While nearly everyone remembers that game as one of the worst officiated games they have ever seen, Donaghy has summarily been dismissed because of his background as a convicted felon. There is no denying, however, the reputation the officials of the league have.
From Mark Stein: "All of San Antonio is convinced the Spurs have no shot at a W if Joey Crawford is in the building, just as anyone who follows Dallas can tell you that when Danny Crawford has a whistle, the Mavs have a 2-14 record in the playoffs since Mark Cuban bought the team."The game itself included the Lakers shooting 27 free throws in the final quarter and scoring 16 of their last 18 points at the line.
Seeing replays of that series on T.V. reminded me of just how much character was on that Kings team. Arizona's Mike Bibby, chain-smoking Vlade Divac (who I still believe was a foreign astronaut in the movie Armageddon) and Chris "I need a timeout" Webber. I should take it easy on Chris, as he gave impetus to a Michigan obsession that I'm coming to grips with. This may be a subject for a separate post, but is rooting for a college team that you neither went to, or live
next to, acceptable?
I don't think Donaghy will bring down the league with his timely accusation, but this would be a good time for Stern to address the referee situation in the league. He has already concurred the dress code, bumbled rules during the playoffs, and rescinded a bad idea. Now it's time to fix the Knicks and reform the refs.
1 comment:
Great take. Thank goodness for that dress code.
Donaghy's comments probably aren't true, and I hope they're not. What's good about him making those comments though is that the NBA has to reform how they assess the quality of officiating as a result. Donaghy has essentially become the Jose Canseco of the NBA.
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