Donaghy says refs fixed playoffs; Stern says no

The disgraced former NBA referee told authorities in a four-page letter released Tuesday that two officials conspired to fix the outcome of a 2002 playoff series and influenced several other post- and regular-season games.

Court documents filed by Donaghy's lawyer detailed the "inner-workings" of a plot in which top league executives used referees to manipulate the games. Donaghy claims two referees were "company men" whose job was to extend a playoff series in 2002 to a seventh game.

The documents did not name the series, but the Lakers-Kings Western Conference finals was the only series in 2002 that went to a seventh game, with the Lakers winning both Game 6 and 7 to reach the NBA Finals.

"Personal fouls (resulting in obviously injured players) were ignored even when they occurred in full view of the referees," the document says of the unnamed series. "Conversely, the referees called made-up fouls on Team 5 in order to give additional free throw opportunities to Team 6."

Two players from Team 5 fouled out in the game, the document said, and the "referees' favoring of Team 6 led to that team's victory that night." Team 6 also went on to win Game 7 of the series, according to the document.

NBA commissioner David Stern flatly denied the allegations Tuesday, dismissing Donaghy's allegations as a despearte attempt to ease his sentence.

"My reaction to Donaghy's lawyer is that clearly as the date of sentencing gets closer and the things he's thrown against the wall haven't stuck, he's rehashing a variety of things that have been given to the FBI, have been investigated and are baseless," Stern told reporters.

"He's a singing, cooperating witness trying to get as light a sentence as he can."

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The Lakers trailed the Kings three games to two in 2002 when Los Angeles rallied to win each of the final two games and eventually went on win the NBA championship. Key Kings big men Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard both fouled out in Game 6.

Shaquille O'Neal scored 41 points and pulled down 17 rebounds against the Kings in Game 6, and drew most of the fouls that sent Divac and Pollard out of the game.

"Our big guys get 20 fouls tonight and Shaq gets four? You tell me how the game went," Kings coach Rick Adelman said after the game, according to SportsTicker. "It's just the way it is. Obviously, they got the game called the way they wanted to get it called."

"I knew before the game I'd be out of it," Divac added. "(O'Neal) went out (on fouls) up there (in Sacramento). It had to be the same down here."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson, speaking with reporters before Tuesday's Game 3 of the NBA Finals, stressed the need to wait for proof before any judgments are made, but was not shy to offer a low opinion of the officiating in the 2002 series.

"Was that after the fifth game, after we had the game stolen away from us on a bad call?" he said, referring to a game-changing play by Kings guard Mike Bibby in the final moments.

The letter doesn't name anyone involved. Donaghy's attorney and prosecutors have declined to comment. The league has denied the scandal goes beyond Donaghy and two co-defendants.

Though the document again does not name anyone specifically, Mark Cuban did complain to the league that year about the officiating after his Mavericks fell behind 2-0 in their series with Houston. Dallas went on to beat the Rockets in seven games.

Then-Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy claimed at the time that an official who was not working the playoffs informed him of the plan.

"I didn't think that really worked in the NBA, but in this case it has," Van Gundy told reporters after the fourth game of the series, according to USA Today. He was later fined $100,000, a record sum for a coach.

The document also described other alleged infractions, including league officials telling referees that they should withhold calling technical fouls on certain star players because doing so hurt ticket sales and television ratings."

Donaghy also said refs broke league rules by routinely fraternizing with players, coaches and team management and that the resulting inappropriate relationships may have influenced the outcomes of games. He claims one general manager in 2004 made a game-day phone call to referees to encourage them to call more personal fouls against an opponent.

Donaghy claims referees have accepted autographs, merchandise and meals from team representatives. He said one official used a team's facility to exercise and another played tennis with an NBA coach.

The veteran referee pleaded guilty last year to felony charges alleging he took cash payoffs from gamblers and bet on games. He faces up to 33 months in prison.