Thursday, April 24, 2014
Do you believe the NBA is fixed? I don't. But I do believe there is a bias toward setting up the best TV ratings and protecting superstars.
This is hard to prove unless you trust Tim Donaghy, an NBA referee from 1994-2007 who was fired and later imprisoned for betting on games he officiated.
Donaghy says the league wants the Nets to beat the Raptors in their playoff matchup to ensure bigger TV ratings from a Nets-Heat second-round series. "They're (the Raptors) not only going against the Brooklyn Nets but going against the league office," Donaghy recently said on The Jeff Blair Show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan.
Donaghy pointed out during this interview that the league meets with referees before playoff games specifically explaining want they want and don't want called.
"...A Brooklyn-Miami matchup would bring great ratings and that's what this is all about for the NBA and the league offices - bringing in as many dollars as they can," he said.
The league, of course, heatedly denies this. Through two games - both played in Toronto - the Nets were whistled for one more foul than the Raptors. This might dispute Donaghy's claim, but it wouldn't surprise me that what he says is true.
Sure Donaghy's reputation is forever damaged. But his 14 years in the league give him a certain amount of credibility and he, unlike others, has nothing to lose by speaking out.
(Editor's note: Nover's Daily View is written commentary provided exclusively to Pregame by Stephen Nover. Stephen has been on the sports gaming scene for 30 years. Stephen has parlayed a 20-year career as an award-winning sportswriter, part-time oddsmaker for legendary linesmaker Roxy Roxborough, co-host of the former Sunday Night Stardust Line radio show, teacher of a football handicapping class at UNLV and author of two sports gaming books and a book on fantasy football, into becoming one of the top handicappers in the country.
A native of Wisconsin, Stephen covered college and pro sports for daily newspapers in the Midwest, South and West, including 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stephen is The author of two sports gambling books, "Las Vegas Sports Beat" and "Sports Gaming Beat", along with a book on fantasy football titled, "Winning Fantasy Football."
Stephen taught a football handicapping class in the fall of 2004 at UNLV and was the co-host of the Sunday night sports betting radio show "The Stardust Line" for many years building up a lifetime of outstanding sources and connections.)
On the handicapping front, I have won my last two baseball plays and have found a total on today's major league card I like so much I'm making it a Triple Star Total of the Month. I am 31-17 on my last 48 Triple Stars. The play can be found here: /pregamepros/pro-bettor/bettor.aspx?id=7746#capper.
As always, let's have no bad luck!