NBA is Rigged, Excerpts From The Book The NBA Doesn't Want You To Read

[DiploDocus]

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read



http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2009/10/koberaja_01.jpg


On star treatment: Relationships between NBA players and referees were generally all over the board-love, hate, and everything in-between. Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players. A defensive specialist throughout his career, Bell had a reputation for being a "star stopper." His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell's tenacity on defense. Let's face it, no one completely shuts down a player of Kobe's caliber, but Bell could frustrate Kobe, take him out of his game, and interrupt his rhythm.

You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don't pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell-they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.

If a player of Kobe's stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear-call fouls against the star stopper because he's hurting the game.

If Kobe Bryant had two fouls in the first or second quarter and went to the bench, one referee would tell the other two, "Kobe's got two fouls. Let's make sure that if we call a foul on him, it's an obvious foul, because otherwise he's gonna go back to the bench. If he is involved in a play where a foul is called, give the foul to another player."

Similarly, when games got physically rough, we would huddle up and agree to tighten the game up. So we started calling fouls on guys who didn't really matter-"ticky-tack" or "touch" fouls where one player just touched another but didn't really impede his progress. Under regular circumstances these wouldn't be fouls, but after a skirmish we wanted to regain control. We would never call these types of fouls on superstars, just on the average players who didn't have star status. It was important to keep the stars on the floor.

Allen Iverson provides a good example of a player who generated strong reaction, both positive and negative, within the corps of NBA referees. For instance, veteran referee Steve Javie hated Allen Iverson and was loathe [sic] to give him a favorable call. If Javie was on the court when Iverson was playing, I would always bet on the other team to win or at least cover the spread. No matter how many times Iverson hit the floor, he rarely saw the foul line. By contrast, referee Joe Crawford had a grandson who idolized Iverson. I once saw Crawford bring the boy out of the stands and onto the floor during warm-ups to meet the superstar. Iverson and Crawford's grandson were standing there, shaking hands, smiling, talking about all kinds of things. If Joe Crawford was on the court, I was pretty sure Iverson's team would win or at least cover the spread.

Madison Square Garden was the place to be for a marquee matchup between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. I worked the game with Derrick Stafford and Gary Zielinski, knowing that the Knicks were a sure bet to get favorable treatment that night. Derrick Stafford had a close relationship with Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, and he despised Heat coach Pat Riley. I picked the Knicks without batting an eye and settled in for a roller-coaster ride on the court.

During pregame warm-ups, Shaquille O'Neal approached Stafford and asked him to let some air out of the ball.

"Is this the game ball?" O'Neal asked. "It's too hard. C'mon, D, let a little air out of it."

Stafford then summoned one of the ball boys, asked for an air needle, and let some air out of the ball, getting a big wink and a smile from O'Neal.

[mingyang]

saw it on realgm, read some stuff 3am last night. very interesting indeed.

[DJ Dennis]

interesting stuff.. but i'm pretty sure most fans had some suspicion that this was happening.

[SoGood]

this isn't a surprise...
you see a little bit every single game.

Raptors opener for example.
Bosh drew a charge on LeBron, the refs called Bosh for blocking.
Bargnani drove on Ilgauskas with Shaq coming with the double, Shaq clearly had the contact on Bargnani and Ilgauskas was called for the foul.

[Jay Hova]

If this book gets published, it'll be the first book I've read, for enjoyment, since "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"...about 11 years ago.

[XxXSnake23XxX]

Raptors opener for example.
Bosh drew a charge on LeBron, the refs called Bosh for blocking.
Bargnani drove on Ilgauskas with Shaq coming with the double, Shaq clearly had the contact on Bargnani and Ilgauskas was called for the foul.

read my mind!

[jcon]

I guess he's a trustworthy sort.

Not that he would have any motive to stick-it to the NBA or anything.

Or need any sort of money.

I doubt any of it is exaggerated or just plain lies.

[dragon_drift]

=/ why does the knicks still suck though?

[DiploDocus]

the Nba has been trying mightily to stop the book from being published

or other weird stories of mob ties and assaulting Donaghy in prison

http://deadspin.com/5287011/tim-donaghy-has-not-been-enjoying-prison-updated


UPDATE: We just got an email from Pat Zaranek, of Executive Prison Consultants, with a little more detail on the "incident":

Here is what we know at this time regarding the incident in prison:

Tim Donaghy was attacked by another inmate claiming he had ties to the NY mob. Donaghy was threatened that he would be shot in the head and his knee caps would be broken. Donaghy suffered knee injuries that were confirmed via x-ray and an MRI taken 3-4 months after the attack. The attacker was removed from the facility and locked down in a higher level facility. The prison officials did not refer the attack to investigative authorities - they chose to handle it internally. Donaghy was placed on "protective status" which is known as Central Inmate Monitoring. This is done for inmates who face possible safety concerns.

The book he is writing is a "tell all" about his 13 years in the NBA and how he successfully picked winners of NBA games 70-80% of the time. It is about his knowledge of special relationships between referees and players and coaches, as well as the NBA's manipulation of games and playoff series. There will be more on the book at a later date.

[DiploDocus]

=/ why does the knicks still suck though?

Boston sucked to for awhile

i'm sure Stern will give them their due soon

[DiploDocus]

Rasheed Wallace ""This game ain't basketball anymore, it's entertainment," Wallace said. "It's starting to get like the WWF. There ain't no real wrestling anymore either. It's all fake.""

Oct 2007

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21505333/

[gilboman]

so one guy/person wrote something and ppl take it at face value?:o:lol:

[Neovingian]

this isn't a surprise...
you see a little bit every single game.

Raptors opener for example.
Bosh drew a charge on LeBron, the refs called Bosh for blocking.
Bargnani drove on Ilgauskas with Shaq coming with the double, Shaq clearly had the contact on Bargnani and Ilgauskas was called for the foul.

I've known this for some time, this is no secret in the NBA, read Jordan Rules...I something looked fishy @ last nites Raps opener..., im sure this happens in other leagues as well not just the NBA.

Raps new line up looks promising, but I wasn't as excited as I've been at other games, I just got real excited when they scored 100 in the last 15 seconds.....YEAH!...free pizza slices...I jumped & go so excited I almost spilled my stale beer.

[DiploDocus]

so one guy/person wrote something and ppl take it at face value?:o:lol:

Countless players and coaches have questioned the officiating and got fined ...and there was Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader and League of Fans' letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern regarding egregious officiating


June 4, 2002

Commissioner David J. Stern
National Basketball Association
Olympic Tower, 656 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Dear Mr. Stern,

At a time when the public's confidence is shaken by headlines reporting the breach of trust by corporate executives, it is important, during the public's relaxation time, for there to be maintained a sense of impartiality and professionalism in commercial sports performances. That sense was severely shaken in the now notorious officiating during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings.
Calls by referees in the NBA are likely to be more subjective than in professional baseball or football. But as the judicious and balanced Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon wrote this Sunday, too many of the calls in the fourth quarter (when the Lakers received 27 foul shots) were "stunningly incorrect," all against Sacramento. After noting that the three referees in Game 6 "are three of the best in the game," he wrote: "I have never seen officiating in a game of consequence as bad as that in Game 6....When Pollard, on his sixth and final foul, didn't as much as touch Shaq. Didn't touch any part of him. You could see it on TV, see it at courtside. It wasn't a foul in any league in the world. And Divac, on his fifth foul, didn't foul Shaq. They weren't subjective or borderline or debatable. And these fouls not only resulted in free throws, they helped disqualify Sacramento's two low-post defenders." And one might add, in a 106-102 Lakers' victory, this officiating took away what would have been a Sacramento series victory in 6 games.

This was not all. The Kobe Bryant elbow in the nose of Mike Bibby, who after lying on the floor groggy, went to the sideline bleeding, was in full view of the referee, who did nothing, prompted many fans to start wondering about what was motivating these officials.

Wilbon discounted any conspiracy theories about the NBA-NBC desire for a Game 7 etc., but unless the NBA orders a review of this game's officiating, perceptions and suspicions, however presently absent any evidence, will abound and lead to more distrust and distaste for the games in general. When the distinguished basketball writer for the USA Today, David DuPree, can say: "I've been covering the NBA for 30 years, and it's the poorest officiating in an important game I've ever seen," when Wilbon writes that "The Kings and Lakers didn't decide this series would be extended until Sunday; three referees did..." when many thousands of fans, not just those in Sacramento, felt that merit lost to bad refereeing, you need to take notice beyond the usual and widespread grumbling by fans and columnists about referees ignoring the rule book and giving advantages to home teams and superstars.

Your problem in addressing the pivotal Game 6 situation is that you have too much power. Where else can decision-makers (the referees) escape all responsibility to admit serious and egregious error and have their bosses (you) fine those wronged (the players and coaches) who dare to speak out critically?

In a February interview with David DuPree of USA Today, he asked you "Why aren't coaches and players allowed to criticize the referees?" You said, "...we don't want people questioning the integrity of officials. ...It just doesn't pay for us to do anything other than focus people on the game itself rather than the officiating." "Integrity" which we take you to mean "professionalism" of the referees has to be earned and when it is not, it has to be questioned. You and your league have a large and growing credibility problem. Referees are human and make mistakes, but there comes a point that goes beyond any random display of poor performance. That point was reached in Game 6 which took away the Sacramento Kings Western Conference victory.

It seems that you have a choice. You can continue to exercise your absolute power to do nothing. Or you can initiate a review and if all these observers and fans turn out to be right, issue, together with the referees, an apology to the Sacramento Kings and forthrightly admit decisive incompetence during Game 6, especially in the crucial fourth quarter.

You should know, however, that absolute power, if you choose the former course of inaction, invites the time when it is challenged and changed ý whether by more withdrawal of fans or by more formal legal or legislative action. No government in our country can lawfully stifle free speech and fine those who exercise it; the NBA under present circumstances can both stifle and fine players and coaches who speak up. There is no guarantee that this tyrannical status quo will remain stable over time, should you refuse to bend to reason and the reality of what occurred. A review that satisfies the fans' sense of fairness and deters future recurrences would be a salutary contribution to the public trust that the NBA badly needs.

We look forward to your considered response.

Sincerely,

Ralph Nader
P.O. Box 19312
Washington, DC 20036

Shawn McCarthy
League of Fans
P.O. Box 19367
Washington, DC 20036

###

League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to encourage social & civic responsibility in sports industry & culture.

Ralph Nader: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/13/sports/sp-nader13

Ralph Nader hopes for NBA whistle-blower
Presidential candidate and advocate who quickly criticized referees in 2002 Lakers-Kings game says he hopes someone in NBA comes forward to back disgraced Donaghy's claim of referee misconduct.

[DJ Dennis]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AmmEapRGPHcHKh_Db6fUb0C8vLYF?slug=dw-donaghybook102909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[ludhi]

well its star power..i watched this show about the old refs.. i think the new refss were there for few games.. but they mentioned one thing.. some star players get the calls because they earn them.. compare to the others. if u notice in all the games or any game u watch.. star players get the calls most of hte time.. while at the same time non star stature dont get em.

[DiploDocus]

well its star power..i watched this show about the old refs.. i think the new refss were there for few games.. but they mentioned one thing.. some star players get the calls because they earn them.. compare to the others. if u notice in all the games or any game u watch.. star players get the calls most of hte time.. while at the same time non star stature dont get em.

Yup

and i see many replies on this forum and others saying...Oh thats nothing new

thats basically saying you see that the NBA alters rules for certain players which means its unfair (cheating) and you're okay with that

[mcaj]

Yup, I've always been suspicious of this. I always wondered why, unlike other sports, wrong calls given by referees are NOT discussed generally in the NBA. It implies that either the referees are correct 100% of the time or the commentators/analysts choose not to speak about it. The latter seems more credible since its a well established trend to not speak about any calls made on the floor, even after the game.

[phomp]

Rasheed Wallace ""This game ain't basketball anymore, it's entertainment," Wallace said. "It's starting to get like the WWF. There ain't no real wrestling anymore either. It's all fake.""

Oct 2007

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21505333/

Wallce does not seem to have much of a problem with that though... lol.
No problem collecting the cheques the league has given him to collect..

[Migger]

Seriously, it's nothing new, and at the end of the day, it puts butts in seats, makes money, and sells jerseys and shoes. It also creates idols out of superstars.

Also, I'm sure Donaghy is blowing it out of proportion and stretching the truth a bit. While there is star favouritism, I don't think it's well orchestrated and planned out.

I wonder who was reffing during Jordan's last championship, when he took the shot over Bryon Russell? Anyone know?

Also, does anyone remember when Tim Duncan got ejected a few years ago by Joey Crawford (I think) when he didn't even do anything to warrant it?

As an aside, Raps vs. Cavs was pretty ridiculous though.. that was clearly a charge on Bron, and they called Bargs for a few BS calls as well.

[flexwong]

preferential treatment happens in every single sport around the world.

look at the NFL: tom brady get's tackled, he points at the ref, the ref throws a flag.

[DJ Dennis]

Star treatment is something I can live with, but intentionally calling non-fouls to get someone onto the bench is just unbelievable.

[CSR]

Countless players and coaches have questioned the officiating and got fined ...and there was Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader and League of Fans' letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern regarding egregious officiating



Ralph Nader: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/13/sports/sp-nader13

Ralph Nader hopes for NBA whistle-blower
Presidential candidate and advocate who quickly criticized referees in 2002 Lakers-Kings game says he hopes someone in NBA comes forward to back disgraced Donaghy's claim of referee misconduct.

Game 6 Lakers vs Kings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4t5RMFt5u8

[krash322]

It's definitely not surprising that this goes on. People joke about it all the time, but there was always some truth behind it. I don't know if anyone would step up and back the convict up on this one though. No ref, current or former, would say anything to hurt their own reputations.

So this star treatment will continue forever. People pay to see Kobe drop 81 on the Raptors, not to see him sit on the bench.

[brucedlx]

this ain't basketball specific.

Italy vs. Australia 2006 world cup

95th minute, 0-0

totti gets the ball, totti loses the ball, totti goes flying for no reason, totti looks at referee, italy gets penalty shot and wins.

[Nettles]

That Totti example is terrible. That's just an example of a player diving. They always look at refs to get the call ffs. And it wasn't even Totti who dived.

And I don't think the NBA is rigged based solely on this article but I think that the North American sports fan is too naive (example: thinking hockey is completely drug free) and I wouldn't be surprised if some level of rigging/fixing has gone on in a major league of probably every sport here.

[JAC]

Hm, sounds like the NBA is going to join WWE as "sports entertainment".

NHL has its share of crap, too. Who can forget game 6 in '93, when Fraser "missed" the five minute major call on Gretzky, who ended up scoring the winning goal.

Reason? Would have been an all-Canadian final.

[Longobongo]

No surprise, anybody who watches the NBA regularly will notice that guys like Kobe, Wade, LeBron get away with many calls that regular players wouldn't be able to. Heck, just breathing next to one of them will net you a foul.

I remember when Vince was a Rap, in many cases, he would look upset and stay down on the floor whenever he drove to the net and not get a foul call. My guess was he wasn't "respected" enough by the refs to get the superstar calls which many fans interpreted as Vince whining.

But I agree, NBA refs don't get as much scrutiny for bad calls as say MLB umpires.

[krash322]

That Totti example is terrible. That's just an example of a player diving. They always look at refs to get the call ffs. And it wasn't even Totti who dived.

And I don't think the NBA is rigged based solely on this article but I think that the North American sports fan is too naive (example: thinking hockey is completely drug free) and I wouldn't be surprised if some level of rigging/fixing has gone on in a major league of probably every sport here.

Uh, the only naive person seems to be you and Gary Bettman? He's the one who's been saying "his" sport is clean, when the government or Dick friggin Pound starts questioning the people in charge. We all know every sport is filled with cheaters and guys on drugs. There's too much money at stake, so if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying to win.

Take baseball for example, do you really think those guys weren't on the juice before? A guy gains 30 lbs of muscle during an offseason. Yeah, good workout plan and taking your vitamins. I would also say every sport has at least had one instance of games being rigged. When you have people betting millions and millions of dollars, you think the mob is not trying to influence the games? Cheating, in any form, has been around as long as the sport itself.

[DiploDocus]

book is out http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Foul-First-Person-Account-Scandal/dp/0615306039

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZO1oelAwL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Foul-First-Person-Account-Scandal/dp/0615306039)

[dragon_drift]

book is out http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Foul-First-Person-Account-Scandal/dp/0615306039

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZO1oelAwL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Foul-First-Person-Account-Scandal/dp/0615306039)

time to hit my favorite library, Chapters...no i'm joking, I hope the local library has a copy =D

[deveritt]

This is why I haven't really followed the NBA for years. The only basketball I watch now is NCAA. It's nice to always see everyone giving it there all at BOTH ends of the court.