Was Lakers-Kings playoff game fixed?

07:34 AM ET 06.11 | Scot Pollard was in the building Tuesday night and that night, a witness to one of the worst-officiated games in recent NBA playoff history. No debate necessary. The box score -- and the videotape -- continues to expose the infamous Game 6. But now, in a manner of speaking, so does Tim Donaghy. The disgraced referee stepped to the microphone in the middle of these NBA Finals and brought the Kings and the Lakers together again, giving an even louder voice to those who will continue to wonder about 2002 well beyond 2008. The phantom fouls on Vlade Divac. The hasty calls on Pollard. The fourth quarter. Mostly, that inexplicable fourth quarter, when both Sacramento centers fouled out and the Lakers were rewarded with a 27-9 free-throw advantage. What about the possibility -- per the Donaghy allegation -- that the league leans on referees to extend series and enhance ratings? That in one of the most memorable matchups of the decade, the officials favored the Lakers to ensure a seventh-game conclusion at Arco Arena? "It entered my mind," admitted Pollard, who is on the injured list but traveling with the Boston Celtics. "It seemed like early on, we didn't have a chance. I'm not saying he (Donaghy) is right, that the game was fixed. I don't have any proof. But one could make that argument. It kind of slapped us in the face, whoa, whoa. Our starters being in early foul trouble, Vlade and I both fouling out. Three technical fouls . . ."

Sacramento Bee