NBA Finals on brink with an MVP flop and talk of fixes

Random laughs, and a few questions, from a rather amusing/amazing NBA on-and-off the court mess:

If the current trend continues tonight in Game 5, and the Lakers blow it as the heavy favorite in the Finals, will Kobe be hammered nationally the same way Dirk was after the Miami meltdown two years ago?

The injustice: He won't be. The reality: He should be.

Shaq in his prime was the easy route to three rings. But what about now, Kobe?

Never thought I'd see the day, all in the same 24 hours last week, when David Stern would be accused of helping the Mavericks, and Mark Cuban found it necessary to strongly defend his commissioner.

"There is no way on God's green earth that David Stern has manipulated the outcome of games," Cuban told ESPN.com.

Are you sure about that, Mark?

But for those who continue to suggest the ongoing Tim Donaghy scandal is giving Cuban a huge chuckle, Mark is smarter than that. No matter what he thinks of Stern, when Cuban has many millions tied into the Mavericks, rampant credibility and perception doubts about the league negatively impact his investment, the same as the 29 other teams.

That's not to say, however, this situation doesn't give Cuban more personal credibility to push harder for change in the entire officiating process. But that much-needed push figures to be private, not public.

The Donaghy bombshell on the NBA last week, about how playoff series outcomes are "arranged" by the league office, included a 2005 first-round scene, Mavs and Houston.

The Rockets won the first two games in downtown Dallas, the Mavs won the series in seven. In the process, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy was lighter one hundred thou in his bank account after being fined for publicly complaining about the refs suddenly picking on Yao Ming, starting with Game 3.

Van Gundy claimed an "NBA official" had called him to offer a warning about what was about to happen.

But, please...

With Stern heavily marketing to the many billions who call China home, if the commish was arranging anything in that particular series, it wouldn't have benefited the lads wearing the blue. You think he didn't want Yao to have a long playoff run?

As one former Mavs coach said last week of that situation, "it was elementary stuff. We saw what wasn't being called in the first two games -- Yao moving on his screens. As always, we shipped off film to the league office. If they agree with you, and they did this time, then they alert the officials to watch for it.

"When [the refs] started calling it, Van Gundy erupted. Can't say I blame him, but it was real routine stuff that every team does, including Jeff when he was coaching."

Much more sinister and touchy for the NBA was when Donaghy referenced the infamous Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference, Lakers and Kings.

That one has currently been the national focus.

Even six years later, the Game 6, won by the Lakers to extend the series to seven, has been called the worst officiated game in NBA history.

One of the refs that night was Dick Bavetta, currently the most senior official still working.

The news came down last week that Bavetta is currently under scrutiny from the FBI -- yes, that FBI -- for his work on the court.

Stern, still stupidly stubborn, refuses to allow Bavetta to talk to the media, even though this man needs to clear his name.

In an elimination game, meaning the end of the Finals, meaning no more prime-time TV coverage, you don't think Stern will have Bavetta on the floor tonight? Surely not.

With the NBA digging in, the league counterattack on Donaghy's credibility has been a strong one, and not just from the commissioner.

With a guy like Donaghy, there is plenty to attack. Stern repeatedly refers to him as a "convicted felon" and a "criminal." True, and true.

So who in the world would believe anything Tim Donaghy has to say?

Thanks for asking.

A week ago, the federal prosecutors in the Donaghy case sent a letter to the presiding judge, asking him to consider a lighter sentence in reward for "substantial assistance" in the investigation.

The feds said Donaghy "fully acknowledged his criminal conduct and provided significant information about the participation of other individuals in the scheme."

So while the NBA strongly scoffs at Donaghy's credibility, the feds seem to be praising his honesty.

You figure it out.