NBA Continues its Charade of a "Championship Finals"---The Fix Is Obvious to Everyone.

Disgraced Ref Tom Donaghy may be discredited in his officiating, but I believe his letter that the 2002 NBA Finals were fixed by refs who called dozens of fouls against the Kings & many fewer against the big network eyeball drawing LA Lakers.

The NBA is all about money. I watched a Heat game last year in which Donaghy called a foul two seconds AFTER both teams were returning to the other court after a rebound. This was one of the fouls that raised suspicions that Donaghy was in the tank. The letter alleges other series were affected:

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."

Sleaze-ball Cuban has been right up there with RICO conspirator Stern in the action, it appears.

How anyone with eyeballs couldn't see the flagrant foul LA Laker Fisher inflicted on Spur Barry at the end of Game 5 [I believe] in San Antonio---the foul wasn't called & Barry could have sent the team into overtime---is beyond me.

But obviously Stern & his sleazy greedy owners wanted the Lakers in the Finals so that a larger market would be drawing eyeballs. Where is RICO now when we need it? Ditto with the third game of the LA/Celtics game when the refs called a dozen dubious fouls on Boston after LA coach Jackson complained about the officiating in game 2.

I have watched pro b-ball sink to a level so that an unconvicted, unindicted rapist is compared to Michael Jordan---this game is swirling in the porcelain bowl ready to exit ingloriously to where it belongs.

At least World Wide Wrestling doesn't pretend to be above board.

ESPN has more, including reminding me that when the unindicted rapist above shoved & elbowed Mike Bibby, BIBBY WAS CALLED FOR THE FOUL!!! Here's more from ESPN:

• "Tim explained the league officials would tell referees that they should withhold calling technical fouls on certain star players because doing so would hurt ticket sales and television ratings," the letter adds. "As an example, Tim explained how there were times when a referee supervisor would tell referees that NBA Executive X did not want them to call technical fouls on star players or remove them from the game. In January 2000, Referee D went against these instructions and elected a star player in the first quarter of the game. Referee D later was privately reprimanded by the league for that ejection."

• 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.

• The letter also alleges that during a 2005 Rockets-Mavericks playoff series, "Team 3 lost the first two games in the series and Team 3's Owner complained to NBA officials. 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 did in fact complain after his team lost the first two games of the series, and Dallas went on to beat Houston in seven games. Jeff Van Gundy, then the coach of the Rockets, said that an NBA official had told him about the league's plan to closely monitor moving screens by Yao Ming, and Van Gundy was ultimately fined $100,000 for his comments regarding the situation. Van Gundy later backed off his comments.

Documents

• Tim Donaghy, right, claims that other referees were involved in altering NBA games.
• The Donaghy legal team addresses the NBA's claim that he must pay $1 million restitution.
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.

Lester Munson appears somewhat sympathetic with Donaghy, demonstrating that this hornet's nest burst open after greedy sleazeball Stern demanded $1 million from Donaghy for compensation in "investigating" the crooked ref's ethical infractions. This demand was to get Donaghy more jail time as he appeared ready to get out of jail free for his revelations about other improprieties. If Donaghy couldn't repay the NBA for its "investigation," then more time in the slammer. But as Munson demonstrates, D's lawyer cleverly turned the tables on the NBA, demanding access to the Investigation Papers & proof that said probe actually cost $1 million. Thus demonstrating the stupidity of the NBA front office, if that had to be shown again.

This also demonstrates again that all the get-along-to-go-along guys like Ted Van Gundy, who was fined $100K for protesting the ridiculous game where Yao was targeted, will not get sleazeball Stern & his greedy ownership pals out of this jam. Munson on the caving to Cuban by Stern:
Stephen Smith also hints that the NBA shot itself in the foot by demanding reimbursement for its investigation. Smith bravely brings up other scandalous on-court behavior by refs in other games---some refs are human shitholes, as we all know, and have their particular bete noires.

Stephen Smith now says that the "Dream Season" is turning into a nightmare right in the middle of the NBA Finals---when two great teams are suddenly spotlighted by past misbehavior that may have helped them win close games. I know that if I were a rabid Spurs fan, I wouldn't be happy right now. I wasn't happy last year when two Suns players were kept out of a game for leaving the bench after a flagrant foul by SA Spur Robert Horry, a habitual thug on the court. I was happy to see the Pistons lose, but unhappy when a ref threw Rasheed Wallace out for staring at him.

And I am still unhappy because the unindicted, unconvicted rapist keeps not getting technicals called on him when he protests calls that go the other way. He is kept in the game just as Divac & Pollard in 2002 were sent to the bench---and Bibby is called for a foul after suffering multiple contacts from the unindicted unconvicted rapist---who isn't fit to tie MJ's shoes.

The Lakers are in the finals because media-whores like Stern love to see Jack N. & other Hollyweirdos in the Staples Center, where TV cameras pan frequently to catch them gazing on their boys in yellow. As for me, screw the Lakers and screw the NBA.