Rudy Gobert Says Suspect Officiating 'Obvious' Towards Small Markets; Magic in Trouble?

Should the Orlando Magic have cause to pause after Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert recently blasted NBA officiating for potentially fixing games?

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves recently lost a close game to the Phoenix Suns on Mar. 29, and Rudy Gobert openly criticized the officiating, leading him to also believe that there is a greater league wide conspiracy to exalt teams the NBA for whatever reason deems favorable. 

If there is any merit to his claims, will the Orlando Magic get a fair shake at a championship in the future?

Gobert did not hold back, telling the Star Tribune in part:

"It's bulls--t. Bulls--t. It's really not fair," Gobert said of the officiating. "Every night. I've been in this league for 10 years and I try to always give the benefit of the doubt, but it's hard for me to think [the officials] are not trying to help [the Suns] win tonight. It's hard for me to think they didn't try to help the Warriors win the other night, or the Sacramento Kings the other night.

"It's just so obvious. As a basketball player that's been in this league for so long, it's disrespectful, and it sucks, to be honest. We work so hard to be in a position to compete with the best, and we just get manipulated into those situations where it just impacts the game for the other team too much. They know how to do it. They do it a lot of different ways. Tonight was another way of doing it."

In Gobert's case, there is history to back his railing accusations. The NBA has a track record -- while brief and plausibly denied -- of fixing games. 

In 2007, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to charges heaped on him by way of an FBI investigation regarding calls he made to solidify bets and control point spreads. 

Most notably, Donaghy's subterfuge was on full display in the controversial 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, as well as the 2005 Western Conference Finals featuring the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns.

In the former, the L.A. shot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter and Lakers star Kobe Bryant got away with a point-blank elbow to the face of Kings point guard Mike Bibby down the stretch which was not called for an offensive foul, all at the hands of Donaghy and his officiating team.

Since then, the NBA has not come under fire for suspicion of fixing games. In fact, there are facts to counteract Gobert as well. In the 21st century alone, 14 out of 15 teams in the West and 13 out of 15 teams in the East have made it to the Conference Finals. 

Also in that span, there have been 10 unique champions, of which four (San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks) classify as small to mid-market teams. The league could point to this alone as a telltale sign of parity, and even flip the script on Gobert and claim powerlessness to All-Star players forming super teams in various markets of late.

As for the Magic, fear is not necessary. Since their inaugural season in 1989-90, the team has made it to the Finals in 1995 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 1996, 2009 and 2010. Barring hidden corruption brought to the light, will likely get as far as their talent and health permits.

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