The dirty zebra has written a book - which may or may not be published - and he’s again claiming that the games are not on the level. He’s naming names, and some of the stuff found its way to the Internet. The NBA has delivered Donaghy’s latest allegations to a former federal prosecutor who reviewed league officiating when Donaghy’s crimes first came to light.

There is probably some truth in Donaghy’s new charges. The ref rat claims stars get special treatment - not exactly a “stop the presses’’ bulletin.

It’s not hard to imagine refs playing parlor games regarding who might make the first call of the night. Maybe a guy did T-up Rasheed Wallace in order to make his fellow refs responsible for tipping the ball boys. Some refs don’t like some players. It’s only human.

But fixing games and gambling on games is another matter. Making sure a series goes seven games is corrupt. Helping the Celtics and Lakers at the expense of the Cavaliers and Spurs is consumer fraud. It’s criminal.

And I’m not buying it.

Donaghy is a crook and a rat. He’s also broke and back in prison. And he’s trying to make a buck. His claims got some traction yesterday on the local talk shows. The unsubstantiated charges make great Internet fodder. And I am writing about it because, well, people are talking about it.

But I simply refuse to believe that the games we watch are not on the level.

Call me naive. It won’t be the first time. Certainly those of us who bought into the Sosa-McGwire home run chase of 1998 were snookered. I never thought Pete Rose would have bet on baseball while he was managing the Reds. If I’d covered the 1919 World Series, I’d have probably written at great length about the White Sox choking and underperforming.

But tanking?

Say it ain’t so.

I went to the Garden last night to watch the Celtics and the Bulls. I kept my eyes on Tom Washington, Eric Lewis, and Zach Zarba. I saw nothing suspicious. There are going to be bad calls, suspect calls. I just don’t think the refs are in the bag.

I talked with players, coaches, and ex-players, and naturally no one was buying into Donaghy’s premise. Not on the record, anyway. NBA players are not fools and only a fool would slander the men who make the calls that impact their livelihood.

“I just have faith that everybody is doing what they are supposed to do,’’ said Ray Allen. “The refs are not always perfect. There are a lot of judgment calls. That’s why we, as players, need to have good relationships with them. We try not to let the game get to a point where it’s in the referees’ hands.’’

I asked Allen if he ever felt an official “had it in for you?’’

“Yes,’’ he said quickly. “For sure. Sometimes we may be paranoid, you might think a guy doesn’t like you.’’

Danny Ainge had the same reaction to the question.

“I felt Earl Strom had it in for me when I played,’’ said Ainge. “One time I went up to him and asked him how much longer I was going to have to pay for something I’d done and he looked at me like he didn’t know what I was talking about.’’

We don’t need Donaghy going all Canseco on us to know that stuff happens. In 2007, veteran official Joe Crawford was suspended by the NBA after ejecting Tim Duncan. It was not the first time Crawford was slapped by his bosses. Back in the 1980s, Celtics coach Bill Fitch was under the impression that Crawford had been punished for making too many calls against a team that failed to provide him with tickets for a game. Any time thereafter, when Fitch felt Crawford was foiling the Celtics at the Garden, Fitch would say, “What’s the matter, Joe? Didn’t you get your tickets tonight?’’

None of it is OK. Anything less than total impartiality is unacceptable, and all leagues need to be vigilant.

But game-fixing? Series-fixing? I don’t think so. Too many people would have to be in on it. It would get out.

Bettors and fans who love teams more than their own families inevitably see demons. But I’ve never understood how any fan could make an emotional (or financial) investment in games that are fixed.

You can’t go to the Garden and write a story about officials without checking with Tommy Heinsohn. Part of the NBA since 1956, Tommy has said more about referees than anyone in Greater Boston. He’s battled the whistles from the court, the bench, and the broadcast booth. Did he ever think the games were fixed?

“No,’’ said Heinsohn. “Sometimes it’s subjective. You wonder what a guy thinks of you if he says you’re nothing but a showboat. But I never believed it wasn’t on the level.’’

“I’m not going to believe what a criminal says,’’ said Doc Rivers. “No doubt, there are times we are not happy. It’s a human game, just like those baseball games with the umpires last night. There’s always going to be stuff like that.’’

“I read the excerpts [from Donaghy’s book],’’ said Ainge. “You have to consider the source. It’s easy to write and say things and blow it out of proportion. I just played in too many big games to believe all that. I believe they’re doing the best they can and that the players decide the outcome.’’

Players decide the outcome. If you don’t believe that, why bother watching the games?

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.