- That a referee's relationship with one team's general manager "led to an attempt by that referee to influence a game's outcome" in 2004. Often analogized to a bulldozer, Shaq was the most difficult guard of my career, Pollard said. This would make the top five of this list, but it's technically in line with the rules. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. What probably happened was that the Lakers had an easier time getting inside because of the injury to Kendrick Perkins. They'd never dealt with such a situation before, and even though they robbed fans of a Knicks-Bulls bloodbath in the Eastern Conference Finals, they probably didn't change the course of history too much. A former referee at the center of a gambling scandal has alleged that NBA referees rigged a 2002 playoff series to force it to seven games. Missing their star player, they lost to the Mavericks in seven games. I don't think there was any foul play here. Ten years later, Ham sighed and paused for many seconds when trying to explain the effect Horrys shot had on the Kings franchise. But from the Kings missing 20-something free throws in Game 7 (shrugs). The bottom line is, you know something's up when prominent NBA writers like Bill Simmons tweet that they "don't watch rigged games." In a separate matter, Lauro is requesting a subpoena to obtain results of the NBA's internal investigation regarding Donaghy and other referees. Surely it would be hard for any team to move past these two struggling franchises, but the league saw an opportunity to again cause controversy. Mutumbo sent out a tweet congratulating the Philadelphia 76ers on getting the first pick in the draft hours before the lottery was going to be televised. The Orlando Magic had just won the draft lottery in 1992, and as a result drafted Shaquille ONeal with the first pick in the 1992 NBA draft. And he's going to be sentenced for that crime, regardless of these desperate attempts to implicate as many people as he can." Even without Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw Phoenix almost beat the Spurs in Game 5 anyway. 2016 Western Conference Finals Rigged? The Chicago Bulls were going through a season full of acclamation. According to his Facebook page, he is working on a book entitled Honest to a Fault. The controversy here is that many people believe Smith was fouled on at least one and as many as three times in that sequence. With 14 seconds left and the Pistons up by one, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was fouled by Bill Laimbeer on a play where Laimbeer did not appear to even touch Jabbar. The Lakers averaged roughly 25 free throw attempts per game over the series' first five games. According to Donaghy, NBA executives directed referees "to manipulate games" in order to "boost ticket sales and television ratings," and he cited several examples. That free throw turned a tie into a one-point Knicks lead and victory. The 2002 Lakers (as well as the team from our next slide) are one of two teams whose championships I adamantly refuse to validate. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. It was egregiously, embarrassingly bad Stern and the NBA had better deal with it quickly, lest they appear completely unaware of a condition that will threaten the credibility of the league., Even Jackson, speaking in 2008after Donaghys court claim, said bad calls went both ways, and he just wanted to move on: "There's a lot of things going on in these games and they're suspicious, but I don't want to throw it back to there. So, thats a fact. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. It claimed two of the three officials of Game 6 intentionally altered its outcome, which became a national frenzy respected Washington Post columnist and ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon wrote that I still consider [Game 6] the single worst-officiated game in the 28 years Ive been covering professional basketball. Pistons win. If you watched your friend get punched at a bar, would you get arrested for walking towards the person who did it? That's the game Dwyane Wade shot 97 free throws in six games, good for a record in any six-game NBA series, only two off of the record for a seven-game series. Series in 2002 was rigged, says disgraced former NBA referee, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/sports/11iht-REF.1.13635698.html. (If you're wondering, Pippen averaged less than three fouls per game over his career.). The officials awarded Wade free throws instead of an offensive foul, and the Heat went on to win their fourth straight game to win the title. LA took game one, while Sacramento won the next two. They had a phenomenal season in 2002, sitting on top of the Western Conference with a record of 61-21. A bemused Adelman and Kings bench. In the fourth quarter alone, the Lakers shot 27 free throws to Sacramento's nine. The NBA lottery was much different in its first year than it is today. Shaq was overly physical, and the refs didn't call many fouls. Webbers fifth foul call. 3. 29K views 2 years ago. NBA Finals 2000. I wear [my championship ring] for all the teams that I thought shouldve won a championship and didnt, he said. By the way, I'd be remiss if I didn't give some credit to Grantland's Bill Simmons, whose recent column on titles needing footnotes provided some valuable information for this piece (and saved me some big research time). So, from that standpoint, yes. Yeah, Walkers shot shouldnt have counted, Pollard said. Conspiracy theories have always been prevalent in the playoffs of the four major sports leagues in the U.S. If the same play happened with Hakeem Olajuwon defending Kareem, I doubt there's a whistle. Tim Donaghy also says the NBA routinely encouraged referees to ring up bogus fouls to manipulate results but ignore calls against star players. Then it was 99-97 and the Lakers had the ball with 11 seconds left. Now we're talking. The match-up lived up to its billing. The NBA has birthed more conspiracy theories than Roswell. Indiana was the better team (the Knicks were the No. Pollard, who was careful not to pin the result on refereeing, said he remembered feeling that there was something amiss early on in the game and a feeling of helplessness. ONeal was controlling the paint, aided by the whistles Pollard fouled out in just 11 minutes of court time. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant went down in history as the greatest LA Lakers duo. That is the mark of a true bad call. Lauro argued that the NBA must provide all of its documentation to justify the restitution claim. Through it all, however, Beech finds it very tough to support the notion that the game was rigged. Please logout and login again. Whistles can swing games, series and ultimately championships. The Kings were flat-out better. Kobe was given Finals MVP (side note, he absolutely stole that trophy from Pau Gasol), and people seem to forget what really happened. Finals MVP: Shaquille O'Neal(36.3/12.3/3.8), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 8:19PM. Familiarity breeds animosity, Pollard said, citing the multiple times the in-state rivals, representing the coast and cow town, as Lakers coach Phil Jackson contemptuously referred to Californias inland capital, had played over the years in the preseason, regular season and postseason. Donaghy claims that in January 2000, a referee ejected a star player in the first quarter of a game and "later was reprimanded privately by the league." Tom Goldman, NPR News, Los Angeles. Instead, basketballs most notorious quarter transpired. The oft-maligned Webber played with both resolve and desperation, apparently intent on shedding his reputation as wilting in the big moment, with 20 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Both Webber and Kings center (and former Laker) Vlade Divac nearly fouled out while the oftentimes foul-prone ONeal, the most physically dominant force in the game, was called for just two fouls while racking up 26 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Many speculated that the game was rigged. It was not legitimate, Pollard said, now out of the league and safe from being fined for criticizing the officials. Before you decide what you think about Beech's critique, please do read the whole thing. The Celtics had 28 more opportunities to score free points. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The Lakers were back-to-back defending champions at that point. Bibby was clearly elbowed in the face by Kobe Bryant, but that did not stop Bryant from getting a foul call on Bibby and knocking down two free throws to win the game for the Lakers. There was once a time when NBA fans were all convinced that Chris Paul was heading to the Los Angeles Lakers. Ask any scorer, they'll tell you that when your shot isn't falling, you try to get to the line. GOLDMAN: But Derek Fisher and his Laker teammates certainly benefited from the referee's calls. I really want to throw the refs under the bus here because they did a terrible job, but something had to initiate it. Draymond Green was a flagrant foul away from being suspended for a game after kicking his opponents in the Western Conference Finals. Seconds after the miss a whistle blew. Kings 'robbed' in 2002 Western Conference finals, Tim Donaghy This can be done primarily through bad officiating that is easily detected by fans. The Heat had a 28-5 free-throw advantage in the first half! What is lost here is that Michael Jordan blatantly pushed off of Bryon Russell. If they call it like theyre supposed to call it, the outcome will be the same it was tonight, ONeal said after the game. At halftime, Chris Webber told us to just count on playing against eight out there, Pollard said, referring to the five Lakers on the court and the three referees. The Cavaliers got LeBron James back over the summer as well. When one team shoots 28 more free throws than the other, you have to look into it. But still, it was only one game, which is why it loses the No. Had an offensive foul been called, the Bulls would have lost Game 6 86-85 and been forced to play Game 7 in Utah. This is the first call on this list that feels a little fishy. He broke the record for most games worked by an NBA official in 2006. But both teams fell short. Let's talk about LeBron for a minute. Mr. FISHER: Games are called differently every night. A lot. Additionally, the Lakers wereaveraging25 free throw attempts for the entire series, which is much more than the average team gets to shoot. Kings fans, who routinely sold out Arco Arena during seasons of atrocious basketball, brought it to another level now, complete with ringing cowbells; the decibel level during the 2002 playoffs was measured as high as 112, about the same level of a jet engine. ", record-setting parade to the free throw line. I don't think he actively tries to rig NBA games, but I also believe he does nothing to stop refs from making it seem like he does. Fisher says it's a big leap, though, to say the game was rigged. Robert Horry checked Steve Nash out of nowhere. The NBA social media page stirred up some controversy when it revealed on its events page the events taking place May 30 through June 5. 2002 Western Conference Finals Game 6: The Elbow, 8. The Kings only attempted nine free throws throughout the quarter, making seven. The NBA would much rather send the Lakers over the Kings to the finals for theTVratings and for the profit. Tim knew Referees A and F to be 'company men,' always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series." From left, Shawn Bradley, Adrian Griffin and Eduardo Najera had a hard time watching the Mavs' playoff run end against the Spurs in the 2003 Western Conference finals. If Games 4 and 5 served as the series zenith, and Game 6 as its nadir, Game 7 can best be described as its addendum. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. They had the two biggest stars of the seriesone that was there for his last rodeo, the other ready to build a legacy at his first. L.A.'s Derek Fisher and Boston's Scot Pollard played in the 2002 playoff game between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings, the game Tim Donaghy says was rigged by two referees in favor of the Lakers. Remember, if not for a miracle three-pointer by Robert Horry and the travesty known as Game 6, the Kings would have won this series five games to one (I know that's impossible, but hang with me here). The Knicks would go on to win the series and make the NBA Finals. Western Conference Semifinals. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. The fact that the NBA let a technicality swing a championship is just flat-out wrong. WebAnswer (1 of 8): No, not reallynot if you trust the reporters and analysts that have explored this issue and/or can read closely enough to verify their findings for yourself. Some of these foul calls were EXTREMELY questionable when looking back at the game tape. WebTue, May 14. It wasnt like the Kings stopped scoring points they shot 49% from the field for the game but not at the clip the Lakers were. Convicted felon and former referee Tim Donaghy has come out and claimed that this game was rigged multiple times. L.A. converted only five field goals for the entire quarter. Or this. He ended up shooting 6-of-24 from the field, but I believe at one point he was something like 2-of-17. And honestly? What is unfortunate is that in the NBA, refs get it wrong. But was the game rigged? If you search "NBA rigged" on YouTube, the first three videos are about this game. He never struck me as someone particularly worried about competitive balance and fairness. Christie responded with an uppercut to the jaw, and the brawl that followed between the two teams spilled into the arena tunnel and involved ONeal, ONeals private security guards, much of the Kings bench and Christies wife. Years of consecutive playoff matches bred fierce competition between the players, and palpable hatred between their fans. Some people cry conspiracy, claiming the game is rigged. TOM GOLDMAN: For a while, the Tim Donaghy scandal actually did go away, after the former NBA referee pleaded guilty last year to betting on games and taking payoffs from gamblers. These are some of the worlds best athletes, after all, moving very quickly and sometimes violently. The New Yorks Knicks were about to lose Game 5 against the Bulls, and the loss seemed imminentwhen Hubert Davis clanked a shot off the rim with two seconds left. The typical conspiracy theories that we know of are: The Earth is flat, we never really landed on the moon, and a conspiracy or two has been floated around as to how things occurred when John F. Kennedy was shot and killed. 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals Game 6: Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, May 31, 2002. This match-up between the league's two greatest rivals is a dream for the NBA, though for the past couple of days, the dream has been interrupted by a recent referee-cheating scandal that just won't go away. Web2003 NBA Western Conference Finals Mavericks vs. Spurs League Champion: San Antonio Spurs. Still an offensive foul on Kobe there could have changed the outcome! The Kings, their fans and many in the news media were outraged by the officiating that night. Here in Los Angeles tonight, it's Game Four of the NBA Finals. Although the team names were withheld, Donaghy pointed to Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals as one such instance. The game caused such immediate and public blowback that even consumer advocate and perennial Presidential candidate Ralph Nader got involved. Late in the series clinching Game 6 Wade drove to the basket elbowing Dirk Nowitzki in the face on his way to the basket. When he heard about Donaghy's allegations this week, Pollard was quoted as saying: I knew it. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. - That NBA officials instructed referees not to call technical fouls on "certain star players," because it might hurt television ratings and ticket sales. They had an event for Game 7of the Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder, but they also had an event for Game 1of the NBA finals. If the refs would have gotten a single call right, the Pistons would have won the series. Then the Clippers pick became the first pick in the draft against all odds, and the NBA had again made basketball relevant in the state of Ohio. Would he have called the blocking foul on Fox with 0:20 when an offensive foul would have basically sealed the game? Then 96-93. Meanwhile, the Kings cruised into the Western Conference semifinals to face a Dallas Mavericks squad it had dominated. Your login session has expired. WebFor more info on the BBALLBREAKDOWN Online Membership: http://bit.ly/BballMemberWhen the Kings and Lakers clashed in the 2002 Western Then 88-84. I personally think that the fourth block was a foul, and it was a bad non call, but I'm not going to cry over this one. The infamy surrounding this game is just too severe to ignore. LosAngeleshas tobe the biggest or second biggest (New York) market in theentireNBA. Bryant drove into the paint and put up a shot, missing. WebHowever, when Minnesota lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals because the Lakers posted a better regular season record at 56-26 than the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons at 5428. He found that the questionable, or to his eyes, flat out incorrect, calls favored the Lakers not in huge numbers (nine total calls), but a very lopsided (7-2) rate. The league suspended Green for his retaliation, but his retaliation wasnt nearly as bad as the aggressor LeBron James's actions in this incident. When the Kings and the Lakers met in the 2003 preseason, the drama picked up right where it left off. In the final quarter of their 106 to 102 victory, L.A. shot 27 free throws to Sacramento's nine. What's worse is that the Spurs initiated the fight. While Kirkland ranks comfortably among the extensive list of referees , Zarba is right in the bottom-25, and Tiven ranked second to last. You can look at one play over the course of a seven-game series and say, you know what, that might have been it. Stern never publicly responded to Naders call, but the four-time presidential candidate says he did speak with the commissioner, who offered a whitewash.. Learn more and register, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics vs. San Antonio Spurs, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. At the time the league had owned the New Orleans Hornets. Here's what I think really happens. Of course not. These conspiracies are a little more widespread than the one of the NBA being fixed and rigged, but there are plenty of events in NBA history that present a compelling case for the argument of the league being fixed. The other notable non-call which I rated an "all refs" situation was on the inbounds at 0:12 where Kobe knocked Bibby to the floor with an elbow to the face, but Bibby was also grabbing Kobe at the time it happened so both were really guilty of infractions to some extent. Is it so crazy to think they could have beaten the Bulls at home in a potential Game 7? The officiating seemed so uneven, it prompted consumer advocate Ralph Nader to call for an investigation. WebThe three that we rank as the most important are Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals , Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals and game 5 of the 2006 NBA Finals. NBA fans felt that it could be the year that Webber and the Kings won the championship. As bad as the refs were, the Blazers blew it. WebDonaghy made a statement to US District Court in New York that Game 6 was rigged by the referees, and there was already real controversy during and after the game. Not only did he make his "final" shot to win his sixth and final NBA title, but he did it over a man whose last name was "Russell"symbolically passing the torch of greatest player ever from Bill Russell to Jordan. The Lakers crowd seemed nervous, and it felt like another buzzer beater was in order. It's believed this week's allegations are a way to show Donaghy is being cooperative with investigators. David Stern stepped in and vetoed the trade, and the main reason the deal was off was so that the league could keep more of a competitive balance. Because they were assigned to cover Kobe and Shaq. Period. 93. But still, I don't think there's any real chance that the NBA is actually rigged. I'm not gonna cry wolf on this game, though. After a back-and-forth Game 5 at Arco Arena that saw multiple lead changes and superb performances by both ONeal (28 points on 14 of 18 shooting) and Webber (29 points and 13 rebounds), the Lakers led 91-90 with 11 seconds to go. In his book Personal Foul, Donaghy wrote that As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us [other NBA refs] knew immediately there would be a Game 7. Asked to elaborate, Donaghy wrote me that Bavetta would always say he was the NBAs go to guy and he would always help make the series go another game he said [this] to me before the game in L.A.. He fouled out, committing six personal fouls in only 11 minutes of play. I'd go on about this, but I'm fairly certain Bennett Salvatore would read this and call a foul on me for speaking out against the holy Wade. Then they used their draft pick Andrew Wiggins as ammunition to acquire all star Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, and the Cavs were now a championship contender. Pollards fifth and sixth foul calls. Why? Web2002 NBA Playoffs Standings Schedule and Results Leaders Player Stats Totals Per Game Per 36 Minutes Per 100 Possessions Advanced East Conf 1st Round Philadelphia 76ers The Charlotte Bobcats just had a season where they had the worst winning percentage of any team in NBA history, and itseemed they would at least earn the first pick and get Anthony Davis as their franchise savior. You know the game has turned into a joke when at halftime "and the Oscar goes to" is trending on Twitter. I'd love for someone to point out where the foul is. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the draft lottery once again for the third time in fiveyears. His flopping was so blatantly obvious that multiple NBA players actually tweeted about it. In a second letter filed Tuesday, Lauro said that the league was asking for $1 million in restitution from Donaghy, presumably to cover the costs of its internal review. The Lakers eventually prevailed 106-102 to force a decisive Game 7. Or write about sports? The Cavs were heading towards going down three games to one in the best of seven NBA finals, and he had a tall task ahead of him to bring his team back. Say what you will, but I don't think any reasonable fan or person can deny that something weird was going on. As a whole, these plays suggest to me the refs were calling the game honestly, if perhaps not well. "If we get to re-rack that series, the Kings beat the Lakers 99 out of 100 times in a seven-games series, former Sacramento player Scot Pollard said in a phone interview. The Lakers tied the series and eventually won the championship, and many feel the Pistons were robbed of a title because of a horrendous call in Game 6. We live in a world where conspiracy theories run rampant. Or write about sports? The buzzer sounded and the Lakers won, 100-99. The They had just finished beating the Spurs to tie the series. A missed three at the end of the game by a still bleeding Bibby to give the Lakers the win. Knicks 4 point play in the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals, 9. Do you have a blog? The NBA Draft Lottery is the easiest to rig, and rigging the lottery can be done out of the public view. The '93 Knicks were the best team of the Ewing era. If you wanted excitement, you had to look to the Eastern Conference and the race for at least a berth in the NBA Finals. The league saw a team in the Orlando Magic who could be competitive soon, and were perhaps a player away. My personal favorite? . The Lakers were back-to-back defending champions at that point. The poster boy of the NBA is LeBron James, and things were not looking up for James and the Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals. L.A.'s All-Star big man (Pau Gasol) only shot one. If you look at the shot, it was straight form. We missed a ton of free throws and a ton of jumpers in the fourth quarter, Pollard said. The 2001 Bucks team was a memorable squad, surrounded . There appears to be contact particularly on the fourth attempt. We still knew theyd try to come back.. The accusations are contained in a four-page letter, sent to U.S. District Judge Carol Amon, as part of Donaghy's plea for a lighter sentence. WebNBA Western Conference Finals History - Vegas Insider 2000-2001 Philadelphia Sixers Playoff Roster - RealGM NBA odds: With Joel Embiid injured, can Hawks upset 76ers? As it turns out, though, I wasn't too far off. The Bulls were once again champions, but they could have had to go back to Chicago for a Game 7 instead of a parade if an offensive foul was properly called. After being arrested in 2007, Donaghywho now writes for the gambling picks site Sports Connection Winspled guilty to two felony charges of conspiracy. Donaghy's lawyer isn't commenting. Doubtful. With a slim 1.5% of winning the 1993 draft lottery the Magic won it, and selected Chris Webber first overall who they later traded away for Penny Hardaway. Klay Thompson said he'd "never respect floppers." The free-throw advantage is one thing. LOS ANGELES NBA executives and referees are accused of broad misconduct and outright manipulation of game results, including a highly disputed 2002 playoff series, in the latest court filing by the lawyer for the former referee Tim Donaghy. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The Lakers went on to the NBA Finals, where they swept the New Jersey Nets, while the Kings went on Leno. 2002 Western Conference Finals On the court, the games between the two teams were definitely intense, culminating in the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals, which featured Robert Horry's famous last-second three-pointer to beat the Kings in Game 4, a 1 point Kings win off of a Bibby field goal in the waning seconds of Game 5, a This was where the Laker dynasty should have organically ended. He will also be around a lot longer. All of the information revealed Tuesday was previously conveyed by Donaghy to federal investigators last July. The theory here is that the NBA thought it would be best for the highly star powered Los Angeles Lakers to be the face of the league still in 1988. Draymond Green Suspended In 2016 NBA Finals, 10 WWE Storylines Vince McMahon Refused To Book, 10 Best Feud-Ending Matches In WCW History, Ranked, 10 WCW Character Transformations That Made No Sense. Getting off of the bench. "He turned on basically all of his colleagues in an attempt to demonstrate that he is not the only one who engaged in criminal activity," Stern said. The Lakers won Game 6 by attempting 18 more free throws than the Kings in the fourth quarter, and went on to win the 2002 NBA Finals. GOLDMAN: The Lakers went on to win the 2002 NBA title. GOLDMAN: Scot Pollard played for Sacramento in the 2002 game. Now Bernhardt did have the arguable turning point call of the game as it turns out at the 3:06 mark when Webber moved into the paint and made a basket only to have the shot wiped out with an offensive foul call. But what's worst of all? Theres no question in my mind that we were the better team. Pollard was a reserve power forward and center for the Kings, a bleach blonde energizer known as much for his candor as for his rebounding. The biggest star in the series (Kobe Bryant) shot seven. That isessentially givingthe Lakers an opportunity to score 27 extra points in the last quarter of a close game. The Jazz then put the ball in the hands of their best player in Karl Malone, but Malone was stripped of the ball by Jordan. LeBron has to shoulder just as much of the blame, as his ridiculous acting caused this in the first place. This looked like a panic whistle. All of the pieces fit. Lakers supernovas Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal paced the visitors in both games, while Webber and Bibby did their best to match suit while getting more out of the role players surrounding them in an offense that emphasized motion, passing and cutting to the rim. Donaghy, a convicted felon for betting on games he officiated and who Stern has insisted was a lone rogue official whose claims about other referees cant be taken seriously, has written at length about the ways he says officials influence games, often to help produce a league-preferred result. He has not only logged every single call, and anticipated just about every objection you might have, and has addressed them. If anything, it would have been in the league's best interests for the Lakers to win and even the series. After an easy 124-113 over the Mavs in Game 1, there was no reason to think things were going to change. Chris Webber was playing just as well as Shaq. Cleveland Cavaliers GetThe First Pick Again In 2014. The NBA is not rigged in any way and everything is coincidental. They didnt come back because of all the shots they were knocking down though, and instead it was the 27 free throws that the officials gifted the Lakers in the 4th quarter that decided the game. 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