Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is a scumbag, and his actions were worse than anything Pete Rose ever did.But that doesn't make Donaghy a liar by default.
The former referee's attorney filed an allegation in New York's U.S. District Court Tuesday, saying referees played an active role in fixing the outcome of critical playoff games.
"Tim knew referees A and F to be 'company men,'" the attorney letter read, "always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series."
The series in question is 2002 Western Conference Finals, in which Los Angeles won Games 6 and 7 to beat the Kings. In the critical Game 6, the Lakers shot 27 free throws to the Kings' nine in the fourth quarter alone.
"Referees A and F heavily favored [the Lakers]. Personal fouls [resulting in obviously injured players] were ignored even when they occurred in full view of the referees. Conversely, the referees called made-up fouls on [Sacramento] in order to give additional free throw opportunities for [the Lakers].
As fans of the game, we'd prefer to dismiss Donaghy's statement as a last-ditch effort to bring others down with him. But even in this NBA Finals, six years later, the tenor of Donaghy's words seems to ring true.
In Game 2, the home team Celtics shot 38 free throws to the Lakers' 10. In Game 3 in Los Angeles, the shoe was on the other foot, with the Lakers taking 34 trips to the line to Boston's 22. Attribute it to a difference in aggression levels, if you like, but the standard for a foul seemed to have drastically changed on the cross-country flight.
Home court advantage is always talked about as such a crucial component to success in the playoffs, and the fan mood undoubtedly has some influence on the outcomes of games. But Donaghy's accusations make me wonder if home court means you also get a little help from the officiating as needed.
Anything for a seven-game series, right?
