Unlike the rest of the public, I like to wait and see how things pan out. Thank God we didn't take the chick in NC for her word about about the Duke lacrosse team. Completely unrelated topic, but a case where the public likes to side with the 'story' and I like to wait and see how things play out before passing judgement on the first thing you read or hear.
You're comparing apples and oranges. The Duke case was the ESPN, the media and the likes of Al Sharpton running with a story.
IMO this case is different because for years fans have been screaming about the shady officiating in the NBA. There's too many phantom calls. Forget the gambling allegations. Is there really any doubt that refs have favored stars for the benefit of ticket sales and TV ratings? Isn't that a form of 'fixing'?
Do stars in all sports enjoy an edge? Of course they do but not like they do in the NBA. In the NBA is blatantly obvious.
You're comparing apples and oranges. The Duke case was the ESPN, the media and the likes of Al Sharpton running with a story.
IMO this case is different because for years fans have been screaming about the shady officiating in the NBA. There's too many phantom calls. Forget the gambling allegations. Is there really any doubt that refs have favored stars for the benefit of ticket sales and TV ratings? Isn't that a form of 'fixing'?
Do stars in all sports enjoy an edge? Of course they do but not like they do in the NBA. In the NBA is blatantly obvious.
Yes, there is doubt that they favor stars for the benefit of ticket sales and TV ratings. Do I think the stars in the league get preferential treatment...absolutely. Do I think the home team gets the benefit of the calls....absolutely. But you can watch the tape of any game where superstars don't get calls and where officials swallow the whistle on the home team. It is the human element of the sport. The game is too fast and the players too strong for the officials. Do I thnk the officiating is weak...absolutley. But I do not believe, as a whole, it is to benefit ticket sales or because the game is fixed.
Most of the teams with 'stars' ran there arena's at 96% occupancy or better. And are you trying to tell me that the guy sitting in his recliner in Indiana is going to buy a ticket to watch Tim Duncan because the official called a touch foul to put him on the line in a game in Milwaukee three weeks before coming to Indiana?????? I don't get it....
You're comparing apples and oranges. The Duke case was the ESPN, the media and the likes of Al Sharpton running with a story.
I am comparing apples and oranges in that one is a rape case and one is game fixing...but the Duke case reached HUGE proportions before Sharpton got involved and do youreally want to argue that ESPN and the media are not having a field day with this story? ESPN and the media are making a gorilla out of this!
Come on! He's not a drug user or drug dealer etc. He's a convicted felon for fixing and betting on some games. I wouldn't put him in the class with other felons.
The guy got caught. Now he's blowing the whistle on others. He really has no motive to lie. There's no guarantee he'll have his sentence reduced. You sound like Stern trying to discredit him because of his past actions.
But there is a CHANCE of reducing his sentence...so why not? He's a gambler...why not take a chance and gamble and lie to the feds?
I just voted for option 3, but I think it's a combo of 2 and the NBA Ref covering his ass, throwing off, cause after all, how much credibility does he have.....
Some refs probablyt have fallen prey to this calling games certain ways to influence scores/totals, but I don't think it's any where near the majority, and such a small percent, which you can probably find in all sports....
Time will tell.....until it's proven, beyond a doubt that Stern/NBA scripts/fixes games, I'll hold my ground....
Refs controling games for $ cause they bet on em....you bet ya.....NBA/Stern as a whole rigged League.....ludicrous
Thanks for the opportunity to vote, and get others opinions on this controversial subject....
Report: Ex-ref Hollins says he was interviewed by feds
The FBI has questioned an ex-NBA referee about Dick Bavetta, one of three officials to work Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals, according to The New York Times.
Hue Hollins, who retired in 2003, said the agents, who asked him about former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, also asked if he ever noticed that Bavetta "was making sure that the home team would win, and I told them I had no idea because I didn't work with him a lot," according to the Times.
According to the report, Hollins said the agents did not ask about a specific team, game or series, and did not ask about Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals.
"They were very specific about their questioning, as though they had heard something," Hollins said, according to the Times. "They knew exactly what they were going after."
Donaghy has alleged that NBA referees working during the 2002 NBA playoffs assured that a series -- presumed to be the 2002 Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings -- would go to a seventh game.
Donaghy did not identify the referees in his letter or specify which game was affected. But it has been deduced that the game in question was Game 6 of the Lakers-Kings series, which was worked by Bavetta, Bob Delaney and Ted Bernhardt. The Lakers shot 27 free throws in the final quarter and scored 16 of their last 18 points at the line, winning 106-102 and forcing a deciding seventh game.
The NBA does not allow its referees to speak to the media without being given prior permission, and the league did not respond to a request made Wednesday by ESPN.com to permit Bavetta to be interviewed. Bernhardt, who is no longer an NBA ref, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Delaney told Bob Ley in an interview for ESPN's "Outside The Lines First Report" that he has never been contacted by NBA or federal investigators concerning Donaghy's allegations.
Delaney, a highly decorated former New Jersey State trooper, said: "This is not the first time a known or convicted criminal has lied about me before the judicial system. I have an extensive law enforcement background and still train police officers. I have dealt with criminals and informants, and I know full well they are capable of doing and saying anything. I cannot comment any further without permission from the NBA."
NBA commissioner David Stern said the Justice Department had fully investigated the most recent Donaghy's claims, which he labeled as "baseless."
I think it's a combo of 2 and the NBA Ref covering his ass
How's he covering his ass? He pled guilty. These allegations were revealed by him last month after he pled. There's no ass to cover.
Originally posted by Kaptain
how much credibility does he have.....
I don't understand why he has little or no credibility? He got caught betting and fixing games. Does that mean he lied about the other allegations? Many state cases are built on the allegations of other convicted criminals. Does that mean they lack credibility? Often, if they're going down they're taking their co-conspirators with them. Assuming Donaghy is telling the truth why shouldn't he reveal the others involved?
I just voted for option 3, but I think it's a combo of 2 and the NBA Ref covering his ass, throwing off, cause after all, how much credibility does he have.....
Some refs probablyt have fallen prey to this calling games certain ways to influence scores/totals, but I don't think it's any where near the majority, and such a small percent, which you can probably find in all sports....
Time will tell.....until it's proven, beyond a doubt that Stern/NBA scripts/fixes games, I'll hold my ground....
Refs controling games for $ cause they bet on em....you bet ya.....NBA/Stern as a whole rigged League.....ludicrous
Thanks for the opportunity to vote, and get others opinions on this controversial subject....
A single bad official can influence many games a year. Are there bad officials? Simply the answer must be yes. However to stake that Stern has a hand in such a thing makes for a much harder to swallow as well as much more difficult to prove proposition.
His reasons would be???
1) To gain T.V. ratings by keeping series tight?
2) He's betting the games himself and is instructing officials to call games a certain ways? (completely not plausible since sooner or later a ref will rat him out)
3) He's not?
4) His league is making BILLIONS a year but he still cant help himself but to meddle in games personally to keep personal control???
5) He's really a communist over here to try and get us all to bet money on overseas books so the US will lose as much money as possible and the rest of the world will be able to take us over in our weakened state???
Basically...A ref could do it for a time but would likely get caught. And Stern's risk/reward ratio for doing so is miniscule and therefore ludicrous. He's a business man making an unbelievable amount of return for his league. Unless he's gone completely insane with greed rage it's very unlikely.
A single bad official can influence many games a year. Are there bad officials? Simply the answer must be yes. However to stake that Stern has a hand in such a thing makes for a much harder to swallow as well as much more difficult to prove proposition.
A single bad official can influence a game. A single bad official CAN'T influence a game with a 47-6 (or whatever) discrepancy. HE HAD HELP!!!!
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