One has to assume that everything on TV is basically a lie
/Except for
Deadliest CatchAmerica's Next Top Model, That shit is awesome!FIFY
Tim Donaghy's edgy haircut makes Matt Maloney proud.