The Fix Is In!

The year was 2002. The Sacramento Kings were the most dominant, fundamental, and purely entertaining team in the NBA. They were far and away the most likable: Vlade, Peja, Webber, Christie, Bibby, Jackson, even Hedo Turkoglu and Scot Pollard. Their big men could pass, every player could shoot, they played ridiculously unselfishly, they had fun playing basketball the way it's meant to be played. They were on the doorstep of toppling this Shaq-Kobe title run that aggravated 95% of the NBA-viewing public.

After The Great Chicago (Bulls) Fire of 1998, this was the fourth season I had endured of my team struggling to win 20 games and found myself straying to a new seductress come playoff time. How could I not root for the Kings? They were fun, modest, and had personality -- all the things the Lakers didn't. I hated that Phil Jackson betrayed the Chicago faithfuls and jumped on the Shaq train. I hated that the Lakers ran only two plays: 1) pass the ball into Shaq so he could bulldoze over his defender and either complain about the offensive foul called or complain about the defensive foul that wasn't called and 2) Kobe dribbles around recklessly until he forces a fading, closely defended jump shot that has a 30% chance of going in. And most of all, I hated that the Lakers were about to threepeat as champions.

I remember watching that Western Conference Finals so vividly. With all the buzz about Game 6 it's easy to forget just how controversially about every game was called. (Hell, we would not have even got to Game 6 if it weren't for an after-the-halftime-buzzer three-point prayer awarded to Laker Sumaki Walker in Game 4!) The sixth one was the only game I didn't watch in full, as I was at Joel Norton's wedding and couldn't get to the hotel bar tv until the second half. I did, however, watch most of that ghastly 4th quarter and it's parade of free throws. What a sick joke. Twenty-seven fourth-quarter free throws? They sure didn't do a great job of masking the league's agenda. The NBA is all about the benjamins and they were hitting near record audience numbers. It was fixed, plain and simple. (And deep down in a place they don't like to talk about at parties, Lakers fans know this to be true.)

I remember the personal agony this caused me. I almost pulled my hair out over this shit. At the time I would have bet my life savings the referees fixed the game and I finally have a shred of evidence. Finally, vindication! And David Stern has not proved this otherwise, but instead has leaned on a weak defense of "Donaghy is a felon." Noone's arguing that, Mr. Stern -- sounds like a straw man to me. If the NBA has any thread of integrity left, it will admit it's crimes and do something to remedy it.

UPDATES IN THE NEWS:

*David Stern claims to have made a "thorough investigation" into the accusations that Game 6 of the WCF were influenced by referees. Bob Delaney, one of the three refs on duty that night, made it public that he has never been contacted by the NBA or federal officials.

*The NBA has prohibited any referees from speaking to the media. Why the need to silence the refs if there is nothing to hide?

*Phil Jackson has recommended employing referees from an organization not associated with the NBA. He believes the refs should not be under the control of the NBA and it would provide more credibility. I completely agree.

*Lamell McMorris, NBA Referees Director, has hinted that Donaghy's entire career as an NBA referee has been clouded by poor judgement and dismissed the claims of Game 6 as unreliable because "Tim Donaghy has had honesty and credibility issues from the get-go." Wow. I don't think it helps your cause to admit you've been sending a ref out there who is known to have credibility issues. Almost makes the whole organization look suspect...