I believe it was that talented thespian Anfree Hardaway, who when quizzed about a collegiate point-shaving scandal in the award-winning “Blue Chips”, told coach Nick Nolte that nobody cared except the gamblers. Well, them, and the New York Post’s crusading Murray Weiss.

The FBI is investigating an NBA referee who allegedly was betting on basketball games – including ones he was officiating during the past two seasons – as part of an organized-crime probe in the Big Apple, The Post has learned.

The investigation, which began more than a year ago, is zeroing in on blockbuster allegations that the referee was making calls that affected the point spread to guarantee that he — and the hoods who had their hooks in him — cashed in on large bets.

The official said the bets involved thousands of dollars and were made on games during the 2005-2006 and the 2006-2007 seasons.

The NBA issued a brief statement: “We have been asked by the FBI, with whom we are working closely, not to comment on this matter at this time.”

Federal agents are set to arrest the referee and a cadre of mobsters and their associates who lined their pockets, sources said.

“These are dangerous people [the referee] was involved with,” a source said. One source close to the probe counted the number of games on which the ref and his wiseguy buddies scored windfalls in the “double digits.”

I’m as curious as you are as to whom the accused ref might be, though I think it would be unfair to presume that just because Steve Javie’s driving a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 he’s been up to no good.

Brian Windhorst, subbing for Henry Abbot at True Hoop, writes “being around NBA locker rooms for the last five years, I can honestly say that I’ve never once heard anyone mention a point spread or gambling on anything other than cards.” However, Arthur Blank was just on the phone and he’s adamant that this oughta be the only story receiving any play over the next two weeks.

(UPDATE : They’ve got a name…and it’s not Steve Javie. Or Mendy Rudolph. )