Donaghy on D&C: Refs favoring Magic

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy continued his criticism of the league in an appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show Thursday morning and addressed the controversy from Wednesday night, when the Celtics were on the short end of some questionable calls, including the ejection of center Kendrick Perkins for two technical fouls.

Donaghy said the league clearly benefits from the series going longer, and the referees understand that. "It's a situation where the officials are well aware of what goes on and what's best for the league," said Donaghy, who left the league in disgrace after a gambling scandal and served a prison sentence. "Obviously, what's best for the league is putting Orlando in a little bit of an advantage. It seems to be that's certainly what's taking place."

Of Wednesday night referees Ed F. Rush and Joe Crawford, Donaghy said: "Obviously, they're two veteran, veteran officials and they're well aware of what's going on, and they're certainly out there and going to give the benefit of the calls to Orlando at this time."

Donaghy said he expects the league will rescind at least one of Perkins' tehcnical fouls, and he wonders why Dwight Howard shouldn't be questioned for his wayward elbows. "When you talk about Perkins being suspended, I think you have to look at the fact that Howard's looking at a possible suspension for the way he flailed his elbow off and hit Big Baby in the face," Donaghy said. "There was a situation a couple of years ago (2006-07) where Kobe Bryant was consistently doing that and he was suspended during the regular season." Added Donaghy: "If you go back and look at the plays Kobe Bryant was suspended for, it was a carbon copy of what [Howard] is doing. ... What he's doing is he's creating space, and he doesn't want anybody around when he comes down with a rebound."

Donaghy said he does not think Rush will be suspended for giving Perkins a quick hook, and he thinks the refs will stop favoring Orlando. "Moving forward I would say no [more bias], and that's because anything can happen in a Game 7, and an LA-Boston finals would be much better than an Orlando-LA finals," he said.

To hear the interview, click on the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. Check the Green Street blog later this morning for a transcript.