Disgraced NBA ref spills the beans about how league uses 'superstar' calls, builds game around hyping stars
Tim Donaghy, the NBA ref who was driven from the game in disgrace after he was caught gambling on games, including those he officiated, has a new book out making some sensational claims about how the NBA is run. And he went on Greta Van Susteren's show on Fox last night to talk about it.
Van Susteren: You talk about discussions you had beforehand where refs would say they didn't like a particular player, didn't like a particular team, that that sort of factored into whether you thought that the ref would maybe call something or not call something.
Donaghy: Right. I think there was a situation where certain referees, in my mind -- and it obviously proved successful -- could change the point spread in an NBA game based on relationships by four or five points. And when you talk about adding four or five points onto any line that's at Vegas it's like sitting at a blackjack table and knowing that your first card is an ace when the dealer starts to deal.
Van Susteren: You know, that actually shocked me much more in your book, than your own conduct, because as a fan, or as a viewer, I thought this was all done so straight, and then I find out that the refs are also, you know, talking trash about players and about team owners -- and that that has an impact on some of the calls. It took away, sort of, the honesty in the game for me.
Donaghy: Right, and I think the, you know, NBA fans are very knowledgeable. And over the last 10 or 15 years, they know that a lot of unusual things have taken place.
Donaghy describes how officials would single out and punish players like Allen Iverson if they felt the league hadn't punished them enough for misdeeds on the floor. And sometimes they would just pick on players because they had earned the displeasure of the refs:
Donaghy: One player where referees targeted on a continuous basis was Rasheed Wallace. He was one of those guys that just constantly -- seemed to go out of his way to embarrass referees. And when you do that to the referee staff, you know, at times they would come together, and basically try to put him in his place, or try to get him in a position where, you know, he would stop doing what he was doing.
Van Susteren: So there are the NBA players who sort of get the harsher treatment, deliberately. Are there any NBA players who are particularly well liked, or favorites that get a pass? Where maybe they've fouled somebody, or did palming or traveling, and everyone said, 'Let's let him go'?
Donaghy: I mean, there are situations, and the referees are trained in the fact that, obviously, you don't want to be throwing the stars out of the game, or you don't want to be giving a star a foul that you can give to somebody else who's in that area.
Van Susteren: You mean, you'd deliberately pick who you give the foul to? I mean, if there's a collision of players, you'd pick who you'd give the foul to?
Donaghy: Sure.
Van Susteren: So that someone who might be near the limit on the fouls and who might be a star might not get it, but you'd give it to somebody else?
Donaghy: Absolutely.
Van Susteren: Deliberately?
Donaghy: Deliberately.
Van Susteren: And was that discussed beforehand and afterwards, you know, we're going to do this if the situation arises or something like it. And afterwards, good job, you did that?
Donaghy: Well, it's the way that you were trained. Obviously you don't want to give a Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal or LeBron James a foul that may be his second or third foul in the first quarter, to where he's going to have to go to the bench. I mean, it was openly discussed in meetings that, you know, people paid big dollars to see these stars on the floor. So if there's a situation where you can have two people to pick from, you're certainly not going to pick one of them, you're going to pick someone that's the sixth, seventh, or eighth man on that team.
Van Susteren: And that's expressly said, that that's what you should do.
Donaghy: Absolutely it is.
Now, there's no doubt Donaghy has plenty of motivation to slag his former league, since profits and revenge often mix together. But what Donaghy is describing actually rings true for anyone who has watched NBA games closely over the past several decades.
It has become increasingly clear over the years that NBA officials are corrupt, but not in the usual way; they call games badly at times that are convenient most of all for the NBA, when it wants certain marketable matchups in the playoffs. They are also corrupt in that they clearly make calls based on grudges they hold, and their egos have become the most dominating force on the court.
Anyone who was watching Michael Jordan's rise as the league's premier superstar knows that, in addition to prodigious talent, Jordan was also blessed with a league that stood to gain even more by elevating his stature, and thus with taking it easy on him when it came to officiating.
I was a 12-year season ticket holder to NBA games, and have watched hundreds of NBA games live over the years, and even more on TV. And the process Donaghy describes -- wherein officials decide ahead of time to ameliorate fouls against league stars whenever possible, while simultaneously targeting both players and coaches they deem to be a threat to the officiating crews' supremacy on the court -- was fairly self-evident to anyone who watched many games.
The officials are just symptomatic of the larger problem of the NBA game generally: team play — which is really where the beauty of the game emerges — has for years been sublimated to talent. Michael Jordan in effect ruined the NBA, so that now all that fans root for is that somehow their team can draft or somehow nab the league’s next great talent. Defense is an afterthought in the NBA, and the pick-and-roll is about as team-oriented as you get on offense. The college game — though its players are inferior — is far superior from the standpoint of the game itself.
But the NBA's biggest problem is that it is based on a hoax: It pretends that its games are real competitions honestly officiated, but NBA officials openly control the pace and flow of games and often their outcomes. It also pretends that it's part of the communities in which teams play, but it's willing to rip teams out of those communities if they aren't willing to spend taxpayer dollars lining the pockets of owners. All of that is deeply corrupt.
I thought the NBA's denial to Van Susteren was interesting: It simply insisted that there was no criminal wrongdoing in its operations.
Which is probably true. But there's nothing criminal about the WWF or other wrestling operations, either. That doesn't alter the fact that they're essentially scams, though.
And the NBA these days resembles nothing so much as a hyped-up wrestling scam that still likes to clothe itself in the mantle of being an objectively officiated sport. It's not. And anyone who's watched the game much in the past 20 years can tell you that.
It's tragic, really: Basketball players are the greatest pure all-around athletes in the world, IMHO. And the best of them play in the NBA -- which has become a dysfunctional carnival scam, predicated on raking in as much dough as possible, while the game itself is just a sideshow, a platform for promoting media stars.
Full disclosure: I was a lifetime Sonics fan. And still bitter about it.
I have always thought there is just too much money involved to have fair games on level playing fields.
Now, of course everybody has preferences so do the refs but I find it easy to believe more than half of what Donaghy is saying.
What inquiring mind really want to know:
"Is Donaghy related to Jack on 30 Rock?"
:)
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
"It's tragic, really: Basketball players are the greatest pure all-around athletes in the world, IMHO."
Tragic? Afghanistan is tragic. Pro sports being corrupt...the adjective should be OBVIOUS!!!
"I was a 12-year season ticket holder to NBA games, and have watched hundreds of NBA games live over the years, and even more on TV."
LOL!!!! The first step is acceptance.
...in the toilet. All professional athletes are bad return dollars(golfers, tennis players, figure skaters included).
To point out specifically the NBA is bullshit.
"the NBA is bullshit"
the NBA is rigged for television ratings. It's one thing to do that to the fans, but it sucks more for the players who care about the game and bust their asses.
"I only make a few million a year. Boohoo."
So, does any one else remember game 6 of the 2002 Pacific Division Championship series between the Kings and the Lakers? Looks like all us Kings fans were right.
no, we do not remember.
Holding a grudge for 6 years ain't healthy dude... ;-)
Hey, I'm still not over Game 6 of the 2002 World Series yet.
Hey, I've met literally dozens of morons who haven't gotten over the 1972 olympics basketball loss. At least six years is within the playing careers of many of those players.
Kings fans weren't alone. Any objective viewer with a basic knowledge of the NBA's rules knew that the refs were giving that game to the Lakers.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
I guessed the refs made Sacramento miss all those free throws in game 7.
Come on. You mean Chris Webber messed up in a close game with one possession left? Naw, that has never happened. Everyone on planet earth knew that Webber should have super glued his hand to Horry's face except Webber. How many timeouts do we have Chris?
Sure man. Blame it on the refs. It couldn't be that webber sucks.
John Stossel's pro wrestling "expose" for 20/20.
Greta is shocked––SHOCKED that anyone's professional objectivity could be compromised by personal interest. Hey Greta, now that your innocence has been shattered, maybe you can take a fresh look at the courtrooms, the classrooms, the press rooms you've experienced in your career.
the way this guy slapped Stossel
"the NBA -- which has become a dysfunctional carnival scam, predicated on raking in as much dough as possible, while the game itself is just a sideshow, a platform for promoting media stars."
Which institution, organization, or any part of our 'uniquely' American culture is not a dysfunctional scam?? From the Congress, through the media conglomerates, the health insurance/pharma industries, the legal profession, and into 'professional' sports,
everything is corrupted - for the sake of greed and power.
We are so-o-oo-o screwed...... #;{
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
Thank you.
The NBA died when the Bird and Magic era was winding down. They lacked a true superstar so they built the league around Michael Jordan. I have never seen any player in any sport at the time get the treatment he did(now it's Tom Brady in football). It was way to obvious. I use to be a huge fan but probably haven't watched a game in 10 years. David Stern ruined the NBA.
is intended to be a factual statement
In sports history stars have always gotten a well earned benefit of doubt. Babe Ruth regularly got a fourth strike, Muhammad Ali had to be knocked out, etc.
I've actually been at Chicago Bull basketball games were the crowd booed when Jordan passed the ball.
I have never seen an athlete play all out every game(no matter who was the opponent) more than Jordan...that's why the refs gave him some calls.
But tons of players complained about him and they even wrote a book about it. When Bird and Magic were playing Jordan couldn't buy a Championship even though the two were at the tail end of thier career. Although Bird did retire one year after Jordan one his first Championship he was in and out of the lineup with injuries and Magic left the game for a while when he was diagnosed HIV positive. They were the face of the NBA. The NBA needed a new face for thier ailing stars and falling viewership. They new Jordan was popular, more popular than Dominuque Wilkins, so they made him thier savior. Hey, it worked. Jordan got more calls than 911.
Every dunk that Jordan ever made was a travel and he was never called for it. Jordan ended the travel calls in the NBA.
is intended to be a factual statement
What? You mean "5-step Jordan"? The guy had talent, which infuriated me even more to watch him while he was allowed to just walk around the court holding the ball. Since it worked for Jordan, they started letting the other big NBA stars do it. Sick. It's starting to invade college ball too.
Calling traveling in the NBA is most definitely one of the calls refs use to get back at players. There is zero consistency in the calls and the call is rarely made.
It's hard for me to watch major league sports anymore. And it's slowly becoming harder to watch college sports.
...and he didn't get the calls that Jordan got.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
...or with the women...Lol.
I don't understand how anyone can sit through, let alone be passionate about, a game where the fundamental rules are meaningless. Palming, traveling, blocking? You must be talking about instructional league! Pivot on the right foot... pivot on the left foot... carry the ball by the defender... stop... dribble once... duck and dunk. DID YOU SEE THAT!? Brilliant play!
... when was the last time they called traveling on anyone in the NBA?
Just last night I saw numerous tavelling calls while watching the NBA. Another myth shattered?
Did those calls happen while they were trying to clean the poop from the unicorn at the half time show?
1.No enforcing of travelling/palming rule.
2.They play no defense.
As a somewhat avid watcher of the three major sports leagues-the current NBA is much closer to it's golden era(Magic/Bird)than the other leagues are to theirs.
One year before Michael Jordan entered the league.
is intended to be a factual statement
In the Cleveland V Portland game and I didn't watch the whole game.
for ya
Unlike the NBA, the WNBA is fundamentally a basketball league, but they still employ the modern "professional dribble": BOUNCE, UP... [one Mississippi...], BOUNCE, UP..., BOUNCE, UP....
learned everything they know not from Rubin and his acolytes, but from Donaghy and the NBA ref's.
Hell, if anything, they've proven it's even easier to rig an economy for the "stars" of Wall Street, than it is for stars of NBA games.
Robert R, Larry S, and Little Timmy G make Donaghy and the other refs look like pikers - little kids playing with marbles while the big boys graduate to inside baseball and aim at their opponents heads.
Why go to jail like Donaghy for fixing games for thousands, or millions, of dollars, when you can steal trillions and walk around a free man?
There you go, America has become one giant vacuum cleaner controlled by the wealthy to suck up whatever little money the middle class has left: health insurance companies, banks and financial institutions, oil companies, and now the truth is out--professional sports franchises. What a waste of time and money.
Back when I was in Portland the Trailblazers were laughed at because they claimed the refs were against them, but they probably were right. Rasheed Wallace got himself terrible reputation which was almost certainly undeserved. He was a great player and in every other way a fine person, but he kept getting Ts and ejections. It almost ruined his career.
I imagine this story will be big in Portland.
It will also be big in Dallas where Mark Cuban was crucified by the refs for his criticism. Dallas' collapse during the championship series with Miami looked suspicious even back then. Now there is a smoking gun.
Not true. I am a Dallas Mavericks fan, and the Mavericks were their own worst enemy. The Mavericks stunk up the place not the refs.
The Mavericks were up 2-0 in the series and blew big leads in the games they lost. Refs calls may be questionable from time to time, but no ref could engineer such collapse as the Mavericks had.
Followed Sheed into Detroit. I think refs made the calls on him because they liked provoking the reactions out of him.
It was great watching him play for Detroit. He really has some talent. Sad to see him go, but I can't blame him. Detroit is crumbling and has made some really bad moves. Trading for Iverson to hopefully get James was thee dumbest move and now look at the team. Anyway, glad Sheed is with Boston now.
it's not just the NBA. The only Super Bowl the Seattle Seahawks played in againts Pittsburg, Chuck Knox said that it's hard to win against a team that has the guys in striped shirts on their team.
Could be said of the financial sector too. look how many times the guys in the striped shirt tried to catch bernie madoff but didn't.
This story is another reason why I don't watch pro sports anymore. But it also is indicative of working with commodities in a growing population. There is so much money at stake in these games, of course the refs and players are bribable. They could make more on a bribe than they could from a year of playing. And that makes the game take a backseat.
We see it almost every f*cking game. Think those NFL ref's are bought?! Damn straight they are - always for EAST COAST TEAMS.
someone asked what was the last truly Cinderella team to win the Championship?
Detroit? San Antonio the first time?
The thing that keeps me watching the NBA is that the refs can nudge a game or handicap a team, but they can't stop a player or a team on fire. It's kind of like boxing -- if you're going to beat the champ, beat the champ and don't count on the judges to do it for you.
Well we've been hearing for years how the sports leagues want the big market teams to make it to the play offs and championships because it makes more money for the big boys. It all makes sense. It's a corrupt system. You would be better off to spend your time wood-carving. At least you would know the final product would be authentic.
Unless someone slipped you some fake wood?
Would that be from the Viagra tree?
I crack myself up!
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
I've said these exact things about the NBA for years. It's so obvious how the refs influence the lines in any game. I can't even watch the NBA any more.
I never liked the basketball and don't follow it, but I've suspected the NBA was rigged since the "draft lottery" where New York "won" (read: were selected) and got Patrick Ewing. And let's not forget the IRS and referee tax fraud case of a few years ago.
Even so, the person talking in this case is seeking his 15 minutes because it's the end of his basketball-related career. What I'd like to hear is a ref who quits on principle, without being arrested, and says the same things.
Ted Williams rarely got a called third strike.Even in the sacred NFL this goes on-did anyone watch the Seattle/Pittsburgh Super Bowl?By the way,as a long time watcher of all sports, the current NBA is far superior to the other leagues.
Can I assume the people who produce the C&L site...don't watch 60 Minutes?
This entire interview and more was on a week ago.
he only watches cable.
"The deal has to be negotiated in the real world, not on some idealized Aristotelian plane. We understand that. A 100-percent deal may be impossible."
Famous "Reality Based" Commentator
The NBA is a frickin' snoozefest and is more boring than baseball in April.
The best athletes in the world - boxers. Try it sometime.
I can run up and down a court, play defense, shoot, pick, roll and rebound for hours on end.
Throwing punches while trying to avoid getting an ass kicking is Herculean, even for just a few rounds.
Boxing - the poster child of corruption
Best athletes in the world - waste of time to debate as no real consensus is possible
Boxing is the worst, corrupt sport there is.
There is no debate on athletes. Boxers are by far the best athletes and the sport is the most physically demanding, case closed.
I urge anybody who disagrees to simply work 3 3 minute rounds on a heavy bag.
You'll kick your own ass.
The riders who finish the Tour de France.
to a boxer it would be the equivalent of fighting 15rds for 24 days with 2-3 days rest.
'Talk to the hand'
Every year a handful of the top Tour finishers flunk their dope tests.
It just shows how tough it truly is.
There will always be cheaters at the top of the heap.
'Talk to the hand'
good point.
I've done some 30-50 mile rides. Whole body kind of pain afterwards. Nothing close to fight pain, though.
Still an excellent, excellent point.
I would argue, however, that the act of getting hit over those 15 rounds is way out of the league of any rider at any level. When riding, your body doesn't get physically broken by another competitor...and you can put it on cruise control at any point you choose when riding.
Can't do it in boxing.
Next thing you are going to tell me Santa ain't real. LOL, right....
My buddy Neil, has been a Knicks fan for 40+ years and said when he was a little kid, his dad would take him to the game. He said that the refs would always look up into the stands to some guy for direction on when to throw a foul.
Again, the favorite team can win, but if they don't cover the line, the bookie "in-the-know" makes big, big bucks.
The favorite can take the crown, but the line is king.
And don't think the NFL is any different. We've all seen holding calls not made, and pentalies on non-existent acts over the years. It's not about the win, it's all about the Vegas line.
Remember Jessica Savitch? She was found dead in her car in a canal. Right after she made a documentary on gambling in the NFL.
biased against New York and post-Jordan Chicago? C'mon people, you're starting to sound like teabaggers talking about Obama.
I know. Every basketball player knows when they step on the court that calls will either go against you or for you. It is all part of the game. Refereeing a game is not as easy as it looks. If one every tries it, I can guarantee they will be surprised at the fouls they see but inadvertantly forget to blow the whistle because they find themselves watching not officiating.
Is there corruption in pro sports absolutely. However, I agree with Joe H. It is all about the lin in vegas not the outcome of games.
You are soooo right. I'm starting to think I'm living in that episode of the Twilight Zone, "To Serve Man" where we instead exist solely to serve the master class while they give us rigged entertainment to keep us content as we are slaving away that space ship to our graves. They might not be eating us but they sure are exploiting us.
Eat hardy Mr. Chambers!
...where the refs would call all kinds of ridiculous things if anyone so much as got near either one of the two players. At first, I used to just ignore the conspiracy theories, after all, Gretz is to me, the best there is/was in hockey (and I was priviledged to be a season ticket holder for all those years he skated for Los Angeles). But, as noted by many of the comments, bad ref calls abound in all the major sports. What is a drag is when they have an impact on the outcome of the game. For me, in hockey, I like it best when the refs just let the players play the game, and only make the calls that are clear. Just because a player swings at the puck and misses, and it slightly touches the other player on the back of the skate, doesn't always make it a slashing call, if you know what I mean.
Then again, being old school, i.e., old enough to have watched professional sports before the era of free agency, you know, when the team stayed the same for years and years, the occasional errant call by the ref was just part of the game.
But, that is why I gave up my season tickets to the Kings, the Dodgers and the Clippers ... sports is just not the same, the players don't always play from the heart, most don't give a shit about the city they play for/in, and the owners don't care about the little season ticket holder -- they just want the corporate boxes to sell.
are the reason I don't watch the NBA anymore. They have too much power to change the outcome of the game. That alone would be acceptable but they don't wield that power fairly. And what's worse is that they don't even care that the world knows.
They're worse than the refs in professional wrestling. At least the wrestling refs are supposed to be stupid, blind or unfair and no expects them to be otherwise.
This is considered one of the greatest shots in the history of basketball. I consider it a shining example of how bad the NBA is. When he puts his hand on Byron Russell's ass and pushes him forward so he can take a clear shot, it's called an offensive foul. But since it was Michael Jordan, it's called one of the greatest shots in NBA history.
You speak the truth brother! Amen, watching that as a highlight is pure bullshit.
Jordan pushes the guy out of the way to take the shot.
gump, you're an idiot. If you knew anything about the game, you'd know MJ classic first move off the dribble is not traveling, was taught at UNC by Dean Smith and taught at most basketball camps for the past 25 years.
I quit giving a shit about sports a long time ago.
about sports.
"couldn't care less." If you 'could' care less, that means you care at least a little, rendering the phrase meaningless.
?
I could not care less about whether you could care less about sports.
Sorry this is Fox News people. So what if they call her a liberal, she is still a voice for Fox. Why give her any airtime here?
Foox News, and her show is in their non news hours so it could all be made up and they could air it. Time for Fox to go, no need to cntinue airing their lies....
it would be relatively easy for an actuary with all the proper data of player stats. vs. game scores over many seasons to prove statistically.
According to this source many of his claims don't hold up under scrutiny:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11...
until Corporations decided to turn sports events into bread and circus's. The obscenity of Eli Manning getting a six-year, $97 million contract should be enough for any sane person to have reason to boycott sports. Totally obscene.
So you endorse sports when the players were practically slaves.In the context of the economy,there's nothing obscene about current player salaries.Do you wish the owners to pocket all the money as they did in the era before free agency?
Setting aside the legitimacy of Donaghy's book/comments/etc, here's a simple solution to the potential ref dilemma:
Change the rules. Make it so 6 fouls doesn't remove a player from the game. They could make it like a penalty box a la hockey. As a result, the effect on the game would be less tainted (i.e. since the refs would not be able to manipulate the outcome as much by completely removing a player, they would have no reason to consciously do it. 5 point swings by the refs become 1.5 point swings, etc.)
90% of NBA fouls are invisible to anyone watching. Why is anybody surprised that refs game the system? It's not like you can go back and check the video to say nope, the ref was wrong.
basketball fans know-basketball is the greatest sport of all. Thanks to the up tempo style, anything can happen in a NBA game-someone could dunk, trick shot,sink a three, or get blocked. It's non-stop action, which no other sports can claim.Basketball earns the bragging rights as the highest intensity sport. While other sports are hampered with large amounts of waiting time, basketball players can never let up. Thank's to it's up-tempo play, anything can happen at any moment-and its this passion that makes basketball the greatest sport ever.Best all-around athletes, NBA basketball takes the most skill to play than any other athletic sport. MLB, NFL, and the NHL, Steroids. Best behavior conduct rules, In hockey you and your family can watch and cheer as the players beat each other to a bloody mess, Nice for the kids at the game. In the NBA you are fined for leaving your seat if they think you are going to help a team mate on the court. The NBA best and most popular sport in the world now.
...don't get carried away.There's only one sport that can claim the mantle of best and most popular.I don't even have to name it.All else pale in comparison.South Africa '10!!!
A friend of mine, an avid fan, once tried to explain to me how wonderful soccer is by comparing it to a game of chess played on grass.
I had to agree, watching soccer is as exciting as watching a chess match. Wake me when it's over.
There are people who think the bands Styx and Kansas are superior to Joy Division or the Mekons.It's all a matter of opinion,but they are wrong.
Without a commercial break every three or four minutes so we can get another beer or bowl of Cheetos and watch a million slo-mo replays of the "action," Americans just don't get it. Add to that the fact that America always loses to guys with unpronouncable names, and you have a perfect recipe for "boredom."
Kind of like how so many people find history class boring, or CSPAN, or Francois Truffaut movies, or anything else that requires effort from the viewer.
mmmm....mmmmmm....good
Ceremony
Association football(soccer). Hockey. Boxing.
What basketball has that other sports don't have is non-stop scoring, and that's only at the levels in which a shot clock was added. I'm old enough to remember Dean Smith's 4-Corners offense.
Oh, and as far as skill goes...Michael Jordan couldn't hit a baseball very well, could he? ;D
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
It's like a carnival game. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding... Coming soon to the NBA: 4 and 5, maybe 10, point shots! I mean, what could be more exciting than 500-point basketball?
For you Americans, here's why soccer is so exciting: EVERY shot is important and could be the game winner.
I love the game. There's nothing like the tension in a 0-0 game in the 75th minute of a game in a World Cup, Champions League, or any other game of any importance.
But I love pitchers' duels and the "inside game" in baseball, too.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
That's why the steroid's era in baseball is so off-putting-fewer pitchers' duels. By the way,I watched an exciting one nil match between Barcelona and Espanyol earlier today.
here. Barcelona is my team!
Had to pick one cause some of my friends are soccer fans and some former college and olympic development players.
Chose Barcelona over Man U a few months ago.
So that's my team.
Even follow the Columbus Crew a bit.
It's a really cool sport and I'm a long time football, baseball and boxing guy.
I prefer cricket.
All real cowboys play that.
They tried water polo
But the horses kept drowning.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
The NBA is all about what have you done for me lately, profits, stars, and not so much about the sport. You can make this argument against all sports.
Everyone looked the other way in baseball when stars were doping themselves. After 7 full seasons Barry Bonds averaging 25 home runs a years. Suddenly he gains a lot of weight and averages 44 home runs a season for 12 year. To put this in perspective, as an established All Star he had Cal Ripken Jr. like home run numbers in Pittsburgh. He moves to San Francisco, reinvents himself as a hitter, and puts up numbers ONLY equaled by Babe Ruth in his prime. WTF, are we that stupid?
The NBA sold their soul to make MJ the biggest star in the sky. Had Magic and Bird stayed healthy MJ would be missing at least a couple of rings. I'll never forget the unbelievable foul against Chicago, without MJ, on a 3-point attempt by a NY player that basically put the Knicks in the championship game. There was no contact, and no one would ever call a foul in this situation, final seconds of the last game of a conference championship, without the shooter being bloodied or knocked on his ass. The NBA was not going to allow Scotty Pippen to take Chicago into the finals without Jordan being the star.
I watched Mike & Mike on ESPN discuss this the other morning. Their argument was why would David Stern and company risk it all, meaning their millions, over getting caught over this. OMG. When you are richer than rich or more powerful than God, you become arrogant beyond reason, that’s why. Does anyone need contemporary examples? Just read the front page every day.
This same argument was used against the Spurs.
Joey Crawford was known to have a bad relationship with Tim Duncan and there coach. How many championships have they won this decade.
You mentioned you listened to Mike and Mike on the subject.
Did you miss the point that everyone in Chicago thought the Knicks were getting the calls while eveyone in NY thought the Bulls were getting the calls since both cities believed the network wanted to see each others team in the Championship. If that's the case the refs are doing a great job.
How many years did people think the Cowboys were helped by the refs.
If the refs are for the Cowboys there Dec and playoff record wouldn't agree with you. How many playoffs games have they won in 14 years. 0.
I wish it was the case since I'm a Cowboys fan.
First Ruth's numbers truly deserve an asterisk because his entire era did not allow the Nation's greatest athlete's(African Americans) to play(btw Negro League legend Josh Gibson's numbers were greater).
Jordan regularly kicked Johnson's fat ass before he got sick and he sent Bird into retirement.
And your ridiculous suggestion that the league made Jordan is revisionism that is 9/11 conspiracy worthy.
The NBA's powers that be didn't prevent Scottie Pippen from winning a title without Jordan. Pippen cracked under the pressure of being a leader, several run in's with the law and refusing to enter a playoff game in the critical last seconds simply because he wasn't going to get the ball...hilarious!
Absolutely no one was more happy when Jordan returned to the NBA than that choker Scottie Migraine headache Pippen.
Get off the crack, Jordan never would have beat Magic or Larry in his prime. Jordan NEVER was a point guard, wise up dumb ass. You don't know shit about basketball.
Bird and Johnson have acknowledged Jordan being a greater player...Bird called Jordan the greatest, hardest working, most competitive player he's ever seen...but I guess you know better.
"Never argue with an idiot, onlookers can't tell the difference."
Chinese proverb.
Bird was fantastic, but on many occasions the Refs would look the other way when he drove in with elbows flailing.
'Talk to the hand'
And asked about the floating strike zone. They were candid to the point where I got a call from the local union head the next day, demanding to know who I'd interviewed.
I said I had to honor the confidentiality of my sources.
A former award-winning journalist and lifelong class warrior, keeping a jaundiced eye on the Washington elite.
with Allen Iverson they did a poor job of it.
The only person to shoot more foul shots in this decade than AI is Shaq.
His opinion does not back up the facts.
...how many times that ball-hog, A.I., would have gone to the line if the refs had been truly neutral.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
I'm not a wrestling fan, but professional wrestling came clean about its staged nature in the 80s, and so it is hardly a scam: people who watch wrestling know they're getting a show.
NBA officiating and its stewardship has always been a dirty little secret left unmentioned by the ESPNs of the world - especially when they are competing for television contracts. Every so-often there is a public flair-up between official and star player and (usually in private) that official is banished to basketball Siberia for extended period of time (see Duncan, Tim v. Crawford, Joey, 2006-07) for a rare public reprimand.
As for Jordan, there has never been a more protected Pro Athlete ever by the Powers-That-Be. A great player sure, but more importantly a money-making machine for Madison Avenue and Corporate America. His exile to Double A baseball for a year (during his prime) is very similar to the ongoing Pete Rose situation, only with a far different result.
As for being the greatest winner of all-time as alluded to up thread. Please. Bill Russell won 11 NBA titles, 2 NCAA championships and an Olympic gold. Mickey Mantle still holds just about every career World Series power hitting record. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Henri Richard (hockey, Canadiens) all have won more than Jordan. Carl Lewis retired - after 20 years of world class competition -with a closet full of Olympic Records, medals and World Championships.
And have watched a half dozen NBA games you know this. If you think similar things don't happen in other pro sports you're nuts.
I have been an avid basketball fan since 1964 and a former Pistons season ticket holder for 9 years. I played b-bal and I consider myself knowledgable and I BELIEVE EVERY WORD. I have also read other excerpts from the book and I BELIEVE EVERY WORD. The league tried to blacklist this book. They should be ashamed of the conduct of these officials because it was---and still is--all done with their implied approval. When a game is decided by the whims of the officials acting in the interest of promoting the league, it is not too far from professional wrestling. I will never pay to watch another pro game.
It's not lying about WMDs. I wonder when Greta and Fox are going to get to the bottom of that scandal.
http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the...
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11...
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11...
This is some bombshell that really affects the lives of ordinary people?
I just don't get sports fans.
NBA-National BORING Association. MLB has umpires not Refs!! Baseball and Soccer are Sports I enjoy. I truly think Soccer has the Best Athletes. Basketball is like Checkers-Simply boring. Like reading a comic book. Baseball is really a Chess match like a good novel. Not boring at all. Infinite possibilities. Soccer very enjoyable-Simple and classic.
Hesitation dribble.
That's what I was trying to describe.
This crap happens at the little league level as well. I was a star athlete, from elementary through high school (bad knees killed my career). I had many things done on behalf, on and off the court. So much so that, if I hadn't had a family that made sure I followed the rules and prepared myself for life, I'd be on the streets now.
They may teach it to the refs in the NBA, but it's human nature in the real world.
At last someone who gets it. We are a nation - perhaps a species - of cheaters. Ever seen the movie Breaking Away? When the main character tells his dad, "Everyone cheats. I didn't know," his dad replies, "Well, now you know." One of the best lines of dialog in cinema.
Great Movie!
The road race scenes where they overlayed Rossini overture to the Barber of Seville IMHO could be one of the best scenes in American Films.
'Talk to the hand'
that was pretty cool.
going to games and watching them on t.v.
but that was years ago.
I stopped watching NBA after the '92 play offs between the Trailblazers and the Bulls. Some friggin ref called a foul that didn't exist, and the Bulls won the playoffs. Even though several camera angles proved no such foul existed, because the ref called it a foul, it was a foul none the less. It's bullshit, everyone knew it, and it apparently still goes on today. Screw professional sports. What a waste.
You gave up watching the NBA over one missed call?
You have a problem with that?
Was this supposed to be a secret? Michael Jordan used to run half the length of the court without dribbling and was never called on it.
...whore the complete benefit of doubt to give justice for why they hate the entire NBA as well it's all time greatest player.
An excuse is the easiest thing in the world to make.
isn't based on what this guy says. American sports aren't about sportsmanship; they're about hero worship & commercialism. Donaghy is merely stating the obvious, just like Henry Hill in Goodfellas.
Of all of the officials in all of the sports the HP umpire is the one that can best determine the outcome of the game.
Back in the '90s MLB placed a camera above home plate and the Umps made MLB remove the camera because it was showing them up.
Greg Maddox and Tom Glavin will both be in the Hall of Fame, but for any fans that watched their team play the Atlanta Braves when either Maddox or Glavin pitched they saw the HP Ump had an expanded strike zone for those two.
'Talk to the hand'
I watched every one of Michael Jordan's games during his Bulls career. Some of them more than once. While it is true that MJ received favorable calls from the referees - at times - they were other times where it seems like the refs wanted to show MJ who was in charge of the game.
I do not disagree with Donaghy's allegations, but Neiwert's allegation that the league took it "easy" on Michael Jordan is wrong. In Chicago, we thought the league continually took it easy on New York as they mugged the Jordan-led Bulls in playoff games over and over in an attempt to over throw their dynasty.
They failed.
The ludicrous suggestion that the refs "taking it easy on Jordan" somehow made the man is simply ignorant bitterness.
Wow just one guy can simply say not true and it isnt huh? They are talking star treatment and if you are from Dallas and you didnt think we got shafted then you must have made some money betting. D Wade wasnt touched on the last play (look at the replay and tell me where he was touched by Dirk). He set records for most free throws in a game and a series that didnt even go 7! OH YEAH YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE YOU FREAKING GENIUS DUMMY, HE BROKE MICHAEL JORDANS RECORD 7 GAME RECORD IN 6 GAMES! The NBA needs a superstar to replace Jordan so Lebron, Carmelo, and Wade are gonna be it! Plus Cuban created a war with the referees and this was putting Mark in his place!
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