Mavs Moneyball, a Dallas Mavericks community

790 The Ticket, Miami: "Is there a more difficult owner in the league to deal with outside of Cuban?"

Stern: "Probably not, but it’s good copy. And I think that Mark in the broad sense is good for the league."

Commissioner Stern determined that the referees' decision to assess a technical foul on Dampier was a judgment call, and not a misapplication of the playing rules, which cannot successfully be protested under NBA rules.

"We are pleased to reach this agreement," NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement. "The negotiations extended further than either side had hoped, but when our regular season tips off on Tuesday we'll have the best referees in the world officiating our games."