will grimey
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2007 Western Conference Semifinals Game 3
This game serves as Exhibit A in the case against Tim Donaghy, the referee who admitted to influencing the outcome of NBA games in relation to gambling lines. Donaghy’s worst offense was a call he made in the second quarter that was at least two seconds after a play under the basket. Donaghy was at halfcourt at the time and the ref under the rim didn’t blow the whistle. It went against the Suns. Suns All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire also spent the entire second half in foul trouble after a total Spurs’ flop that resulted in the forward’s fourth foul with only a minute gone by in the third. This entire series was marred by bad decisions, including the one-game suspension of Stoudemire for taking exactly one step off the bench during a Game 4 skirmish between Steve Nash and Robert Horry. The Spurs went on to win the series and the championship that season.
1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 5
The Bulls were looking to knock the Knicks out of the payoffs for the fourth consecutive year, this time without Michael Jordan, who had just retired for the first time. With 2.1 seconds left and the Bulls clinging to a one-point lead, Hubert Davis clanked a go-ahead jumper. After the ball had left Davis’ hand, referee Hue Hollins called a phantom foul on Scottie Pippen. These days you cannot touch a shooter until he has landed back on the ground, but there was no such rule back then, making Hollins’ call highly questionable. Davis sank his two freebies and instead of the Bulls heading home with a 3-2 series lead, Chicago was facing elimination. The Knicks went on to win the series in seven games before eventually losing in the Finals to the Houston Rockets.
Pippen 25pt 7reb
start @ 6:32
1988 NBA Finals Game 6
With the Lakers trailing 3-2 in the series and 102-101 with less than 20 seconds left in the game, they went to Kareem Abdul Jabbar for a sky hook. The hook missed, but a light touch foul was called on Bill Laimbeer, sending Kareem to the line. The big man canned both free throws and the Lakers went on to win the game and their second consecutive championship. This is called the Phantom Foul, and we can see why. Still, when you’re Bill Laimbeer and everybody hates you and you’ve made an entire career out of bending the rules to get away with little nudges and elbows, the fact remains that the little bump to Kareem’s shoulder is probably going to get called. Karma was the difference between winning a ring and fouling out.
I. Thomas 43pt 8ast 6stl
The entire 2006 NBA Finals
It’s hard to think of this series without thinking of all the favorable calls Dwayne Wade got en route to Miami’s only NBA championship. Wade shot over 20 free throws—not the team, but Wade alone—in each of the last two games of this series, and set a post-merger record for most free throws ever attempted in the Finals with 97. Wade consistently drove to the basket to draw contact early, but by the final two games of the series, referees were calling touch fouls on screeners 30 feet from the basket. Dallas would get their revenge in 2011, though, when they knocked off the Heat to win the Mavericks’ first ever championship.
Wade 34.7 ppg, Shaq 13.7ppg 10rpg
2002 Western Conference Finals Game 6
The Kings had been eliminated from the playoffs each of the previous two years by the Lake Show, but this was their year. Sacramento had a 3-2 series lead and homecourt advantage in the series. Then Game 6 in L.A. happened. The Lakers didn’t make a field goal in the fourth quarter from 6:51 to :52. It didn’t matter because they went to the line 27 times in the fourth quarter alone. At one point, Kobe Bryant nearly broke Mike Bibby’s nose going for a loose ball, and Bibby was called for the foul. This game was dragged through the mud again in 2008 by ex-referee Tim Donaghy, who alleged in court that two of the three refs were acting on behalf of league orders. The Lakers finished the Kings off in seven before completing their threepeat.
Shaq 41pt 17reb
