Disco Volante
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401
The game in specific being Game 6 of the 2002 Western Confrence Finals between the Lakers and Kings.
Donaghy letter to court alleges refs altered games
ESPN.com
Updated: June 10, 2008, 6:34 PM ET
Jeff Van Gundy ultimately backed off comments that a referee told him that officials had targeted Yao Ming in the Houston Rockets 2005 first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. Maybe he was right.
A letter sent to the sentencing court on behalf of convicted former referee Tim Donaghy outlines just such a plan. Donaghy's legal team is trying demonstrate his cooperation with a government investigation before he is sentenced on July 14 on felony charges alleging he took cash payoffs from gamblers and bet on games himself.
In other documents filed with the Brooklyn court, Donaghy's lawyers responded to the NBA's claim that he must pay $1 million in restitu
in Game 6 but lost two players to ejection, lost that game and ultimately the series.
It is not clear which series this account refers to.
Donaghy also alleges that team executives conspired with the league to prevent star players from being called for too many fouls or being ejected. He claimed that league officials told referees that doing so would "hurt ticket sales and television ratings."
According to the letter, when an official did eject a star player in the first quarter of a game in 2000, he was privately reprimanded.
In addition to game-altering allegations, Donaghy's letter claims that many officialy carry on relationships with team exectutives, coaches and players that violate their NBA contracts.
"Tim described one referee's use of a team's practice facility to exercise and another's frequent tennis matches with a team's coach," the letter states.
The NBA has not commented on Donaghy's allegations. Donaghy's attorney and prosecutors also declined to comment to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Donaghy faces up to 33 months in prison.
The game in specific being Game 6 of the 2002 Western Confrence Finals between the Lakers and Kings.