Feds investigating ref's alleged tie to gambling, organized crime

by ThermoElectro on Jul 20, 2007 8:38 AM PDT Comment 21 comments

From the Associated Press

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/10263114

Although there's been precedence of this in college. I've never heard of officials in professional leagues getting into gambling or fixing games. I'm curious not only who this official is, and what games he potentially fixed. I also wonder what kind of backlash this will get from fans, especially from Warriors fans who were given the raw end of the deal a couple of times. (ie Tech on Nelson after the game was over)

What are your thoughts on the matter?

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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BB

had the Black Sox scandal, and Pete Rose betting ...

... sort of surprised NBA hasn't had more of this considering all the money that's being bet on major games, sadly, I'm not surprised

... gotta hope it didn't affect the outcome of playoffs, but how likely is that? even a couple regular season games will ...

by hardcore on Jul 20, 2007 9:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

your right

its wierd that the nba hasn't had stuff like this before. i wonder if there have been scandals and maybe even steroid use that the league covered up. you never know cuz every other sport has had that kind of stuff happen and you just never hear of it in the nba.

this is crazy though, a referee can have a huge effect on the game. more then a coach i would say. for a ref to bet on a game and then try to make that team win would be crazy and kind of scary. while there have been bad games and bad officials i always thought that they were atleast trying to be fair and make it a good game.

by Proof on Jul 20, 2007 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

msnbc

some analyst on msnbc just now reported that joey crawford's name is being thrown around, because of the ridiculous duncan technical that got him ejected for laughing. i dont buy it, i always thought crawford was a great ref, and he has a lot of respect around the league.

if i were to guess, it would be a less-seasoned ref that doesnt have as deep credibility as someone like crawford or bevetta

definitely makes you think about all those shady calls were always see...hmm...

by Genejo on Jul 20, 2007 9:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Bennet Salvatore?

Anyone thinks it's him? The guy tried to single handedly screw us over in each of our games @ Dallas, during that first round series.

^^^From Baron's Wikipedia page. LMAO.

by Five Ten Entertainment on Jul 20, 2007 9:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

wouldn't be surprised

there's been so many suspect calls in the league the last few years. i always thought the NBA had a hand in these calls to steer the more popular teams into the playoffs so they could get higher ratings or something - but maybe it was the refs themselves that were trying to come up.

whoever it is, i hope they git him and throw his ass to the wolves.

the crowning achievement of ira newble's illustrious career

by JudBooshlur on Jul 20, 2007 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"home court" advantage

... similarly, I've occasionally wondered if the NBA had a nod&wink kind of policy toward homecourt advantage visa vie calls to boost attendance ... there's always been special treatment for the stars, and once you enter that realm all bets are off ... (yes, pun intended)

by hardcore on Jul 20, 2007 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Some thoughts...

Sorry I really rushed this diary, I was on my way out the door when i came across this piece...

1) Point shaving is different from affecting the win/loss outcome of the game

My gut reaction is that this guy didn't fix the games to the point where he determined the winner. Just to cover the spread. He would be incredibly stupid to do otherwise. It would probably be a game where the outcome was pretty much determined and he called an extra foul here and there to make sure the spread was covered

2) Most likely did this on games that weren't being watched much. I would assume that this ref would fix games that most people wouldn't watch. So terrible calls in playoffs are most likely terrible calls. However with that said, the W's were largely uninteresting in the national scene prior to the last quarter of this season. I wonder if our W's were victims of this scandal.

Anyways this is just stuff off the top of my head.

by ThermoElectro on Jul 20, 2007 10:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

i think

its tony brothers!

by 24k state fan since 87 on Jul 20, 2007 10:26 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

haha

I was just gonna say that! He totally bet on that game for the Wizards to win! It's a conspiracy!

The Mob

by tadams1080 on Jul 20, 2007 10:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

yea

that game ruined a perfectly good sunday

by Spree4Threee on Jul 20, 2007 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

that was like the only day i was kinda depressed i had nba tv and actually saw it go down, than actually hear the announcers for the wizards calling it a bad call. oh well it all worked great if we won that game imagine we would have had 1 game over the fakers and we would be going against the suns and than would not be able to have that great playoff series and than win the espy!

by 24k state fan since 87 on Jul 20, 2007 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

its kinda

hard to tell because refs ALWAYS miss calls (Tony Parker taking 4+ steps without dribbling) and give "make-up" calls for ones they missed.. and they always call dumb sh** that shouldn't even be called.. (Tim Duncan laughing, AI jogging to the bench, Melo throwing his headband on the floor).. Refs in the NBA probably DO bet on the games but it seems like it would be too hard to prove that their gambling problems are affecting the game just because of the way whistles blow..

by Spree4Threee on Jul 20, 2007 10:43 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It's Tim Donaghy

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/10263114

The FBI is investigating allegations that a veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on basketball games over the past two seasons, including ones in which he officiated, according to league sources.

by Help Me on Jul 20, 2007 11:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

he reffed.....

...game 3 of the Warriors - Mavs playoffs series.

by TMC Forever on Jul 20, 2007 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This

reminds me of what happened last summer in the Italian Serie A. It's not as major yet, seeing as those futbol refs actually changed the outcome of matches, but this is still serious.

I wonder if Stern puts the kibosh on having a team in Las Vegas now...

by Caught Backcourt on Jul 20, 2007 3:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Can anyone find a picture?

I wanna see this Tim character and I can't find a picture anywhere...anyone else have any luck?

by BaronForPrez on Jul 20, 2007 4:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

dude put an ounce of effort into it

it's in the article that's already linked. or if you type his name into a search engine, you'd find it in a second.

the crowning achievement of ira newble's illustrious career

by JudBooshlur on Jul 20, 2007 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ha, here you go buddy

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2943095

by maybenextyear on Jul 20, 2007 6:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Punishment

If found guilty, ban the ref for the rest of his life as an NBA referee. If innocent, give him a 5 year ban just to prove to him that this punishment will affect other offenses. It's ridiculous when a ref has to fix games when they're very crucial. It's also pretty obvious when a ref fixes a game, he will call way too many phantom offensive fouls. The integrity of the game is obviously being compromised here. It's far worse than the situation involving steroids in baseball. This ref and others should be ashamed of themselves and quit their jobs. We fans pay a lot of good money to watch a good game. It's just disgusting to hear that many refs are babied by the commissioner on the fact that refs aren't biased in any way on making a call. Let's just hope this ref is the only bad apple and not others...hehe.

by Phil T28 on Jul 20, 2007 7:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm surprised by the apologist comments

dilluting the impact of this scandal. For the FBI to investigate makes you wonder why Donagy's statistical analysis didn't bring attention to this earlier. Lebron's quote in the article sums up the travesty of the NBA.
"As a competitor, as hard as I play, it is disappointing, definitely," LeBron James said.
An NBA playoff game is one of the most amazing spectacles of team effort in all of sports. Players perform at such a high level to compete. And for decades, these officials can't be consistent, and it cheapens the whole experience. The whole reputation-based calling is ludicrous and out of hand. I demand a better product. Emotional Warriors like BD and Jax played so hard at the same game as more "fan-friendly" players, but got nothing. Actually, Baron got calls but Jax got nothing, time after time, drive after drive. I cannot fault him for his reaction and ejections. He should not stand for such injustice and bring light to the bullshit that is NBA officiating. With the Warriors being America's new team,and this newfound scrutiny, I expect a little more balance this upcoming season. Hope it lasts.