Filed under: Lakers, Suns, NBA Playoffs

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

With the return of Steve Nash to the Valley of the Sun in 2004, the Phoenix Suns have since reinvigorated the NBA with their fast-paced, high-scoring style of play. With the league struggling for an identity with the absence of polarizing figures such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, one would think the league would embrace this added excitement. However, it has become extremely apparent that the NBA and commissioner David Stern have a vendetta against the Phoenix Suns.

In 1968, David Stern, who at the time was outside legal counsel on the case against Connie Hawkins. Connie Hawkins was implicated in the infamous point shaving scandal while a freshman at Iowa. He was then basically blackballed by the NCAA and NBA because his name was merely mentioned by Jack Molinas, who was later murdered in an apparent mob hit. The laughable thing about this whole situation is that Connie Hawkins was convicted of absolutely nothing and nothing was proven against him. He was basically made out to be a villain because his talent was substantial and the current commissioner, James Walter Kennedy,  thought it would send a strong message to discourage point shaving in the future.

Connie Hawkins finally brought a lawsuit against the NBA in 1969, in which none other than David Stern was the legal counsel for the NBA. Stern and the NBA lost the case and were forced to settle with Hawkins for an undisclosed amount of cash and allow him to be instated into the NBA. His rights were then assigned to the Phoenix Suns.  The main blemish on Stern’s legal career was Connie Hawkins and watching him play for the Phoenix Suns must have garnered much resentment.

This resentment could be clearly seen in the handling of the Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw suspensions during the 2006-2007 playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns seem destined to win the title, but one forearm by Robert Horry and two steps off the bench by Stoudemire and Diaw was enough for David Stern to levy his vendetta and suspend both players. Don’t get me wrong, the rule is that you can’t leave the bench, however one would think in a game of such heated implications one would give a little lenience. In a series where Steve Nash’s nose was busted open and Bruce Bowen “accidently” kneed Nash in the most private of places, Stern should have been proud of how Diaw and Stoudemire reacted! Even non-Suns fans could see the obvious disparity in the calls! This is obviously a prime example that there is more factoring in on who wins than being the better team…simply embarrassing.

With the release of the scorned Tim Donaghy’s tell all book this week, Suns fan’s past suspicions have been confirmed. It seems that in fact referee Tommy Nunez, who was the group supervisor for the 2007 Suns vs. Spurs 2nd round playoff match-up had a vested interest in the Spurs beating the Suns. Below is an excerpt from Donaghy’s book regarding this series:

My favorite Tommy Nunez story is from the 2007 playoffs when the San Antonio Spurs were able to get past the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Of course, what many fans didn’t know was that Phoenix had someone working against them behind the scenes. Nunez was the group supervisor for that playoff series, and he definitely had a rooting interest.

Nunez loved the Hispanic community in San Antonio and had a lot of friends there. He had been a referee for 30 years and loved being on the road; in fact, he said that the whole reason he had become a group supervisor was to keep getting out of the house. So Nunez wanted to come back to San Antonio for the conference finals. Plus, he, like many other referees, disliked Suns owner Robert Sarver for the way he treated officials. Both of these things came into play when he prepared the referees for the games in the staff meetings. I remember laughing with him and saying, “You would love to keep coming back here.” He was pointing out everything that Phoenix was able to get away with and never once told us to look for anything in regard to San Antonio. Nunez should have a championship ring on his finger.

I can’t say that I am surprised at all by these allegations from Donaghy. The bias in that series was so incredibly obvious at the time it was almost laughable. How David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA could stand by and let games be officiated to this standard is frankly embarrassing. Of course as I have written about in the past David Stern has a personal vendetta against the Suns stemming from his issues with Connie Hawkins when he was a lawyer for the NBA. (Click Here to read the Connie Hawkins Story).

Another excerpt in Donaghy’s book speaks about former Sun Raja Bell’s ability to shut down superstars.

Relationships between NBA players and referees were generally all over the board — love, hate, and everything in-between. Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players. A defensive specialist throughout his career, Bell had a reputation for being a “star stopper.” His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell’s tenacity on defense. Let’s face it, no one completely shuts down a player of Kobe’s caliber, but Bell could frustrate Kobe, take him out of his game, and interrupt his rhythm.

You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don’t pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell — they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.

If a player of Kobe’s stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear — call fouls against the star stopper because he’s hurting the game.

This is definitely believable as the NBA has always protected its biggest stars. This was true even when John Starks would guard Michael Jordan. However, what really bothers me is the fact Bruce Bowen somehow got a free pass on this. Bruce Bowen played some of the cheapest, dirty defense I have ever seen and he was rarely called for it. It seems that the league has a specific bias for the San Antonio Spurs.

Finally, this is sad state of affairs for the NBA in general. Even if these allegations posed by Donaghy are only partially true, the integrity of the game is still compromised. How can a NBA fan watch a game anymore without feeling that the athletic process is being usurped by referees acting in their own self-interest. David Stern, you have some serious PR work to do.

Here is the link to Donaghy’s excerpts on Deadspin:

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read

Tip-Off Timer: How '69 Coin Flip Cursed The Phoenix Suns originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Tip-Off Timer: How '69 Coin Flip Cursed The Phoenix Suns originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments