Familiarity breeds animosity, Pollard said, citing the multiple times the in-state rivals, representing the coast and cow town, as Lakers coach Phil Jackson contemptuously referred to Californias inland capital, had played over the years in the preseason, regular season and postseason. The New York Knicks were on a miracle run through the playoffs as the eighth seed, and had made it all the way to theEastern Conference Finals to face off with the rival Indiana Pacers. He also cited the 2002 Western Conference Finals as the most rigged series in league history. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 8:19PM. It was allowed by the referees. Can that be true? It's rare for an announcer to comment on officiating, but he couldn't contain it saying "I'm just not gonna say anything anymore. A decade later, it remains the first piece of evidence for anyone building a case that the NBA is rigged. Some people cry conspiracy, claiming the game is rigged. Though they returned to the playoffs in 2004, 2005 and 2006, what had seemed a dynasty-in-waiting never again made it back to the Western Conference Finals. A bench player named Leon Powe shot more free throws (13) than the entire Lakers team. Pollard was traded after the 2003 season. This is the first call on this list that feels a little fishy. 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When he heard about Donaghy's allegations this week, Pollard was quoted as saying: I knew it. Here is just some of Beech's rationale for concluding that the game was not likely rigged. L.A.'s Derek Fisher and Boston's Scot Pollard played in the 2002 playoff game between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings, the game Tim Donaghy says was rigged by two referees in favor of the Lakers. The Celtics had 28 more opportunities to score free points. The NBA needed a star, so they created one. Then they used their draft pick Andrew Wiggins as ammunition to acquire all star Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, and the Cavs were now a championship contender. Meanwhile, the Kings cruised into the Western Conference semifinals to face a Dallas Mavericks squad it had dominated. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. If nobody could get high enough to block it, how could Bill Laimbeer have gotten high enough to foul Kareem? The LA Lakers were in the third seed coming into the playoffs. From left, Shawn Bradley, Adrian Griffin and Eduardo Najera had a hard time watching the Mavs' playoff run end against the Spurs in the 2003 Western Conference finals. He won a championship ring with the 2008 Boston Celtics, and retired at the end of that year. It was game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Every questionable call seems to involve either a big-market team or a star on one side and someone or some team of lesser note on the other. Former NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, outright said that the NBA rigged the series, specifically game 6. Game 1. The 2006 Finals have often times been called out as an example that the NBA fixes games and series to get the results that it knows will generate the most revenue. Or this. Meanwhile, Donaghy alleges, the NBA was preparing to do just that. The logistics of that would be impossible, and it would be too hard to hide. But part of being an NBA fan is questioning the refs, who make dozens of difficult, subjective calls that often change the course of a game. Join our linker program. I recommend you read his entire, very sober explanation. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. GOLDMAN: But yesterday, Pollard's comments were measured. Fans sometimes cry foul that a league will extend a series so that they can generate more revenue, and this is done by fixing games potentially. This is probably the only call in NBA history to definitively swing a title, which is why it's so high on this list. A few bad calls are excusable; refs are human. Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals is the first example on this list of referees bailing out a star player. Another Western Conference Finals between the two archrivals felt destined when they ended up on opposite ends of the bracket come playoff time, the Kings as the 2 seed and Pacific Division champions and the Lakers as the 5 seed and reigning NBA champions. So, Sacramento, permission granted to freak out. Why? We'll remember the careers of Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Robert Horry and Amare Stoudemire differently because of it. The NBA is not rigged in any way and everything is coincidental. In Game 5, he shot 25 free throws, the same amount as the entire Dallas team. I guess our time has to come at another time, Adelman said. According to Fadeaway World, the controversy began in game six of the WCF. This series still sickens me. We live in a world where conspiracy theories run rampant. Ten years later, Ham sighed and paused for many seconds when trying to explain the effect Horrys shot had on the Kings franchise. Whistles can swing games, series and ultimately championships. Of course not. Rumors of the dispute first surfaced during the fourth quarter. The infamy surrounding this game is just too severe to ignore. The Detroit Pistons were known around the NBA landscape as the bad boys, and their brand of basketball was physical and blue collar. I think the referees just did a downright terrible job. Papers filed in court contain damning allegations by Donaghy that a 2002 playoff series was rigged by referees and that league officials encouraged refs to affect the outcome of games by calling fouls or, in other situations, not calling on fouls on star players. WebGeorge Karl and Ray Allen were both heavily fined for implying/outright claiming the series was rigged so as the big market Philly would match up with the big market LA in the Finals. Game 7 was incredibly lucrative, and an NBA Finals between two small-market teams like Sacramento and New Jersey would have been a fiscal disaster. This can be done primarily through bad officiating that is easily detected by fans. I think they know that certain players are expected to shoot a certain number of free throws, and I think they know, at least in the back of their mind, what is best for the league. [Divac] shouldnt have tipped it out there. It depends on the way the players are playing the game. He never struck me as someone particularly worried about competitive balance and fairness. In its own way, that's worse, but still, I think for the time being we can feel pretty comfortable with the notion that NBA games are least intended to be determined by the players. Fast forward to around the 5:30 mark. Here we have another case of the NBA favoring the big market team over the small market team. With Sabonis out of the game, the Blazers had to defend Shaqat his absolute apexwith 6'8'' Brian Grant. At the time the league had owned the New Orleans Hornets. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. LeBron has to shoulder just as much of the blame, as his ridiculous acting caused this in the first place. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. 2016 Western Conference Finals Rigged? A decade later, questionable officiating still haunts what might be the greatest playoff series ever played, writes Matt Gallagher. In 1985 all lottery teams had the same odds of getting the number one selection, and this system was put in place to stop the wide spread practice of tanking around the NBA. He has not only logged every single call, and anticipated just about every objection you might have, and has addressed them. If anything, it would have been in the league's best interests for the Lakers to win and even the series. Web2002 NBA Playoffs Standings Schedule and Results Leaders Player Stats Totals Per Game Per 36 Minutes Per 100 Possessions Advanced East Conf 1st Round Philadelphia 76ers Bibby drilled the shot and unleashed a roar, a ghost foul on Kings guard Doug Christie, A Bryant elbow on Bibby with 12 seconds left. Lamell McMorris, the spokesman for the NBA referees union, also dismissed the allegations. By the way, I'd be remiss if I didn't give some credit to Grantland's Bill Simmons, whose recent column on titles needing footnotes provided some valuable information for this piece (and saved me some big research time). NBA Finals 2000. The Lakers attempted 18 more free throws in the quarter. 3. I called it the worst officiated game in NBA history. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. The free-throw advantage is one thing. Unfortunately for Maverick players, supporters and ultimately fans everywhere, that legacy was built for him. With the clock ticking down in the fourth quarter the Knicks were down by three.In the final seconds Larry Johnson launched a three pointer that washighly contested. Youve got to foul me to stop me, period.. You couldn't knockLeBron Jamesover with that much force if you tried.". I really want to throw the refs under the bus here because they did a terrible job, but something had to initiate it. NBA fans felt that it could be the year that Webber and the Kings won the championship. In a separate matter, Lauro is requesting a subpoena to obtain results of the NBA's internal investigation regarding Donaghy and other referees. A lot. But to just pinpoint one [play] like that? WebTue, May 14. Kobe Bryant started barreling to the basket in hope of calls. All rights reserved. Game over. 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