Donaghy: 2002 NBA Playoffs series fixed

Just heard a report on SportsCenter that Donaghy's federal testimony, filed in New York, contains a report that two referees conspired to fix a 2002 playoff series and extend it to seven games. That series was between the Lakers and the Kings.

No link yet, just heard it, which is part of my vague description. More to come, of course.

Wow. Just wow.

 

First link, though yikes, what a rush job:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401

 

I do seem to recall a certain game six where a team in gold and white shot about 30 free throws in the fourth quarter and a team in purple and white shot about 6 or something.
I wonderrrrrrr.

 

WOW.

And the conspiracy theorists ought to feel doubly vindicated because that is one of the series they've all been claiming for years LOOKED fixed.

Still awaiting word on 06 Miami/Dallas and 99 Knicks/Pacers though.

 

Or late 1990s Pacers vs. anybody [former fanboi looser]

 

I've been saying this for years... I was courtside and I have never been so convinced that a series or specific games were fixed.

I wish we still had the posts from 2002.

 

That Game 6 was the biggest travesty I've ever seen.

 

Just hypothesizing for a moment, but if someone somehow successfully connects the dots and ties the league front office to the officials in a conspiracy, isn't that pretty much "lights out" for pro basketball for a long time?

Even if it was just the refs conspiring with gamblers or if it turns into he said/she said court testimony, the hit would be massive. But successfully associating the league office with it would move the whole thing into Watergate territory as far as scandals go.

 

This is going to be fucking huge.

 

From Ailene Voisin...

http://www.sacbee.com/voisin/story/297829.html

 

Isn't it possible that Donaghy knew that players, fans and media were all especially skeptical about that '02 game and he went to it in court to try to take some of the burden off himself?

Maybe everything he has said is true and the NBA isn't clean, but through this whole thing Donaghy always try to make game-fixing appear to be everybody's problem, not just his.

 

Yeah, that 98 Bulls/Pacers Game 7 is another game that had a distinctive stink attached to it. This could open quite a can of worms if it prompts people to start pulling tapes and asking questions about all these dubiously officiated games from the past.