Notorious NBA ref Tim Donaghy claims Mavericks should have won 2006 Finals: “The NBA started to manipulate the series to make sure it was extended” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Tim Donaghy wrote a book that was primarily about his NBA experiences as a referee and the corruption supposedly going on around the league. One of the topics he touched on was the 2006 finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.
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According to Donaghy, the NBA rigged the series, not fixing on a game-to-game basis, but ensuring that it would get extended after the Mavs went off to the races and took a 2-0 lead. That alleged leniency was all the Heat needed to turn things around.
“I think basically Dallas got screwed out of a championship in that situation because the NBA started to manipulate the series to make sure it was extended and Dallas could never recover from it,” Donaghy said, per a 2017 Fox Sports Australia article by Brett Geeves.
Was the 2006 NBA finals rigged?
Part of what many think was clear proof of the NBA pulling strings behind the scenes was Dwyane Wade‘s ridiculous amount of free-throw attempts. “The Flash” took 97 shots at the charity stripe and made 75, both numbers second all-time behind Elgin Baylor in the 1962 finals. The Hall of Famer attempted 99 from the foul line and made 82.
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But was that enough for Donaghy (and Mark Cuban) to cry wolf? Well, not necessarily. It may have been a combination of different things, such as the old 2-3-2 format that Jerry Stackhouse had a problem with, or Shaquille O’Neal motivating Wade to outdo himself.
As Geeves mentioned, the Game 3 ending was undeniable proof that Donaghy’s accusation does not hold water. Dallas was up by 13, 89-76, with 6:34 left in the game. D-Wade scored 12 points since that juncture, and attempted only three free throws during the run, allowing Miami to take the lead 98-96 with three seconds left. Most of his buckets were strong drives to the basket, a sign, not of corruption, but of a great player refusing to go down.
The truth was, Dallas simply lacked rim protection that series. Wade recognized that and relentlessly chipped at the defense to the Heat’s advantage.
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Superstar calls and preferential treatment
Donaghy admitted to betting on the games he worked on using insider information and the fact that he knew his colleagues like the back of his hand. He also openly confessed to targeting Allen Iverson because of his spat with Steve Javie, showing that the officials indeed had (and still have) massive influence on the game.
All of the illegal stuff he did means his words have to be taken with a grain of salt. However, the NBA is still a business and the Association historically gave the benefit of the doubt to the superstars. After all, the luminaries make people tune in, which, in turn, means more revenue for the teams.
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If the league truly operated on the principle of favoring big-market teams or superstars for ratings, then franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks would be swimming in titles. But that’s clearly not the case. The Purple and Gold had its droughts and the Knicks have been a punchline for decades.
On the other hand, it’s naïve to believe the league operates with complete impartiality. Human nature plays a role, and referees — even unintentionally — may give stars more leeway or react to crowd pressure.
D-Wade was ascending into superstardom in 2006, and his aggressive style of play naturally drew contact. That doesn’t necessarily mean the fix was in. But it also doesn’t erase the perception, fueled by Donaghy’s ugly past, that the NBA has sometimes blurred the line between competition and entertainment.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.