Tony Giro, The Examiner
2008-06-13 07:00:00.0
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BALTIMORE -

When the NBA Finals tipped-off on June 5, NBA commissioner David Stern got exactly what he wanted: the two most storied franchises in the league — the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers — battling it out for the ugliest trophy in sports.

It was supposed to be the NBA’s return to glory after years of Michael Jordan withdrawal. Now, with a champion just a Wes Unseld outlet pass away from being crowned, former referee Tim Donaghy is giving Stern more than he can handle.

These bi-coastal, star-studded finals were supposed to bring the league full circle and serve as a reminder of the legendary Celtics-Lakers battles of the 80’s that made the league relevant; minus the tight shorts, Dennis Johnson’s freckles and John 3:16 posters.

Whether Donaghy’s accusation that, “top executives of the NBA sought to manipulate games using referees,” are true — and at this point I’m willing to give him at least a Jose Canseco shot at credibility — the allegations are exactly what a league experiencing a Cinderella ending didn’t need.

Instead of spawning a rebirth of the casual fan and ushering in a new generation of young fans much like the Magic-Bird storyline prompted kids everywhere to buy purple, gold and white Magic Johnson Converse Weapons or Bird’s black and white version, the exact opposite has happened.

Now, no matter how Stern tries to spin or manipulate the controversy (when this story was written, not a single word about the Donaghy scandal appeared on the league's NBA.com Web site) the series is being played under a black cloud of doubt and suspicion. Now, every iffy call is being met with raised eyebrows and, “maybe Donaghy is right,” mumblings.

But that is the bed Stern made when this story broke last July. Though he talked a good game and said the scandal was, “The most serious situation and worst situation that I have ever experienced,” in his 40 years in the NBA, he choked in the clutch.

And last November, when more than half of the league’s 56 referees were found to have broken the league’s gambling policy, did Stern slap the refs with technical fouls? Nope. He expanded the gambling outlets in which the referees could put their money down because he thought the previous rules were too stringent.

What is particularly puzzling about Stern’s turn-your-head approach is that it comes from the same commissioner who fines league owners for getting DUIs. It is also the same commissioner who implemented a mandatory dress code for players because, despite what was publicly said, he was fearful the league’s perception was plummeting among its majority white ticket buyers.

Yet when referees get caught altering games with their whistle without so much as a slap on the wrist, professional basketball becomes nothing more than professional wrestling.

By hoping the situation would just go away, Stern played roulette with the fans’ faith in his product and left himself open for a desperate Donaghy — who awaits a July 14 sentencing after pleading guilty to federal crimes of assisting gamblers and betting on NBA games himself- to throw other NBA referees under the proverbial bus.

I can get over a regular season that is 30 games too long and a postseason that seemingly never ends. I can simply shake my head at the myriad of poor decisions the players make off the court. I can even look away and laugh when players like Raef LaFrentz garner 3-year, $35 million contracts. But, there is nothing “Fan-tastic” about a league with referees as crooked as Larry Bird’s pointer finger.

So while The Finals were supposed to be a shot in the arm for a league with image problems and regular season television ratings so low Spud Webb has to stand on his tippy-toes to see them, we have been distracted by a much larger drama.

Will I watch the conclusion of The Finals? Absolutely. Will I think every possession is a free flowing scene in an unscripted play? Don’t bet on it.

Tony Giro is a lifelong Baltimore sports fan who blogs on examiner.com for fans. If you subscribe — it’s free — you’ll be e-mailed each time Tony posts a column. He can be reached at timeout@baltimoreexaminer.com.