Smith: Donaghy Spoils NBA Dream Season

June 11, 2008 -- LOS ANGELES -- In the aftermath of a gambling scandal involving one of its officials, the National Basketball Association virtually prayed for a sensational 2007-08 season, one which would culminate with a perfectly scripted, epic NBA Finals reunion of the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The league got just what it wanted.

And still, all of this has been rendered practically meaningless.

It's meaningless because rogue referee Tim Donaghy is back in the news, accusing his officiating contemporaries of wrongdoing. Again. What's more, Donaghy has accused the NBA itself of playing a role of its own in the scandal. Donaghy did so in a letter sent to the sentencing court, a letter dispatched not only in an effort to garner leniency, but also in a clear effort to undermine the image of the league.

As things appear right now, one wonders if Donaghy will be able to pull it off.

His timing couldn't be worse for the NBA. As the Lakers entered the Staples Center down 2-0 in this best-of-seven series, still reeling from a 38-10 discrepancy in free throws in Boston's favor in Game 2, Donaghy's legal team seized the moment to publicly outline new allegations of altered games, including a pair of specific examples: a 2005 playoff series between the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks, and the infamous Game 6 of the Western Conference finals in 2002.

That game happened to involve the Sacramento Kings and the Lakers, right here at the Staples Center. The Lakers trailed 3-2 in the series, were granted 27 free throws in the fourth quarter and won the game, causing a wave of raised eyebrows -- plus a written request for a league investigation by former presidential candidate and noted consumer advocate Ralph Nader.

So, needless to say, the league had some explaining to do prior to Game 3 last night.

"According to Mr. Donaghy, all of his allegations have previously been made to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney," Richard Buchanan, an executive vice president and general counsel for the NBA, said in a public statement released yesterday afternoon. "They are clearly being disclosed now as part of his desperate attempt to lighten the sentence that will be imposed for his criminal conduct.