Tim Donaghy's Sense Of The Dramatic

From the minute the general public learned the name Tim Donaghy, everyone has been waiting for a day like yesterday. The point of Tim Donaghy's infamy is not his gambling; it's all about whether or not he could provide any insight into the back rooms of an NBA that has always seemed a little shady. You have to give Donaghy credit for one thing: The man knows timing.

If you asked any Celtics fan before Game 3 last night how he/she felt about the game, they all had the same thought: "The NBA's not gonna let this be a sweep." Last night's game doesn't seem to have provided any evidence of that, but the fact that such a statement could be made, and responded to with nods of recognition, is why Donaghy's claim gained any traction at all.

Because it shouldn't have. Donaghy is no dummy; he knows Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals has been debated for years — even Ralph Nader was involved! — and that retroactive claims that the fix was in will resonate even stronger. But that doesn't make them true. The problems that the NBA have with its image and David Stern's mild shadiness are real, and should be dealt with. But Tim Donaghy trying to reduce his sentence via a well-timed publicity stunt has nothing to do with that.

That said: This series is totally going seven games. No matter what.