Lakers win tonight - guaranteed. Kobe himself shoots more free throws than the Lakers had as a team in Game 2.

Look at the pot calling the kettle black.

DIRTY REF CALLS PLAYOFFS BIG RIG
ACCUSES NBA EXECS OF PLOT TO FAVOR STARS WITH FOUL CALLS
By STEFANIE COHEN, FRED KERBER and CHUCK BENNETT

June 11, 2008 --

Top NBA executives rigged playoff series to pack arenas and pump up TV ratings by ordering officials to shamelessly make calls that benefited favored teams, disgraced ex-ref Tim Donaghy charged in bombshell court papers yesterday.

"Tim gave information on how top executives of the NBA sought to manipulate games using referees to boost ticket sales and television ratings," lawyer John Lauro wrote in a letter to Brooklyn federal Judge Carol Bagley Amon, detailing how his client has cooperated with feds since being busted last year.
Donaghy, a compulsive gambler who bet on games he officiated and provided inside tips to his partners, pleaded guilty last August to wire fraud and gambling.

He faces up to three years in federal prison when he is sentenced on July 14. He is detailing how league execs used referees to manipulate games, and is hoping his cooperation will get him off with just probation.

"Tim explained that league officials would tell referees that they should withhold calling technical fouls on certain star players because doing so hurt ticket sales and television ratings," Lauro wrote.

It also emerged yesterday - in another letter filed by Lauro - that the NBA is seeking $1 million from Donaghy to pay for its "internal investigation."

"The NBA, however, provides no support whatsoever for this demand," Lauro wrote.

NBA commissioner David Stern called all of Donaghy's allegations "baseless," and accused him of purposely filing his papers the same day as an NBA Finals game to drum up publicity.

He called the claims a "continuing flow of allegations from, don't forget, an admitted felon."

Donaghy's allegations of referee misconduct does not name specific teams, but clearly points to the 2005 Western Conference playoffs between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. Dallas lost the first two games while accusing Yao Ming, Houston's star center, of committing illegal screens.

By Game 3, refs started calling more fouls against Yao, limiting his game time. Dallas went on to win the series 4-3.

A referee allegedly told then-Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy that officials were instructed to crack down on Yao.

Van Gundy was fined $100,000 for going public with the alleged conversation.

"The NBA was concerned only with keeping secret the leaks of behind-the-scenes instructions," Lauro wrote.

Donaghy also claimed there was manipulation in the 2002 playoffs.

He said three refs were officiating a playoff series between an unidentified "Team 5 and 6" that May, likely referring to the Western Conference finals between Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, for which Donaghy was an alternate ref.

Sacramento was leading the best-of-seven series, 3-2.

Donaghy said he was told by a ref that he and another official wanted to extend the series to a seventh game to collect more from ticket sales and TV revenue. He described them as "company men."

In Game 6, Sacramento shot 15 fewer free throws than the Lakers - a noticeable discrepancy in a playoff game. And in that game, two Sacramento centers - Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard - fouled out, essentially giving Laker star Shaquille O'Neal free rein.

LA went on to win the game 106-102. It was the only series to go to a seventh game that year. The Lakers won the game and went on to capture the NBA title.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson agrees there is something shady about playoff officiating.

"There's a lot of things going on in these games and they're suspicious," he said last night before coaching his team against the Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The league said in a statement: "The NBA remains vigilant in protecting the integrity of our game and has fully cooperated with the government at every stage of the investigation. The only criminal activity uncovered is Mr. Donaghy's."

Referees-union boss Lamell McMorris added: "Tim Donaghy has had honesty and credibility issues from the get-go . . . I'm not aware of any improper conduct by any current NBA referee in the playoffs six years ago or any conspiracy by the NBA to affect the outcome of any game then or now."

What a colossal choke job by the Lakers last night. How in the hell does a team blow that kind of lead at home in the Finals? Where was Kobe's shot last night?

I am not the greatest fan on basketball but i watched the game last night whilst i was on nights(it was quiet) and it was the best game i have ever seen in my limited experience!

Nice to watch a game as a neutral so you can appreciate the good play of both sides!

The Celtics clearly are the better team, beating the Lakers 5 of 6 games this year. Kobe is the best player, but his teammates don't play defense.

i look for Boston to win it at home in Game 6.

I agree. Embarrassing last night for L.A.

Last night's game was just another example why basketball is my least favorite sport. (despite playing it in HS) The first 3 quarters mean nothing. Almost every game, one team gets a huge lead, only for the game to turn into a tie in the 4th quarter.

I agree with everyhing you said, Just Lou.

It's a game of runs. At first it looked like a blowout but Boston battled back. I thought it was pretty exciting (maybe because I knew Boston would at least cut it close). I didn't expect them to come back and win.

I thought the biggest play for Boston last night was the three pointer that Posey hit from the corner, late in the game.

What was Sasha thinking when Ray Allen dribbled effortlessly by him to make the clinching lay up with under 20 seconds.

Does anyone know the extent of the injuries to Perkins and Rondo?

That play will haunt the Lakers. The game was still within reach and they let Allen go in uncontested. Why did no Laker have the smarts to foul? Boston's defense has been their calling card all season and it's the difference maker so far in this series.

That's what happens in almost every game. A large double digit lead evaporates in the 3rd quarter, leading to an eventual tie in the 4th quarter. Leading to the joke: "Give both teams 100 points, and let them play 5 minutes". The only time a 20 point halftime lead turns into a 40 point victory, is when the Knicks are involved.

I've gotta say this finals almost makes me want to watch basketball again. I am rooting for the Celtics. I used to like them back in the Bird, McHale, Parrish, and so on days and I don't think Garnett or the others have won a title. I can't say I care too much for Kobe either.

The only basketball I've watched this year was the 3rd and 4th quarters of the last game.

Lakers hang on in there!

Looks like it'll end in 6

Well I finished 11-4 with my playoff picks. Anybody beat me? A disgusting show from the Lakers. A totally embarrassing performance on the biggest stage there is. They should vomit everytime they think about this game between now and next June (if they make the Finals again next year).

I still can't believe the Celts are champs. I really thought the champ would have come out of the Western Confernce this year.

I NEVER, EVER, want to hear Kobe Bryant's name mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan's again.

Don't get me wrong, I hated Jordan and the Bulls. When I was still into the NBA, I was as die hard a Knicks fan as there ever was.

But there's no way MJ gets beat by almost 40 in an elimination game.

I could not agree more, Pizzaboy. As much as I loathed Jordan (glad to see I'm not alone), he wanted to win more than anybody on the floor. Not that Kobe doesn't want to win, but Game 4 and the close out games were inexcusable. Same for Phil Jackson.

Pat Riley finally won a title with mediocre talent (The Heat), Phil Jackson still hasn't. As much as I dislike Riley for the way he abandoned my Knicks, in my opinion he's the better coach.

Both Riley & Phil seem to always have at least one, usually 2-3, superstars on their rosters. So I'm always weary about slapping the accolades on those two coaches shoulders. I think you see what they are like the Lakers had been in the 3 seasons without Shaq and awful the Heat were without Shaq and a healthy D. Wade this year.

I would not be surprised to see Phil Jackson take one more job - either in Cleveland or if LeBron goes to another team. I really think Phil wants another shot at surpassing Red Auerbach on the all-time coaching title list.

"What do you guys got against Michael Jordan??" says the guy from Chicago.

I was rooting for the Celtics because I wanted KG to win one - like Tim Duncan, he's one of those that quietly goes about his business - no outside fanfare, no real controversies... just one of the good guy superstars in the league.

I'm happy for KG, Allen and Pierce

I like Garnett, too, Don Sicilia. He is a good guy who has taken care of his family since day one and deserves the spoils of this season.

I've ranted against MJ before. I don't like him personally (his gambling, infidelity, and massive ego) and the fact that he put daggers through the Cavs. Most of all, while I acknowledge fully that the superstars got away with plenty of fouls and were always the benefit of the call, I always thought MJ got EVERYTHING his way. It was like the refs bowed down to him. And his incessant whining on those rare occasions when he was whistled for a foul. I also thought he tainted his image by coming back and playing for Washington. He should have been satisfied as having made the winning shot in the 1998 Finals, but felt compelled to come to a bad team and take away playing time from younger players who needed playing time.

That being said, he was one of the greatest ever to play in any sport. I respected his desire to put his team on his back when it mattered most. MJ could always back it up. Had he not stopped playing in 1994 & 95 (voluntarily or not), the Bulls would have rattled off eight in a row.

The better team won. When the Celtics were down by 24 in the second half in LA, they fought back incessantly and beat the Lakers. LA fell behind 23 at halftime and they couldn't attempt a comeback.

Boston is not only the most talented team, but they are the grittiest, and know the value of playing defense.

Michael Jordan was the best I've ever seen, and Kobe may be second. I think you have to wait until a career is over before it can be placed in historical perspective. I admit that Jordan carried his team on his back, but I also think that he had better talent surrounding him than Kobe has. Fisher is okay, but Gasol and Odom didn't play well consistently. Boston committed to stopping - or slowing - Kobe, and nobody elase stepped up.

Great job by the Celtics, one of the proudest franchises in sports.

With this year's Laker team, I would agree that Jordan's teams were moer talented. But the Laker teams that won three consecutive titles from 2000-2003 were formidable with Kobe, Shaq, Glen Rice (one year), and Fisher.

I agree that the better team won this series, but I am still surprised Boston stepped up, particularly on the road. The Celtics were definitely the better defensive team. Ray Allen looked wretched in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but stepped up nicely in the last two rounds. It reinforces my belief that 90% of NBA champs have at least two superstars on their roster, the most recent exception being the 2004 Pistons. They were just a team that gelled perfectly.

That's true. Danny Ainge believes it too. I felt good for him as he reconfigured a 24 win team into a champion. I also felt good for Doc Rivers, who had been under fire the previous 2 seasons.

I remember Ainge and Rivers battling each other in the amazing playoff between Boston and Atlanta in '88...even though bird and Wilkins took center stage.

I'm not sure about the year, but do you remember when Tree Rollins bit Danny Ainge in a fight?