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Ex-referee's claim threatens NBA's integrity

Submitted by SHNS on Wed, 06/11/2008 - 12:59

LOS ANGELES -- Former Sacramento Kings center Scot Pollard was a witness to one of the worst-officiated games in recent NBA playoff history. No debate necessary. The box score - and the videotape - continues to expose the infamous Game 6 in the 2002 Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Kings.But now, in a manner of speaking, so does Tim Donaghy. The disgraced referee stepped to the microphone in the middle of these NBA Finals and brought the Kings and the Lakers together again, giving an even louder voice to those who will continue to wonder about 2002 well beyond 2008.The phantom fouls on Vlade Divac. The hasty calls on Pollard. The fourth quarter. Mostly, that inexplicable fourth quarter, when both Sacramento centers fouled out and the Lakers were rewarded with a 27-9 free-throw advantage. What about the possibility - per the Donaghy allegation - that the league leans on referees to extend series and enhance ratings? That in one of the most memorable matchups of the decade, the officials favored the Lakers to ensure a seventh-game conclusion at Arco Arena?"It entered my mind," admitted Pollard, who is now on the injured list but traveling with the Boston Celtics."It seemed like early on, we didn't have a chance. I'm not saying he (Donaghy) is right, that the game was fixed. I don't have any proof. But one could make that argument. It kind of slapped us in the face, whoa, whoa. Our starters being in early foul trouble, Vlade and I both fouling out. Three technical fouls ... ."Fans howled. The national media ripped. The league winced.On behalf of consumers (and Kings fans), Ralph Nader demanded an investigation, and he effectively was dismissed as an attention-seeking former presidential candidate who messed up the 2000 presidential election for the Democrats. Yet here it is, almost six years later, almost one year after the Donaghy scandal broke, and Game 3 of the dream championship series between the Lakers and the Celtics has been rocked by a controversy that threatens the league's integrity.For the record: I thought Game 6 was the poorest officiated playoff game I have seen in almost three decades of covering the NBA. Dick Bavetta, Ted Bernhardt and particularly Bob Delaney had a miserable night at the office. Later that evening, I applauded Rick Adelman, a notorious whiner, for praising his players and then immediately ripping into the officials for basically stealing his club's trip to the championship series.I have chatted on several occasions with Kings' President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie, and never once has he subscribed to the conspiracy theory. I also watched replays of Game 6 - just to refresh the memory and provide perspective - and saw the same game. Many of the calls still stunk, the refs still flunked, the Lakers still won.But there was no fix."I broadcast that game, and, no, I don't there is anything to it," Bill Walton said of Donaghy's allegations while standing in the Staples Center corridor Tuesday, shaking his head."No, no. I don't buy it," Magic Johnson said. "I just don't buy it."The consensus Tuesday mirrored the reaction of that night in 2002, when the national media collectively bolstered Sac's back. This was incompetence, not a lack of integrity. And let's be honest here: Subconsciously, emotional, partisan crowds in every home building affect players, coaches and, yes, the officials. They're human. They botch calls. They have human failings, which ultimately, is why the Donaghy matter remains such a cause of concern.What's a scumbag doing in the league? And how many more of him are out there? No, you don't have to believe anything he says to realize the league has some serious cleaning up to do.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)