Other Sports Excerpts From The Book The NBA Doesn't Want You To Read--By Tim Donaghy - Page 2

Deberg_1990 · 11-02-2009, 12:06 PM

Wow.....A ton of good stuff here. Ill only post a few....

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts...yline=true&s=x

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."

On makeup calls:

I remember one nightmarish game I worked with Joe Crawford and Phil Robinson. Minnesota and New Orleans were in a tight game going into the last minute, and Crawford told us to make sure that we were 100 percent sure of the call every time we blew the whistle. When play resumed, Minnesota coach Flip Saunders started yelling at us to make a call. Robinson got intimidated and blew the whistle on New Orleans. The only problem was it wasn't the right call. Tim Floyd, the Hornets' coach, went nuts. He stormed the court and kicked the ball into the top row of the stadium. Robinson had to throw him out, and Minnesota won the game.
[...]
Later that week, Ronnie Nunn told me that we could have made something up at the other end against Minnesota to even things out. He even got specific — maybe we should have considered calling a traveling violation on Kevin Garnett. Talk about the politics of the game! Of course the official statement from the league office will always read, "There is no such thing as a makeup call."

vailpass · 11-02-2009, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Agreed. I am starting to love the NBA and it is my 2nd favorite sport.

True but I am sure there is some truth in there as well which is why the NBA is trying to kill it.

Yes. The most believable lies are hidden in truth. I have no way of knowing what goes on behind the scenes with NBA refs and have no interest in protecting them.
My radar pings whenever someone is spurned then turns on their former team/employer/friend and starts to talk shit about them. You have to wonder how much is truth, how much is wanting to get back at them andhow much is desire to sell a book.

**MahiMike** · 11-02-2009, 04:59 PM

If it can happen in the NBA...

**OnTheWarpath15** · 11-02-2009, 05:03 PM

As shitty as the officiating is in the NBA, I'm not sure how someone would find this unbelievable.

Worst officiating of the 4 major sports by a WIDE margin.

Psyko Tek · 11-02-2009, 05:04 PM

Long time Suns fan
and we have been ****ed soooo many times in the playoffs

if you watched Raja work Kobe you'ld know this is true

GOD I HATE LA

GO SUNS

DaWolf · 11-02-2009, 05:05 PM

Probably happens in other sports too...

Deberg_1990 · 11-02-2009, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psyko Tek

Long time Suns fan
and we have been ****ed soooo many times in the playoffs

heh

"My favorite Tommy Nunez story is from the 2007 playoffs when the San Antonio Spurs were able to get past the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Of course, what many fans didn't know was that Phoenix had someone working against them behind the scenes. Nunez was the group supervisor for that playoff series, and he definitely had a rooting interest.

Nunez loved the Hispanic community in San Antonio and had a lot of friends there. He had been a referee for 30 years and loved being on the road; in fact, he said that the whole reason he had become a group supervisor was to keep getting out of the house. So Nunez wanted to come back to San Antonio for the conference finals. Plus, he, like many other referees, disliked Suns owner Robert Sarver for the way he treated officials. Both of these things came into play when he prepared the referees for the games in the staff meetings. I remember laughing with him and saying, "You would love to keep coming back here." He was pointing out everything that Phoenix was able to get away with and never once told us to look for anything in regard to San Antonio. Nunez should have a championship ring on his finger."

Stewie · 11-02-2009, 05:10 PM

I've followed NBA basketball a LONG time, but Michael Jordan got away with a ton of shit. That started the trend. It was so egregious that the refs "wouldn't notice" his pivot foot moving from 2' inside the 3-point arc to 1' outside the arc. He was MJ after all.

HermanHater · 11-02-2009, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewie

I've followed NBA basketball a LONG time, but Michael Jordan got away with a ton of shit. That started the trend. It was so egregious that the refs "wouldn't notice" his pivot foot moving from 2' inside the 3-point arc to 1' outside the arc. He was MJ after all.

Push off on Utahs Bryon Russell in game 6 of '98 Finals is another example.

CoMoChief · 11-02-2009, 06:03 PM

Well its no secret that the stars get the calls....that's always been the case.

And I can't remember the last time i saw a traveling violation in the NBA. It never gets called yet I can't tell you how many times I see Lebron take 4 steps when driving to the lane without putting the ball on the floor.

Don't get me even started on foul calls. I know the NBA lets more get away, and they don't nearly call fouls the way they do in college. But there's a foul just about anytime anyone drives in the paint. It just doesn't get called.

I already think the NBA has too many games in their season. That's why I usually don't watch it until around the last week of the reg season and playoffs. I may watch a marquee matchup like a Lebron vs Kobe....Lakers/Celtics...or if Kirk Hinrich is playing on WGN and I happen to flip to that channel when they're playing I will watch that since he's my favorite player.

wild1 · 11-02-2009, 06:15 PM

I wondered, personally, if the refs or the league weren't on the take when the Steelers beat the Seahawks in Detroit for the super bowl. There were so many terrible calls, they all went the same direction, and it was the whole storyline about Bettis getting his ring in his hometown. That game was the first time I seriously wondered about the integrity of the game in the NFL because it was so poorly officiated and so one-sided.

11-02-2009, 12:06 PM
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $54454	Excerpts From The Book The NBA Doesn't Want You To Read--By Tim Donaghy Wow.....A ton of good stuff here. Ill only post a few.... http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts...yline=true&s=x 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." On makeup calls: I remember one nightmarish game I worked with Joe Crawford and Phil Robinson. Minnesota and New Orleans were in a tight game going into the last minute, and Crawford told us to make sure that we were 100 percent sure of the call every time we blew the whistle. When play resumed, Minnesota coach Flip Saunders started yelling at us to make a call. Robinson got intimidated and blew the whistle on New Orleans. The only problem was it wasn't the right call. Tim Floyd, the Hornets' coach, went nuts. He stormed the court and kicked the ball into the top row of the stadium. Robinson had to throw him out, and Minnesota won the game. [...] Later that week, Ronnie Nunn told me that we could have made something up at the other end against Minnesota to even things out. He even got specific — maybe we should have considered calling a traveling violation on Kevin Garnett. Talk about the politics of the game! Of course the official statement from the league office will always read, "There is no such thing as a makeup call."
Posts: 68,717

11-02-2009, 04:59 PM	#17
MahiMike He's Mahomie! Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Jax, FL Casino cash: $10023443	If it can happen in the NBA... __________________ 99.9%
Posts: 17,387

11-02-2009, 05:03 PM	#18
OnTheWarpath15 MVP Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2041115	As shitty as the officiating is in the NBA, I'm not sure how someone would find this unbelievable. Worst officiating of the 4 major sports by a WIDE margin.
Posts: 60,758

11-02-2009, 05:04 PM	#19
Psyko Tek special teams Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Mesa AZ Casino cash: $10015665	Long time Suns fan and we have been ****ed soooo many times in the playoffs if you watched Raja work Kobe you'ld know this is true GOD I HATE LA GO SUNS __________________ Psyko Tek The keyboard has been drinking,
Posts: 12,018

11-02-2009, 05:05 PM	#20
DaWolf Cry havoc... Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10007725	Probably happens in other sports too...
Posts: 6,798

11-02-2009, 05:10 PM	#22
Stewie MVP Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: West of the Equator Casino cash: $-1870099	I've followed NBA basketball a LONG time, but Michael Jordan got away with a ton of shit. That started the trend. It was so egregious that the refs "wouldn't notice" his pivot foot moving from 2' inside the 3-point arc to 1' outside the arc. He was MJ after all.
Posts: 13,888

11-02-2009, 06:03 PM	#24
CoMoChief Mahomes Dynasty Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $7672254	Well its no secret that the stars get the calls....that's always been the case. And I can't remember the last time i saw a traveling violation in the NBA. It never gets called yet I can't tell you how many times I see Lebron take 4 steps when driving to the lane without putting the ball on the floor. Don't get me even started on foul calls. I know the NBA lets more get away, and they don't nearly call fouls the way they do in college. But there's a foul just about anytime anyone drives in the paint. It just doesn't get called. I already think the NBA has too many games in their season. That's why I usually don't watch it until around the last week of the reg season and playoffs. I may watch a marquee matchup like a Lebron vs Kobe....Lakers/Celtics...or if Kirk Hinrich is playing on WGN and I happen to flip to that channel when they're playing I will watch that since he's my favorite player.
Posts: 39,245

11-02-2009, 06:15 PM	#25
wild1 MVP Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: 31040 Casino cash: $10004900	I wondered, personally, if the refs or the league weren't on the take when the Steelers beat the Seahawks in Detroit for the super bowl. There were so many terrible calls, they all went the same direction, and it was the whole storyline about Bettis getting his ring in his hometown. That game was the first time I seriously wondered about the integrity of the game in the NFL because it was so poorly officiated and so one-sided.
Posts: 6,935