NBA: Where the Fix Happens

Six years ago the Sacramento Kings were on their way to the NBA Finals. It was game six of the Western Conference Finals, and the Kings appeared to be the superior team—and it appeared they would win the game.

The fourth quarter of game six featured officiating so poor and one-sided that columnists and talk-show hosts across the nation vented their collective outrage the following day.

Foul after foul was called on Sacramento's big men. Starting center Vlade Divac fouled out. Backup Scot Pollard followed him despite playing just 11 minutes. Yet another big man, Chris Webber, collected five fouls.

The Lakers enjoyed a parade to the charity stripe and ultimately another trip to the Finals. Even Shaquille O'Neal made 13 of 17 free throws.

Among the most vocal critics of the officiating in game six were Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon and USA Today columnist David Dupree.

Even Ralph Nader personally sent a letter to David Stern calling for a league review of the game to prevent "more distrust and distaste" for the game in general.

Fast forward six years and we have statements from former referee Tim Donaghy claiming to have inproper knowledge from the Lakers-Kings matchup.

In addition, Donaghy claims Houston center Yao Ming was singled out by referees in a playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks in 2005. Then-Rockets' coach Jeff Van Gundy made the same claims at the time, and it lightened his wallet to the tune of $100,000.

Ever since Michael Jordan's playing days, the NBA has had credibility issues when it comes to officiating. Now, however, there seems to be more concrete evidence to support what most fans have believed for years.

How is it Major League Baseball was put through the wringer for the steroids scandal, yet the NBA remains as popular as ever despite the potentiallly orchestrated outcomes by the three least athletic men on the court.

Even game two of this year's Finals matchup between the Lakers and Celtics looked shockingly suspicious. Boston reserve Leon Powe attempted three more foul shots than the entire Lakers team.

Ironically, now it was Phil Jackson, often a beneficiary of the whistles during the Shaq-era in L.A., who was questioning the calls.

Nearly 90 years ago, baseball was rocked by the Black Sox scandal. The players involved were prosecuted, and a guy named Ruth eventually made everyone forget about it. Now we have "could-not-care-less" NBA commissioner David Stern smugly dismissing Donaghy's claims as "baseless."

You can't blame the commissioner though. The NBA has been deflecting suspicions for years and ratings and attendance are as good as ever.

Apparently it takes far more than a crooked ref and a slew of allegations to turn fans away. Apparently the average NBA fan doesn't much care whether the outcomes of all games are legitimate.

It's Faaaaaaaaaaaaantastic!