Tim Donaghy accuses JVG of betting on the Heat based on inside info

[barefacedmonk]

It's Tim Donaghy...so take it with a grain of salt. He can't be trusted 100% even when he is speaking the truth...but anyway, this is what he says:

Disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy breaks down some preferential treatment for the "King with No Ring" James in this video. Then at the 2:30 mark, Donaghy makes a huge accusation towards perennial annoying commentator Jeff Van Gundy.

"He knows who's going to win prior. And I think he's making a couple dollars on the side placing some wagers down."

You will recall that Jeff Van Gundy was the coach 6 years ago that accused the league of sending out a memo regarding his player Yao Ming. Van Gundy claimed he received the info from a referee, but when David Stern threatened to severely fine and permanently ban Van Gundy unless he coughed up the name of his informant, Van Gundy changed his story and said no ref had talked to him. Van Gundy was fined $100,000, which was the largest fine ever given to a coach. (source)

Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrQ3obEgfm0&feature=player_embedded

....and this from game 4 of the ECF:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjEz0QPjY60&feature=related

[slamtheking]

I think he's really stretching it on the JVG gambling accusations but the rest of it was pretty spot on.  It's of little surprise to anyone that watches the games that Lebron gets to play by his own rules (and so does Wade). 

Best thing that could happen for real basketball fans is for Dallas to win the title.

[mr. kurtz]

i do beleive the NBA is giving the refs his prefered winner and if the game is close enough the refs would be able to give the edge to the superstar oriented teams.

the NBA office marketing system is based on selling their product to the masses wich means to a lot of people who don't really care about the game and don't really understand the game. this casual fans love the superstars stories and the league will give it to them as long as it can. the real fans of the game get screwed - having to watch this bs plays time after time. in the euroleage and in college basketball this plays would have been called by the rule book not by capitalism rules.

[CelticsFanNC]

  David Stern and the NBA choose the players it wants to spend truck loads of money to market and those players get the benefit of highly questionable officiating.  This is nothing new.  It's been going on since Jordan and maybe ever before that.

  Still it's really hard to respect Tim Dung-Heap.

[CelticsFanNC]

  What is new in my eyes is the networks and their talking heads turning a blind eye to one sided officiated and preferential treatment of the chosen few.  If you notice on nationally televised games especially on ABC and ESPN they in most cases do not show replays of close calls.  It's Capitalism.  The networks wants ratings because rating bring in advertising dollars.  Any hint of scandal would cost them viewers and therefore cost them money.  Many casual NBA fans question whether or not the NBA is fixed so to keep them tuning in they don't show the questionable calls especially those involving the players they and the NBA choose to Market because those are the players the casual fan tune in to watch.  It's a viscous cycle.  It's called Capitalism.

   If only this were the worst evidence of the evils of Capitalism but thats not the case....that resides in Washington,

[Eja117]

Basketball has its Jose Canseco and I love it

[Fafnir]

Basketball has its Jose Canseco and I love it

Except Jose Canseco was shown to be largely telling the truth. Donaghy has been shown to be a self serving liar.

Which shouldn't be a surprise, addicts are the absolute worst and most pathological liars in the world.

[pearljammer10]

Question that came up during the game last night; Has LeBron James ever fouled out of a game in his career? I feel like I read a stat somewhere a while back that said he's only gotten more than 4 fouls in a game once or twice in his career...

[CelticsGuy34]

theres alot of truth to what donaghy is saying, alot

i dont write him off at all, alot of what he is saying is what sane smart Real fans see, not the casual nba fan

ts not about is that a flagrant, thats not even the point, van gundy tried to say that it wasnt even a foul on lebron, and jason terry should have be called for a foul,

Lebron clearly fouled barea on the other end, clearly, yet no mention of it, cause just a few seconds earlier they were questioning spoelstra for leaving lebron in with 2 fouls, then Lebron clearly fouls Barea, but the refs doing what they do, PROTECT Lebron from getting that 3rd foul, but you dont see the commentetors even mention what should have been called a foul

People saying that wasnt a flagrant , thats not even the point, Miami has yet to be called for a flagrant thus far in the playoffs, even if they called that so what, they would have called that on another team, they dont call it both ways when it comes to lebron and the heat

watch this, why did Jermaine oneal get a flagrant here, why wasnt Jones called for a flagrant? why would they Eject pierce so quickly....this would never happen to the heat never

do you think these types of anamolies would happen to lebron, wade and the heat, ****h

thus far in the playoffs, i havent seen miami called for 1 flagrant, even if that flagrant isnt warrented , they wont call it if its a borderline flagrant

just in the boston series , JO was called for 2 flagrants, first was a complete joke, and the one in game 4 was a joke too, not as bad as the first ,but similar to the foul lebron had on terry , yet no flagrant on lebron, Mike bibby commited a flagrant on glen davis that same game which was clear as day yet they do not call it a flagrant

miami hasnt been called for even 1 flagrant this postseason

[MBz]

The JVG part is pushing it a little too far, but I agree with everything else he says.  There's no argument against him either, he's right.  It doesn't take a genius to see it or know this is how the NBA works from past experiences.  I will say this though, it's turning me off from the NBA.  Why do I want to watch a game that gives a team the advantage from the start?  LeBron's a great player, no question about it, but if he can travel he's unguardable.  That and there's just some foolish rules I don't understand.  One is continuation, last night LeBron picked the ball up, took a step, bumped into Dirk, took a hop and skip and took a 15 footer, it went in, count it plus the foul.  Well, why should it count if he travels after he gets fouled?  This whole league is just turning into a joke.

[BballTim]

  This is the same JVG that, when the Heat were 8-7 or so, lowered his win prediction for them from 72 to 65 or so? If he has enough inside information to know who's going to win games he does a good job of hiding it when he's on tv. He should stick with his day job.

[CelticG1]

Basketball has its Jose Canseco and I love it

Except Jose Canseco was shown to be largely telling the truth. Donaghy has been shown to be a self serving liar.

Which shouldn't be a surprise, addicts are the absolute worst and most pathological liars in the world.

Where has it been shown that he is a liar? I haven't followed him in detail but didn't know what you are talking about

[CelticG1]

Question that came up during the game last night; Has LeBron James ever fouled out of a game in his career? I feel like I read a stat somewhere a while back that said he's only gotten more than 4 fouls in a game once or twice in his career...

It's pretty absurd with how physical Lebron plays defense. He bodies up people very hard and just doesn't get called for it. Although I don't agree that those type of calls should be made, they are in fact made on everyone else a ton. If Paul Pierce bodies up Lebron at all there is a whistle prettymuch immediately on contact. When Lebron does it (and lets face it Lebron is stronger) Pierce will fumble the ball or something because he's driving against a brick wall that keeps bumping him and lebron just won't get called for anything. The only fouls he gets called for are offensive fouls (no more than one a game), the occasional obvious slap on the wrist/forearm, and intentional fouls to prevent a layup.

I honestly think that if Lebron wanted to he could be a lot more physical and STILL not get into foul trouble

[Fafnir]

Basketball has its Jose Canseco and I love it

Except Jose Canseco was shown to be largely telling the truth. Donaghy has been shown to be a self serving liar.

Which shouldn't be a surprise, addicts are the absolute worst and most pathological liars in the world.

Where has it been shown that he is a liar? I haven't followed him in detail but didn't know what you are talking about

He lied about not fixing games and he lied about being able to predict games by the refs assigned. He's also lied about a lot of little things.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11340/tim-donaghys-claims-on-trial

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/4966/a-professional-gambler-s-take-on-the-tim-donaghy-scandal

[BigDanz2000]

I think that TD has something here. Even though he is a disgraced former NBA ref and really has no credibility outside of the court, what this guy does have is NBA officiating  knowledge.  Which, if he does this correctly, sticks to the obvious calls that are not being called or the favoritism that we as fans think there is, I think he could gain some attention from the fans as well as David Stern where we might see some actual change in the way officials call games.

But if TD continues to throw out loose accusations then he is going to be continually looked at as just a disgraced official who nobody is going to take serious.  

-Lastly, while watching that clip with Lebron elbow checking Bareas throat, sure JVG didnt say anything about it, but I think, If I remember correctly, Mike Breen saying that it could have been called an offensive foul.