Tom E. Curran • E-mail

Well, it’s good to see that the Tim Donaghy case hasn't forced NBA officials to make sure their officiating in the biggest games appears agenda-free.

With a majority of America drooling over the prospect of a Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals, the officiating crew of Joey Crawford, Joe Forte and Marc Wunderlich butchered the final half-minute of the fourth game in the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Spurs on Tuesday night.

Coincidentally, all calls favored L.A.

Hmmmmm. Or at least the appearance of Hmmmmmmmmmm.

First came the no-call on Kobe Bryant’s three-step odyssey to the hoop that ended with a bad miss with 33 seconds left and the Lakers up 93-89. Then came Lamar Odom obliterating Tony Parker on a breakaway with 28 seconds left. Odom got called for the goaltend but not for driving Parker through the photographers and into the first row with contact after the layup (that’s part of the play, folks, being able to maintain body control after the shot attempt). Then came Kobe with the amazing, changing pivot foot as he was harassed by Manu Ginobili near midcourt. Then came Brent Barry up-faking Derek Fisher, getting LANDED ON and not getting a call.

That’s four calls in a half-minute in Game 4 of a conference finals all favoring a team that was on the road.

Pre-Donaghy, I’d have laughed at anyone who said games are fixed and the league orchestrates who advances in the playoffs. NBA officials don’t have agendas, they just aren't any good, I’d have countered. But the Donaghy case pretty much blew reasonable doubt out of the water, didn’t it.

In these playoffs, I’ve watched the Celtics pummel Josh Childress within an inch of his life as they advanced past Childress’ Hawks. Then I watched LeBron James get away with ridiculously implausible transgressions when the Celtics played the Cavs — a charge call that went his way when he jumped in front of Paul Pierce at crunch time in Game 6 of the Eastern Semis; a jersey pull on Pierce in Game 7 that was in clear view of the planet in Game 7. And those are just a few of the ones that spring to mind immediately.

There are going to be misconceptions about what happened in San Antonio. Laker loyalists will counter that the Spurs had a healthy advantage in free throw attempts (19 for the Lakers, 26 for the Spurs at the end, but it was a greater differential earlier in the game). The fact is, when the game was on the line, the Joeys and Mr. Wunderlich swallowed their whistles when the Lakers were on defense. Another misconception: Barry wasn't fouled attempting a 3-pointer. He up-faked. He got landed on. He dribbled once. Then he shot and missed. He was fouled on the floor and deserved the two free throws that could have tied it.

My favorite part? Time and again, the camera will focus on the white chocolate Easter egg with eyes that is the head of Joey Crawford. “One of the best,” the announcers will unfailingly blurt. When your “best” is a guy who was suspended indefinitely by the commissioner last year for being an overofficious jerk (and challenging Tim Duncan to a fight, which was the cherry on top), you might have an issue.

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