Maybe Mavs Fans AREN'T Crazy!

by Wes Cox on Jul 20, 2007 9:31 AM CDT in News

According to this article by Murray Weiss in the New York Post today, the FBI has been investigating for more than a year an NBA official for betting on his own games.

The investigation, which began more than a year ago, is zeroing in on blockbuster allegations that the referee was making calls that affected the point spread to guarantee that he - and the hoods who had their hooks in him - cashed in on large bets.

The official, whose name was withheld, allegedly wagered on games during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 NBA seasons.

The sources indicated the referee apparently had a gambling problem, slipped into debt and fell prey to mob thugs.

"That's how he got himself into this predicament" by wagering with mob-connected bookies, one source said.

The name of the official hasn't come out yet, but I always thought Bennett Salvatore sounded like a guy with mob ties. I'm just sayin'...

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Odds

Does anyone know what the odds for the '06 finals were? It would be interesting to see the point spread and the actual scores for each game.

Derek

Signature! I don't need no stinking signature!!

by DerekSTheRed on Jul 20, 2007 9:37 AM CDT reply actions

A quick google search for the odds

of the '06 finals turned up this post. It's a preview for game 5. I couldn't find one for game 3 though.

Books listed Dallas as a $1.45 (Bet $145 to win $100) favorite to win the NBA Finals, with Miami catching a $1.25 (Bet $100 to win $125) price as an underdog. It seemed like a logical price at the right time, with both clubs entering the championship round on a roll.

Prior to the finals, oddsmaker Jeremy Ryan of Sportsbook.com explained, "The Mavericks do have homecourt advantage and appear to be the better all-around team heading into the finals."

After winning the first two games of the series in double-digit fashion, the Mavericks were listed as high as $6.00 favorites (Bet $600 to win $100) to clinch the finals.

<snip>

The $25,000 question remains, "What happens in Game 5?"

Miami opened as a two-point favorite for its final home playoff game at American Airlines Arena on Sunday, with the total sitting at 188. I expected the number to be a tad higher with the Mavericks Jerry Stackhouse getting a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul on Shaquille O'Neal in Thursday's contest.

Still, one would understand that a sudden bump would get serious action on Dallas. Plus, the public was all over the Mavericks in Game 4 - Dallas opened as a two-point underdog and closed as a one-point favorite, a big three-point swing. The underdog/under combination is always nice for the book.

With the odds that out of whack, and the public betting heavily on the Mavs, a fix could generate a lot of money for the mob.

Derek

Signature! I don't need no stinking signature!!

by DerekSTheRed on Jul 20, 2007 10:04 AM CDT up reply actions

I knew it.

This is pretty low. At first when this story broke I thought it was hilarious, but now I'm a little peeved. Who knows how many games were ruined by this? It would make my year if it turned out something was fishy with the 05'-06' Finals.

by charlesbronsonpinchot on Jul 20, 2007 11:36 AM CDT reply actions

Double Digits

The report stated that the number of games affected was in the "double digits" over 2 years. I'm sure they kept the number low to avoid detection. However, if you pick the right games with the best odds you can still make a lot of money with little investment.

Derek

p.s. I think it's Salvatore simply because of the '06 finals game 3, but I'm biased.

Signature! I don't need no stinking signature!!

by DerekSTheRed on Jul 20, 2007 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm not suprised

It's gotta be Bennet Salvatore or Dick Bavetta. Although with the odds being as they were in game 5 I would lean towards Salvatore.

www.dallasbeerguy.com

by the dbg on Jul 20, 2007 12:18 PM CDT reply actions

Salvatore or Joey Crawford

Salvatore should be the #1 person on the list based solely on his history with the mob. Personally, his involvement in Game 5 of the '06 finals looks telling as well, though the phantom calls that DWade got occurred all series long, though they seemingly grew exponentially through out the series.

After that, I'd say Joey Crawford. He was also in Game 5 of the '06 Finals. This development makes me think there maybe was more to his suspension this past season than just the "fighting words" that Stern cited. Seemed like the punishment didn't really fit the crime.

Just as an example, check out 82games.com's "Right Call" stats from the '06 Finals Game 5.

The disparity of calls that Salvatore made that favored the Heat vs. the lack of calls he made favoring the Mavs is eye opening. Especially vs. the calls from his fellow officiators favoring either team. Something definitely smells rotten with this.

by boombacloud on Jul 20, 2007 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions

No way

This idea that the NBA is rigged is ludicrous and I won't stand for it!!!

An NBA ref has never knowingly attempted to influence the outcome of an NBA game.

Nope.

Never.

F*** you, David Stern.

by thedirkatron on Jul 20, 2007 12:34 PM CDT reply actions

Reaction

I think the most interesting thing is the fact that nobody is shocked and few are surprised. I know we Mavs fans have been suscipcious for years, but not everyone has Cuban as an owner. We've always suspected that the refs were getting back at Cuban by calling a double standard. The fact that at least one ref is making money off of his calls isn't that big a leap for us.

But even fans of other teams seem to have suspected something was fishy. It's almost as if rigging the games was an open secret to everyone. That hurts the league just as much as the investigation. Now every fan will question every call of every ref as if the guy was paid to go against them. It will be similar to baseball where any time a player does well, people ask if he's on the juice. It will take a long time till the NBA repairs its reputation.

Derek

Signature! I don't need no stinking signature!!

by DerekSTheRed on Jul 20, 2007 12:56 PM CDT reply actions

Completely Agree.

Most of the reaction isn't "how could this happen", but "I knew it". There is pretty much no faith in NBA officiating even by the most die hard NBA supporters.

by Wes Cox on Jul 20, 2007 1:10 PM CDT up reply actions