Casting A Shadow

The Lakers getting on the scoreboard with their first win of the NBA Finals is taking a back seat in many areas today amid Tim Donaghy’s allegations that the league previously told referees “to manipulate games.” The claims, which were filed yesterday in U.S. District Court, indicate the NBA instructed refs to not call technical fouls on star players in order to protect TV ratings and ticket sales. David Stern predictably brands Donaghy as a “desperate man” and criticizes the media for running with the story without any proof. However, the claims certainly open the league up to questions once again about whether Donaghy is the “rogue" official Stern and co. have labeled him. While not specifically mentioned, it also puts the spotlight again on a Lakers-Kings playoff game in ’02 that, even at the time, had people talking conspiracy. While the Lakers-Celtics continues to deliver with a 10.8 overnight rating for Game Three, Donaghy’s charge “could not have come at a worse time” for the league.

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