LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Accusations of match-fixing in a crucial 2002 playoff victory for the Los Angeles Lakers have not tainted the title in the eyes of two veterans now trying to bring the Lakers another crown.
Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, key players in the 2002 championship run that brought the Lakers a third consecutive National Basketball Association title, shrugged off disgraced ex-referee Tim Donaghy's match-fixing claims Wednesday.
"I'm not going to give my ring back, I know that," Fisher said.
Donaghy is awaiting sentencing next month after being convicted on taking payoffs and betting on games he officiated, with NBA commissioner David Stern claiming that Donaghy was a lone rogue and not part of deeper corruption.
"There's one criminal here," Stern said. "He's a desperate man and he will make whatever allegation he can. We have no doubt that Mr. Donaghy is the only one here that's guilty of criminal activity."
In a letter to US District Court officials in New York, Donaghy lawyers claimed other referees affected outcomes in playoff games in 2005 and 2002, the details of the 2002 event matching only a Lakers-Sacramento semi-final series.
Dongahy claimed that referees conspired to extend a series by favoring the Lakers in game six when the Kings were one win from reaching the NBA Finals. Los Angeles won games six and seven and went on to take the NBA crown.
The Lakers have not won a title since but are playing Boston in the current NBA Finals, with the Celtics leading the best-of-seven series 2-1 entering game four here Thursday.
Bryant said he would not reply to Donaghy's accusation but admitted the claim might cause some to discredit the 2002 title, even though he said players do not often ponder such conspiracy theories.
"We don't think about it too much," Bryant said. "It's not something we focus on as players. It's more talked about outside our circles than it is inside. Whatever legal proceedings they have going on, they will get to the bottom of the situation and for us as players, all we can do is play."
The controversial game saw the Lakers shoot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter, three times what the Kings shot in the same quarter, and Sacramento coach Rick Adelman blasted referees after the loss.
Officials whistled the Kings for 31 fouls, with Serbian star Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard both fouling out for Sacramento, that set up 40 Laker free throws. The Kings went to the line 25 times on 24 fouls called against Los Angeles.
"I don't know how you determine if the game was rigged. I don't think you can say that," Fisher said.
"I was in the game but I don't remember any moment of them helping us out. Games are called differently every night. A lot of different things go into that."
The Lakers won the game 106-102, won the series in seven games to deny the Kings a first-ever NBA Finals appearance, and beat Philadelphia in five games in the NBA Finals to take a third consecutive NBA title.
"Let's say you give us game six. What about game seven? We still had to win that," Fisher said.
"It's hard for us to comment on what another person is saying. I don't know what he is basing that on. It's a tough situation for everyone involved."
Boston coach Doc Rivers said he has no doubts about the credibility of NBA results even though he and other NBA coaches often criticize calls and his own team's star, Paul Pierce, was doubted about a knee injury from game one.
"I have zero concern about the integrity. That doesn't mean I don't cry with every other call," Rivers said. "The whole Donaghy thing just makes me sick.
"Paul Pierce got injured and we questioned him but we believe Donaghy," said Rivers. "When you think of the logic of that crap... that stuff bothers me a lot.
"The other thing is, I don't know what the fix is. It's just a tough game to officiate."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson called for an independent group to oversee NBA referees to avoid conflict of interest questions such as which teams produce better television ratings and greater revenues for the league.
"It seems to be more consistent with what we want to have happen to keep it from being influenced or other indiscretions happening inside the refereeing in the league office," Jackson said.
"It has cast aspersions in the quality of what we're getting. Once the league took it out of its own hands, they wouldn't be so defensive about our refereeing all the time.
"Our refereeing has become a sacred cow - on the outside they can criticize it and on the inside they say do the best you can with what you have got."
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