Fanfare: Accusation of Game 6 fix opens old wounds

Yes, I realize the Kings had trouble with their free throws in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, as I was there. But the bottom line? There never should have been a Game 7. We won that sixth game, we advanced to the NBA Finals, and we won our championship. But it was stolen from us on national television. That stolen game affected our season and franchise, and we have yet to recover – at least I haven't. I still have my shirt from the "Rise Guys" in 2002 that states "L.A. Lakers – 2002 World Champs" with an asterisk that says "Remember Game 6." We knew it then. It's just been validated now. We were the champions in 2002.

– Vicki Cabrera

Pain that never subsided is relived

We all knew Game 6 of the 2002 Lakers-Kings series was poorly officiated. When the Tim Donaghy story broke last summer, Kings fans couldn't help but wonder if their team had been the subject of a cruel conspiracy or betting scandal. But we didn't want to believe it. We were paranoid and seeking an excuse for losing. Sacramento couldn't pull out Games 6 and 7, and we moved on. After six years, we didn't want to remember the notorious Robert Horry shot, the phantom foul calls and the missed free throws. Yet here we are again, debating whether Sacramento deserved a championship parade that never came. The pain is back, and it's worse than ever. We're back to wondering how history might have been altered and if a ratings fix played the biggest role in the fortunes of a rising franchise.

– Alex Kramers

Stern's dismissals are disturbing

The charges by ex-referee Donaghy are serious. It bothers me when I read NBA Commissioner David Stern's dismissal as Donaghy just being out for revenge against the NBA.

– Cindy Capellas, Sacramento

He had seen enough

I turned that game off, never watched the end, didn't watch the seventh game and swore I'd never watch another professional basketball game in my life. And I haven't. I didn't need a corrupt ref to tell me the fix was in.

– Eric Lund, Greenville

A call for Congress to act

Stern is wrong to brush aside recent allegations of a Game 6 fix. When he said the Donaghy matter had been investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI and Donaghy was the only one found to have committed a crime, Stern admitted he had not even seen the letter containing the allegations. And no investigation of the referees in Game 6 or alleged "coaching" by the NBA of its referees has been completed . If Congress can get involved with steroids in major-league baseball, it certainly can hold hearings about this matter. If these allegations are true and games were fixed, the NBA's integrity is at issue.

If I'm a Maloof, I'm in a tough spot. I need Stern's help in completing an arena deal, but I want to know the truth behind the NBA's "secret dealings" with its officials. I would consider litigation for breach of contract (the Kings lost tens of millions in not advancing to the Finals), then take depositions from Donaghy, the Game 6 officials, the head of officiating and many other officials. Let's see how many of them plead the Fifth when asked about impropriety.

– K.J. Noggin, Sacramento

Problem is apathy, not I-5 fix

Melody Gutierrez reported on the Monarchs' lack of fans because of the Interstate 5 construction project ("Monarchs have one tough road," June 7). The announced attendance was 6,663. Meanwhile, the River Cats played at home within arm's length of the I-5 project but still drew an announced crowd of 10,789 and followed with more than 13,000 Saturday night. The River Cats seemingly weren't affected, and Martin McNeal's story did not mention the road work. Maybe the Monarchs' problem is nobody cares. It's sad a Triple-A baseball team consistently outdraws a "major-league" basketball team.

– Carollyn Olson, Sacramento

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