Deadspin.com is doing a whole series of columns by Tim Donaghy breaking down the officiating in each game of the Finals. It's quite interesting to read his comments about little tendencies of referees, like late in a game that's been decided, they will call fouls against teams in order to better equalize the number of fouls called on each team.
Tim Donaghy breaking down officiating is like Charles Barclay telling you how to get washboard abs....
Oh Bill. Everyone knows, if you want to know how crooks work, hire an ex-con. Read Donaghy's reports. Their great, not sensational. They are a sober look at how human the refs are, and how the best intentions (sometimes best intentions) can lead to unintended consequences. There is no doubt this guy was a skilled referee.
The Lakers shot a putrid 67% from the line led by Gasol and Kobe and still made 8 more FT's than the C's attempted. I don't see how the C's built their lead without being aggressive?
Yes you are not going to win too many games being out-boarded like that. LA finally started making some shots. If Bos had Perkins then they probably would have won. Or if Garnett could have mustered more than 3 boards.
I read the Game 7 report. Anyone on this forum could have written the same crap. The thug is just trying to make a buck.
Because he has personal knowledge of the innerworkings of the NBA and the current state of officiating and doesn't have any incentive anymore to cover up any potential shady behaviour?
Of course that's the other side of it. People will say anything for money. I take what he has to say with a big grain of salt. But I am definitely listening to what he has to say. He's usually not saying things that are completely outlandish, anyway. Much of what he says confirms what many "casual internet fans" have suspected for some time about referee and league bias.
You gotta be kidding me about the indignation for a guy who gave tips to bookies because he got too deep into gambling debt. Kobe may have raped a woman for crissakes.
Sure, why not? I think you're confusing a moral judgment about someone's character with their capacity to have anything pertinent to say. I don't know if you don't like Donaghy, and by not reading him you feel you can help punish him for his sins, or if you think he has no credibility. I'd like to think we don't accept everything he says just because he says it, and on the flipside, don't write off everything he says, just because he is the one saying it. AA meetings are usually run by former alcoholics, some of whom may have been violent or even criminal, who now give advice to people seeking help. They are the experts. With that same perspective, who would know better about the corruption and biases of NBA referees than Tim Donaghy?
Excellent point, Roscoe. I read Donaghy's book and have heard and read his views regarding the playoffs. He was a referee for a long time, he has to know something. I do think he has an ax to grind, but I do not dismiss what he is saying. When something bad is going on in my school, I seek out the kids that usually are in trouble. They usually have all the information I need.
True, but without some independent verification, it's tough to know which 75% is BS and which 25% is true. (My wholly unverified guess at how much he's just making up.) Which suggests to me pretty much to ignore everything. He's a petty little man, trying to milk a living out of his sins for as long as he can. He should have some credibility, having lived the life, but I don't think I can trust anything he says.
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