Where There's Smoke...

Last week, my buddy (and loyal SCSB reader) Glenn was robbed. The jerks kicked down his door and took his laptop, TV, DVD player...even his detergent and the Bud Light from his fridge. At least Glenn was not home for the burglary.

There is another theft in the news today after allegations from crooked NBA referee Tim Donaghy. The subject of the robbery is the 2002 Western Conference Finals game between the L.A. Lakers and Sacramento Kings. It has long been speculated that officials, who did a miserable job in Game 6, purposefully helped the Lakers in an effort to create a lucrative Game 7 and put Los Angeles (big market, big ratings) in The Finals instead of Sacramento (small market, low ratings). The game in question featured 27 4th quarter free throws for the Lakers as both Sacramento centers fouled out of the game.

This is not the only NBA conspiracy theory, though the first to be reported by an actual NBA referee (to be clear, Donaghy did not mention Game 6 specifically, but it is obviously the subject of his most recent claims). Whether one believes Donaghy or not, there is no doubt that an aura of dishonesty has haunted the NBA for years. David Stern's tenure as commissioner has been wildly successful in many ways, but also highly suspicious.

For example:

The Patrick Ewing Draft Lottery - The NBA conspiracy theories began in 1985 when Stern "randomly" pulled the New York Knicks card to receive the first pick. Everyone knew Patrick Ewing would be this first pick, the type of big man a franchise could build around for the next decade. Everyone also knew the NBA needed the Knicks to be one of the league's elite teams, so adding Patrick Ewing to the Knicks, rather than say the Milwaukee Bucks or San Antonio Spurs, would bolster the NBA in terms of ratings, interest and revenue.

Was the Knicks' envelope frozen so Stern knew which one to grab? Was the corner bent? The conspiracy theories began...

2002 Lakers/Kings game

We covered this on in the introduction. It remains the source of speculation among NBA and specifically Kings players who remain convinced that Sacramento was robbed.

2005 Rockets/Mavericks playoff series

This series is also mentioned in Donaghy's deposition. The source of the conflict here is Yao Ming. After the Mavs fell behind the Rockets 2-0, Dallas owner Mark Cuban complained about Yao's illegal screens. Sure enough, Yao was called for several cheap fouls in Game 3 and the Mavericks ended up winning in seven games. When Rockets' coach Jeff Van Gundy stated that he was told that officals were instructed to watch Yao more closely after Cuban's complaints, the league (Stern) fined Van Gundy $100,000.

2006 Heat/Mavs Finals

Another Maverick conspiracy theory, but this one goes against Cuban's club. After falling behind 0-2, Miami stormed back to win the next four games behind Dwyane Wade's seemingly endless trips to the foul line. No matter what the Mavericks did defensively, they could not avoid fouling Wade who continually drove to the basket to bounce off Dallas defenders. The Mavs' cried "foul" against all the fouls to no avail.

The Sonics Leaving Seattle

This conspiracy appears more legitimate all the time, The Sonics were sold to Clay Bennett with the promise he would keep the team in Seattle. After several "attempts" to get a needed new arena, Bennett is moving the team to Oklahoma City where he lives. Coincidence? David Stern applauded Bennett's efforts to keep the team in Seattle, but new emails show the Bennett group never planed to keep them in Washington from the moment of purchase. At best, Stern was duped by his friend into thinking Bennett would not move the Sonics. At worst, Stern was dishonest with the city of Seattle and the media about Bennett's intentions with the Sonics.

For years now, NBA fans and opponents alike have questioned the integrity of the game and specifically its commissioner. The question now, amidst the most recent allegation, is whether there is fire with all the smoke.

I'm afraid the answer, in several of these cases, is most likely yes.