Getting your player ready...
Regardless of what former referee Tim Donaghy might say in a book that remains unpublished, preferential treatment for NBA superstars from officials is a tradition and a culture that has existed for decades. Kevin McHale, now a TNT studio analyst, remembers breaking in with the Boston Celtics, with Larry Bird as a teammate. “I go up to do what I think is a good block, and they blow the whistle,” McHale said. “They yell, ‘Foul on No. 32.’ I said, ’32? You mean 33? Larry (Bird) is the one who fouled him.’ He said, ‘You want Larry to have three or you to have one?’ I said, ‘My foul!’ ”
