The idea that the NBA leadership is complicit in, and perhaps encourages, fixing games continues to gain steam. Ck. out the quote from a good story on ESPN regarding the very controversial Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Championship, often referred to as the worst officiated game in NBA history.
“Referees A, F and G were officiating a playoff series between Teams 5 and 6 in May of 2002. It was the sixth game of a seven-game series, and a Team 5 victory that night would have ended the series. However, Tim learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games. Tim knew referees A and F to be “company men,” 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. Referees A and F heavily favored Team 6. 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 Team 5 in order to give additional free throw opportunities for Team 6. Their foul-calling also led to the ejection of two Team 5 players. The referees’ favoring of Team 6 led to that team’s victory that night, and Team 6 came back from behind to win that series.”
An informative, albeit melodramatic, video regarding the game fixing scandal surrounding Tim Donaghy, and NBA Commissioner David Stern’s repeated denials.
Donaghy was also involved in a playoff series in 2007 where the officiating was again heavily criticized, the San Antonio Spurs versus the Phoenix Suns.
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