-
-
-
-
-
- College Basketball
- Scores
- Teams
-
Conferences
- Players
- Stats
- Standings
- Rankings
- Schedules
- Women's Hoops
-
-
-
-
- Soccer Front Page
-
Leagues
-
-
- Tennis Front Page
-
ATP
-
WTA
-
-
|
A unique take on sports news, updated several times throughout the day.
David Stern for Spurs' MVP
That was the heist that NBA commissioner David Stern effectively engineered for the Spurs on Tuesday thanks to an overly rigid interpretation of league rules. If the Spurs take Game 5 of their series against the Suns tonight and go on to win the title, Stern (and discipline czar Stu Jackson) should get rings. This trouble started, of course, when Horry hip-checked Steve Nash into the scorer's table in the closing seconds of the Suns' hard-fought Game 4 victory on Monday night, a play that English soccer announcers would rightly dub "cynical." Horry added a forearm shiver for good measure. (See video of the foul in the next post below.) Stoudemire and Diaw, who were on the Phoenix bench about 10-15 feet away, moved instinctively toward the fracas to defend their man but didn't do much else, while Horry continued to escalate things by planting a forearm in Raja Bell's jaw. The league's verdict -- Horry sits for two games while Stoudemire and Diaw are benched for a game apiece. Huh? The well-intentioned rule, of course, is that players who leave the bench area to join a conflagration draw an automatic suspension. That's the letter of the law. Apparently, though, the law's application does not allow for common sense. Stoudemire and Diaw did not, in fact, add fuel to the fire. Horry, meanwhile, is essentially rewarded for his thuggish behavior by taking down two Suns (including a first-team All-NBA pick in Stoudemire) with him. It's not that different from a scrub picking a fight with a star player so that both might get tossed. When Jackson was asked if it was a fair decision, he said, "It's not a matter of fairness, it's a matter of correctness, and this is the right decision at this point in time." But sports leagues should be about keeping the competition fair, not tipping the competitive balance with Solomonic decisions.
posted by SI.com | View comments |
Comments:the nba just keeps shooting itself in the foot, this is just one of many reasons why so many people, myself included, just dont watch it anymore
It's appalling....c'mon you suspend a player for entering the floor, this is ridiculous that's the reason I don't watch the NBA at all.....
I don't follow the NBA a lot, so I don't know if this is an aberration of enforcement. But I do feel in general that rules always should be enforced the same. What is unfair is to treat an offender with kid gloves because his team needs him at the moment. Sports should teach character, and the character lesson here is that one's behavior usually affects other people in addition to onesself.
So the rules are not meant to keep the play fair? Stern and Stu are morons.
It's a bunch of crap. I won't watch any more games this year even though bball is my preferred sport. Players leave the bench all the time - even Duncan and another player left the bench at an earlier point in the game. Surely these idiots recognize that there are shades of gray and that those players did nothing wrong. In fact, the Suns (and I'm not a dedicated fan of either team) seem to be working hard at not responding to the Spurs scrappy cheap play. And their reward is the loss of two of their best players?! The hard foul was such a perfect move by the Spurs that I'm sure lots of folks will wonder if it was a designed move to fish for suspensions. Why not? It's a reasonably safe bet that a very hard foul will cause players to jump up in defense of their friend and teammate. And how would the Spurs suffer, by losing Horry? Big deal! That decision sucks and I hope anybody except the Spurs wins the trophy. I won't be watching - I'll be catching up on my baseball and soccer.
1) Both Stoudamire and Diaw know the rules. So making any excuse for them is merely condoning the continued deterioration of the game.
2) Stern and Jackson need to mete out discipline consistently. Unless every player who ever steps over the sideline get's the penalty, these two are not valid. And since we know that the only things David Stern ever reacts to are those that get TV play, this pretty much dooms the notion. The entire suspecnion thing is a draconinan knee jerk reaction. If the captain / leader of the team happens to be on the bench, yet wants to gather his troops and keep them out of harm, this is bad? Perhaps, more properly, Stern should copy hockey, and the third man in rule.: If anyone enters the court, and engages a participant, in any manner they get a 5 game suspension. Have I mentioned in this post that David Stern is an imbecile? I need to repeat that daily, like taking vitamins. -Doc way to add fuel to an already ridiculous fire, pal. amare and diaw were suspended b/c they broke a rule. a dumb rule? absolutely. if anyone should be catching the ire of the suns' "fans", it should be nash. his acting job is what incited those 2 to leave the bench. again, way to add fuel to a non-story.
I think the front office of the Spurs
should consider suspending Duncan and Ginobilli for Game 6 if they beat the Suns tonight. The owners should not rely on the league to determine what is right and wrong. David Stern makes way too much money. I hope his(not Stu's) decision to suspend Stoudemire and Diaw leads to his dismissal. So Nash should shoulder the blame for getting hip checked into the scoreres table. That makes perfect sense, pal. Stern for MVP!!!
Listening to the clip posted below, the first words out of the commentator's mouth are "...see Thomas foul Duncan hard, make him earn a couple of free throws." When the commentator on a national broadcast is advocating a hard foul, that's an indication that hard fouls are part of the game. Did Horry lay a hard, flagrant foul on Nash? Yes, and he's paying the price.
There's a sense on this thread that this was a REALLY bad foul, and so the Suns were justified in breaking the rules. First, I'm not convinced it was such a bad foul...think of what you would do if someone was running full speed at you and you had to block them; you'd stick out your hip, just like Horry did. Second, it is precisely this situation the rule was designed for, and Stern and Jackson are applying it consistently. Were the Spurs "fishing for suspensions"? If they were, then they're a heck of a lot smarter than the Suns for rising to the bait. Life is not fair. Is it fair that because Stoudamire is scared of the Spurs and calls them dirty that Bowen gets called for a foul when Nash trips hisself and falls down. If watch the game close enough you will see that Bell plays the same way Bowen does. They both play in your face defense. I was going to just sit back and enjoy this series and be rooting for the winner to win the title. The Suns are making it hard to do. The Suns are trying to win the game in the papers by complaining because they don't think they can win it on the court.
It might be a stupid rule, but it has been around for a long time (10 years now?).
They were not without notice. They knew (or should have known) what the penalties were. Should it be changed? Yes. Absolutely. It's an awful rule. But it was applied correctly and the players should have known. Okay.... I'm all right with the suspension for Horry and agree that the league should have found a way to clear the Suns who "left the bench area" but managed to stay out of any trouble... but where is the love for the soccer-style flop from Nash? The initial fall was certainly legit, but what is with the arms flailing after he goes down? He clearly was remembering his soccer-playing days from the Great White North after he went down. Come on, Pete... don't miss the chances to keep your old style column alive.
Technically, NBA refs commit unjustified assault every time they grab an NBA player who is exchanging words, but it would be stupid - or should I say "Sternian" or "Jacksonian" -- to enforce the strict letter of that law.
Stu Jackson and David Stern are the types would have prevented women and children from getting on lifeboats on the Titanic because they were already at the maximun number of passengers allowed by law. As a lawyer, I have to say this -- this is what happens when a lawyer is in charge. I'm telling you, it Pro Wrestling NBA style. How do you suspend all those guys and do nothing but "access" a flagrantII foul on Baron Davis in Game 4 AFTER the game. Ouch...that hurts.
After all, if Golden St. could win in Utah and then back to Cali and then back to Utah we could rally make some, I mean have some interest. All Stern wants to do is have Royal Rumble, I, II, III.......VXX..... and so on. He is a joke and so is Stu Jackson. Rod Tim Duncan must be suspended under the same strict interpretation of the law. Period. He did the exact same thing in the same game, and no one has mentioned that. If you are taking the rule literally, then Duncan must go as well.
All this does is set up game seven after the Spurs win game 5 and the Suns game 6. More money for the NBA and owners.
An Oscar for Nash's performance? Yes.
The penalty box for Horry? Yes. Suspensions for Stoudamire and Diaw? Ridiculous. Stern's and Jackson's comments? Priceless. No wonder football is way out in front in terms fan interest. Stu Jackson ran the Vancouver Grizzlies and once drafted Big Country Reeves. Enough said
This is absolutely ridiculous. I'd like to thank David Stern for making me not watch the rest of the playoffs if the Spurs win.
Thanks a lot Dave, thanks for ruining the playoffs Brutal call!
The NBA has just rewarded a cowardly act by an over the hill player....shame! This is appalling. I am not going to watch the playoffs any longer. I hope David Stern gets to read all these comments!
They should have kept their butts on the bench. You can't blame their ignorance on Robert Horry.
I like how you people keep complaining about the NBA and how you don't watch it anymore...and yet you feel compelled to comment. Shut up. Go watch your tennis or bowling or whatever the hell you watch nowadays. I'm sick and tired of you cry babies calling the Spurs boring, soft, and now dirty. Every team has one or two thugs in them. On the Spurs, you have Bowen and Horry. On the Suns, you know him as Raja (that's right...you remember that little incident with Raja and Kobe don't you?). I still feel the Suns can win tonight: the team is angry and the fans are angry. That emotion can do so much for a team.
I need to preface this by saying that I'm a Spurs fan. In the end, I don't think the suspensions are going to matter because the Spurs are not going to win it all. If they do get past the Suns which I don't think they will, they'll be too tired to play well enough to win against the well rested Jazz. I just don't think it's going to happen. If by chance they do win against the Jazz, maybe they'll have a chance against the Eastern conference rep but that's too far away right now. I think this series could have been over already if it wasn't for Nash's bloody nose in game one.
It's simple, just close down the entire NBA. The players can get jobs working at the local prison laundry and the owners can retire to their private islands.
Basketball fans can then tune in to the real game being played at the College level. I love all the comments about "this is why we don't watch basketball" and why football is better (I believe football is better, but for entirely different reasons). Have you all forgotten the infamous Tom Brady "tuck" play? Same situation, an extremely dumb rule (that also made a major impact in the playoffs), but a rule nonetheless. A rule is a rule and must be enforced. Imagine the chaos that would be created if officials are given the flexibility to ignore the rules whenever they want. It is a slippery slope, my friends. Don't blame the enforcers, blame the rules committee.
David Stern is about the most over-rated person I can think of. He has consistently robbed the cradle for players over the years and his one and done policy in the NCAA is a farce. Bobby Knight is correct! He has this unbelievable man crush on Tim (I can whine and get away with it because I have no tattoos) Duncan and the Spurs. They are the dirtiest team in sports!!!
So why then did the league not suspend Tim Duncan for walking on the court when elson was hit ???
Has anyone seen an angle of the spurs bench yet ???? This is bogus. stu jackson's comments about the decision might be one of the most ignorant things ever said. i suggest that he revisit the whole purpose of having "rules" in any game (ahem, to keep things fair) as opposed to merely sticking to rules that don't allow for common sense... another BRILLIANT move by those highly-paid NBA execs, bravo!
Let me get this straight...the NBA should consider the role a player has on his team when deciding punishment for a rules violation?
So there wouldn't be a problem if it was two bench warmers but because its a starter and a key reserve the NBA messed up? Get a grip. The punishment has to be assesed based on actions not on if the offender is an important player or not. These guys broke the rule, a rule they knew was in place, and now they have to serve the suspension. The other facet that no one seems to be talking about is that Horry's foul was not bad enough to warrant a 2 game suspension. To all the people who says this is what's wrong with basketball, other sports are not immune to this (let us not forget the Tom Brady "tuck" rule that cost the Raiders a trip to the Super Bowl). Same situation, a dumb rule that changed the course of game/series. However, a rule is a rule and must be enforced. If we allow officials to take the liberty to disregard the rules whenever they want, imagine the chaos and conspiracy theroists who would pop-up. It is a slippery slope, my friends. Hate the rule, not the ones who enforce it!
cmon people get with the program. What is wrong with you guys! That is the rule. You have to follow the rules. Amare and boris know the rules. Why didn't the other players run over there? Anyways that fall by Steve Nash is all drama if you look at the replays. All Horry did was hip check him he was trying to get him out of bounce. Smart play I think. Nash knew that he was going to get fouled. Why is he trying to run thru the edge of the court at full speed. If Horry would have grabbed him then Nash would have fallen to the ground and say that he was thrown down!
Tony Stewart got it wrong. The NBA is more like the WWE than NASCAR.
This ruling hurts the Spurs more than Phoenix. If they win tonight, then every outlet will place blame on the suspensions. If phoenix wins, then it wil be twisted as how good is Phoenix without these players. Either way, Spurs lose. The Spurs did not suspended the other players. Yet, they will be blamed for it. Get ready Spurs, another asterik championship.
i think it's awesome. people who say this is why they don't watch the nba are idiots. this is controversial, it gets people interested and excited, and there's two sides to every story. why do you think college football is so popular--at least part of it has to do with the ambiguity and controversy with deciding who is #1.
two points lost in all this. (1) the refs are to blame, in part, for what happened. you could see these teams escalating their conflict throughout the game, and the refs didn't intervene. (2)the suns have a great chance to win this game BECAUSE of the suspension. they clearly have the psychological advantage and a chip on their shoulder. there are many examples of underdogs overplaying after such seeming injustice and the overdogs underplaying/relaxing. i wouldn't be surprised by a phoenix win at home. Since when did human beings become mindless robots? The rule in question did it's job! There was no escalation, and it was the rule that kept things in check. Horry for Stoudemire and Diaw? Anyone with a lick of sense can see how rediculously stupid that is. If Stern is concerned with the image of the NBA, he needs to get rid of Stu Jackson and put some commen sense into things like this. I'm suspending myself...and boycotting game 5.
So if the league is being harsh but fair, clearly they're going to suspend Duncan and Bowen for being on the court (i.e., inside the 3-point line) after this stoppage of play?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y39nRO5keRM Right? ... Right? The media commentators fueled this situation by commenting at length on it during the game. They pulled up footage of Diaw and Stoudemire leaving their seats, and looked closely to see if they crossed the line. If not for those visuals and on air discussions (what will the league do about this-- etc etc), nobody would have thought twice about this.
Once this was out there, the NBA had no option to ignore it. How they responded is a testament to weak decision-making. Only someone with the soul of a bureaucrat would trumpet (as Stu Jackson did) that his decision might not be fair, but at least it was correct. Everyone with experience knows that there is always discretion in the application of rules--and object of that discretion is to achieve fairness, not correctness. Im a huge Knicks fan and Ive always had a beef with this ridiculous rule. There has never been a better time to review this rule than this incident. Raja Bell is able to push Robert Horry potentially inciting a brawl and hes able to play the next game..but Diaw and Stoudemire get off the bench for whatever reason and they cannot play?
If Nash was flopping, why get up and go after Horry? That would incur a technical, if he were able to continue to fight. The point of flopping is to get the call. No WAY that was a flop.
A big part of this is the Suns-induced media coverage of the Spurs "dirty" play. I have never heard people refer to the Spurs as a dirty team until this series, and they've basically had the same team for years. Duncan is far from a dirty player. Ginobili receives more punishment than he dishes out. Only difference is he doesn't whine about it to the media. And Bowen? He's like the tough, physical defender we've seen in this league for years and has to guard the best player on the opposing team every time. This is all media-hyped BS, but it obviously works (Suns went to the line twice as much as the Spurs in Game 5 at S.A.). Credit the Suns, I personally think its pretty smart.
The real anger should be towards Nies, DeRosa and Javee. If these 3 had called a balanced game and stopped the escalation of physical play early in the game then this would not even be an issue. They allowed one team to run through screens, shove players from behind and generally play as physical as they liked. On the other side they called phantom fouls when a player tripped over his own feet, when another dived into the defender back first and an offensive foul when the screener was ran over. It is no wonder that frustration boiled over.
Judgement was very much a part of this. If Nash had broken his collarbone, would Horry still have gotten only two games? No way. So the fact that Nash wasn't injured came into play, regardless of Horry's intent. That's judgement. Use the same "judgement" to fine, but not suspend, Stoudemire and Diaw.
Suns began making excuses from the start. The Stoudamire calling the Spurs dirty trying to have the referees call more fouls on the Spurs so the Suns can have an opportunity to win. Horry's foul flagrant if you add Nash acting performance that deserve an Oscar for best actor. The rule is the rule. And, by the way, following the rules probably they were benevolent because they did not suspend Raja Bell (just remember Raja's suspension for a foul to Kobe). Suns are just crying. Games are win in the basketball court and if the Suns do not resist the fire, get out of the kitchen.
Really? The NBA is a basketball league? Hey, I've got news for y'all: the play where Horry sent Nash flying at the end of Game 4? That was the only play in the entire playoffs that wasn't an intentional flop. That shoulda been a foul - nothing more, nothing less. But, in the era of "Ouch! He touched me," it is now level-xxx-flagrant. How pathetic is that? But back to the NBA - this league is now a mere skip and a hop away from hosting the rematch of Donald Trump vs. Vince McMahon: winner gets the dancers, loser gets to run around naked. So ... let's not get too worked up over this ... suspension thing, 'cause those marketing guys - they really know what they're doing!!! Man, these guys are good.
Everyone is missing the bigger issue here. It started with the "dress code" and it is now continuing. The NBA is only concerned with their image, and that's why they want San Antonio in the Finals. All the guys on that team are well spoken, clean cut guys. Nobody has 1000 tatoos or can't even speak the language. It's exactly what David Stern wants, and apparently he will do whatever it takes to get there. It's a joke and an embarrassment. How anyone could even bother watching the NBA anymore is beyond me.
Anonymous at 11:17 AM - I cannot stand what you said. If you don't like being a lawyer, please find another profession.
Most lawyers I know are subtle, nuanced people. They understand the grays of life. This was a black-and-white decision made based upon a rule that has no gray in it. Certainly NOT a lawyerly rule nor is it a lawyerly decision. I'm sorry that you're unable to appreciate that. The decision will not be changed unfortunately. However, Stern and Jackson will have to ponder this during the off-season to ensure that rigidity in their decision to overlook common sense does not impact future outcomes of the game.
If anyone thinks that the Spurs and/or Horry knew the outcome of his actions, you are nuts. Yes, it was a hard foul. At the same time, Nash should at least be nominated for an Oscar. How many times have you heard announcers say "good hard foul" to stop that breakaway? The Suns have no one to blame but themselves.
LOVE the comment about drafting Big Country. Here are some other Stu Jackson highlights.
Led Wisconsin Badgers to 32-25 record in two years as head coach. Has career NBA head coaching record of 48-78 (.426). Has career NBA playoff head coaching record of 4-6 (.400). Vancouver Grizzlies compiled a record of 78-300 during Jackson's five year tenure as team president and general manager. Since becoming the Committee Chair of the USA Men's Basketball team, the USA team has won only a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympic Games, and a bronze medal in the 2006 World Championships. Team did not qualify for a medal in the 2002 World Championships. Apparently, all you need is a mediocre track record to become an NBA executive and a Stern stooge. NBA basketball is a flawed and unwatchable product. Stu Jackson recommended this penalty to Stern. BTW, It was Stu jackson that ran the Vancouver Grizzlies to the ground. He's a moron. Period.
In no way is the ruling fair. All Horry tried to do was draw a charge call on Nash late in the game, and Nash's blatant flop (watch the replay carefully; Nash is clearly acting, pretending like he had been shot or something). Then, Bell and Nash use this as an excuse to gang up on Horry, who has to defend himself with a couple of forearms. Clearly, Horry was set up, and the league was wrong for suspending him. As for Stoudamire and Diaw, it was clear they left the bench during the hit job on Horry, and deserve to have been suspended a minimum of 3 games.
First off, yes Nash acted, but it was a flagrant, physical foul, and Horry got the second game for fore-arming Bell. Did Amare and Borris break the rule, yes, does it mean they get a suspension, unfortunately, yes. It's the rules, this is their profession, they are responsible for knowing them. However, and here is where the rage should stem from, Duncan clearly broke the same rule. Stu Jackson says it doesn't matter b/c there was no conflagration. But, have you ever seen a player try to seperate other players by running onto the court and then leering after the opposing player well after the play. He didn't try to seperate anything. He clearly came off the bench, and onto the court, to get involved, in clear violation of the letter and spirit of the law. He should be out for tonight as well, thus satisfying Stern's need for draconian enforcement and the desire for fairness that everyone in this situation should have.
The real problem started long before the "Hip Check". It started when Stern and his referees made/missed calls in order to keep the game close, or maybe even to predetermine the outcome. It is a known fact that the NBA wants parity and close games. To think that Sterns does not put forth effort to that end is NAIVE. NBA is the second coming of PRO-WRESTLING with a side order of MONSTER TRUCK show.
If you are following the letter of the law, then Stoudemire and Diaw should be suspended for getting off the bench. Period.
And if you are still following the letter of the law, then Tim Duncan should be suspended for leaving the bench earlier in the game. And if you are STILL following the letter of the law, then Bruce Bowen should be suspended for leaving the bench to pull Tim Duncan back to the bench. Maybe there is a problem with the letter of the law... Good job nba punish the better hard working team, just another reason to stop watching.
To everyone calling for a suspension on Tim Duncan. You have no idea what you're talking about. Duncan was up and on the floor right as Elson Dunked it..and if you WATCH the tape he moves like he's going toward Elson to see if he's alright before Bowen moves him back. Apples and Oranges, one instance had a scuffle one did not. Read the rule regarding leaving the bench before you go spouting off.
And as for asterik championships, oh please. You'd have to assume the Suns would beat Utah and ultimately the Eastern Conference team, so unless someone around here is clairvoyent all this asterik talk is hilarious. I had a respect for that guy(Stern) when he tried to elevate the standards and popularity of the game.But now I understand that all his actions end before a team. This is the second incidednt in a few days he is showing his "gratitude" towards that team. I am not sure why, though.Also, he initiated the changing of the statnding rules just to help the same team.
Bottomline is, Mr.Stern you lost a place from many basketball fans' hearts.I know you wont care that because you might be getting something bigger and nobody is above your head. It amazes me how much every non-Spur fan is quick to point the finger. To get it out of the way now, I will let you know that I am a San Antonian and a huge Spurs fan. Do I agree with what Horry did, definitely not! I am not a fan of brute basketball. I, myself at the height of 6’ 6” have played a little ball back home in Philadelphia. I know the difference between street and controlled ball.
From what I have noticed watching the Spurs through the years is their ability to flow with the game. The Spurs are like chameleons, they will change there style of play from the style played of the opposing team. I was watching the previous game as well many of you were. It’s like that saying, “You can dish it but you can’t take it.” Let me tell you, the Suns were dishing it, big time. The Suns play a very physical game in general. In my opinion they should be able to take it and stop whining, BE A MAN ABOUT IT! On another note, the refs came to play their game too. For the Spurs to not have one charging call in their favor, for the entire night, I feel that there is a different motive for this series. I would not be surprised that this series is extended to seven games as a result from the refs calls for both sides. I believe a conspiracy from the NBA home office. Dirty players: Raja Bell in my opinion is just as dirty (as some may call it) as Bruce Bowen. Raja tends to swing his forearm more often than needed. Also, talks too much. In conclusion to this book, I hope that in the end the Spurs are victorious in the series and as champions. The Spurs are getting old and for sure the Suns will have their victories. I am a fan of Steven Kerr; I would like to see him as a part-owner to the Suns get a ring. Just not in this year. I feel that men, in the position of role model or in the 'Spot Light', have to abide by the very same rules and laws and be accountable for their actions, just like everyone else.
The "NBA" and every other, 'Big Money' company needs to step up and have the backbone to fine and punish these actions, and not the slap on the wrist that they have the habit of doing. There needs to be a message sent, that this type behavoir will not be tolerated.Hit them where it can be felt, in the wallet.(Big Time). Help the message be understood. To Blaketheshroom: if you dont like it dont watch it and dont comment on somthing you dont watch. Only a fool comments about something he doesnt know.
Pete, this is ridiculous. Horry's loss to the Spurs will not have the same adverse effect as the Suns losing Diaw and Stoudamire. Why wasn't Duncan suspended? Horry could've intentionally fouled to stop the clock and 'held up' Nash to show no malicious intent, instead he took the route of a punk.
This will hurt the Suns more. I'm trying so hard to continue being an NBA fan but this might be the straw that broke the Sopwith. CORRECTION
Jackson only chaired the 2004 USA Olympic men's basketball team, which finished third at the Athens games. Can't associate the disappointing 6th place 2002 finish on him. if the NBA feels that Duncan and Bowen didnt break the rule because there was no altercation on the court - it means that in future a role player (like a Jones or a Horry) may start a fight after a hard foul on the court just to get stars that walk off the bench suspended.
Just another reason why I don't watch...between Stern andd Jackson and the refs...the game is no longer fair or fun. I used to watch every game...now I have better things to do.
I guess the moral of the story is is that the Suns should go out and put some goon on the Spurs best players and take them out. Stern can suspend the goon, but so what? And then watch as the Spurs bench sits back and watches.
Thanks NBA for ruining what for all intense purposes is THE series of the playoffs. If ths Spurs win now its all tainted. What a joke the NBA is. And if you are still following the letter of the law, then Tim Duncan should be suspended for leaving the bench earlier in the game. And if you are STILL following the letter of the law, then Bruce Bowen should be suspended for leaving the bench to pull Tim Duncan back to the bench.
at the very least, duncan should have been tech'd for walking out on the court. it wasn't a timeout & the ball was about ready to be put in play. isn't that illegal participation? kinda funny how the guy who gets a ref suspended can also walk onto the court whenever he pleases. This was well planned take out good player for the worst give you winner for tonight game
Wow, just when the playoffs were starting to get good, leave it to Stern to nip it all in the bud. Talk about turning a good series into a total sham. It's universally stupid rulings like this that's causing me to dislike the NBA more and more these days. I could do without the self-absorbed, disrespectful thugs as well.
what a stupid decision. i'm canceling my my nba ticket for next season. why watch 'fixed' games???
Boycott the playoffs if the Suns "lose" this series. It might be the only way the senile Stern will learn. The NBA definitely seems to want the Spurs to win, which confuses me because everyone outside of San Antonio and Eva Longoria's family want the Suns to win. Just call it fair and if the Spurs win, oh well, we'll all just keep watching, but Bowen has somehow avoided any punishment over years of accusations, injuries, and furious shooting guards, Duncan has achieved "made man" status where no one will whistle him for coming off the bench in Game 4 or anything else anymore (between Joey Crawford and his professional attitude- but doesn't Nash have an equal attitude?), and overall the Spurs have gotten away with 1990s Knicks thuggery. I don't get it. Didn't the NBA want a cleaner game? The Suns were built to thrive in the new NBA and now a team of basketball cavemen realizing they are a step slow are fouling and roughing up a superior opponent. In Game 3 they do it and the Suns are called whiners for expecting the game to be called by the new rules that have been in place for three years, and then in Game 4 their bigs stand up when their star gets punk shotted at the end of the game. Horry's too smart to not have been hoping for this and the NBA rewards it, just like when the Knicks cheated their way to a series win over a better Miami team years ago by picking fights until Miami fought back. So one team plays football or hockey out there and the other team is either wimps or gets penalized. How does the NBA expect to be taken seriously? Using the scorer's table is a pro wrestling staple, and after last year's finals, I am starting to prefer the WWE. At least when they script things, the most popular guys always win in th end. You get what you want. With these decrepit officials, its more just anyway and more fun. Great job NBA. Its fan-tastic!
I also do not agree with the suspensions (except Horry, but that should only be for one game). I think the people who dropped the ball are the Phoenix coaches. Everyone knows the rule and how strictly it is enforced. Instead of reacting to the foul and running to Nash (which all of the coaches, including D'Antoni, did, they should have made sure their players remained in front of their bench. Stoudamire and Diaw were only doing what they saw their coaches do. Of the seven people on the Suns bench, it seems like five knew to stay put, why didn't Stoudamire and Diaw?
I'll preface this by stating that I'm a lifelong Spurs fan.
There are so many assanine statements that I have heard from this whole ordeal, that I actually have to laugh. Pop did not put Horry up to this to try and bait suspensions or cause an injury - any athlete, professional or amatuer, has lost their temper at one pont or another - where Horry should have tried to draw a charge, he lost his cool and decked Nash (an Emmy nom should be given for that performance, by the way). As for the ruling, I do agree that Duncan should be subject to the same rules and should have to sit tonight's game out. However, Stoudemire cannot be held blameless in this - Dantoni has said all series that he wants Amare to be more mature and not draw fouls by making dumb mistakes - Stoudemire responds by making the biggest mistake of his career. Phoenix apologists will say that Stern gets his wish if the Spurs win, but only die-hard basketball fans will appreciate another Spurs/Pistons final ('05 was a highly under-rated 7 game defensive clinic), because most of the casual fans want fast-paced, 130 point games. The ratings will suffer just like last time, so how does that benefit David Stern? This is a very unfortunate event, compounded by an even worse ruling, but the Spurs will ultimately wind-up the losers in the eyes of the public: should they win, it's because Phoenix was without two of their best players; if they lose, Nash is the hero and all we hear about is how much heart this team has. I say, Popovich should bench Duncan tonight, and let the Spurs win, in Phoenix, with a matchup of the two best paired teams in the league (arguably the top two pointguards in the West, the top two contenders for 6th Man of the Year, etc.). Then, when the Spurs win, the public can say that the best team won. Johnny K. All you people who thinks Nash was acting ... Nash is listed at 6'3" (maybe, but I doubt it...) 195lbs (also, possible, but highly unlikely). Robert Horry is listed at 6'10" (maybe a little exaggerated), 240lbs. Now, lets see if you'd like to be hip-checked by a 6'10", 240 lbs person with the full intention of committing this foul. I wonder how good your acting job will be ... If you look at Nash, when he gets into the lane, the opponents bump/hip-check/hand-check him all the time, but he rarely complains. The fact is this. Acting or not, Nash could have been seriously hurt because of where he was fouled. Now, again, all those people who think Nash was acting ... lets take you next to a table and have a 6'10", 240 lbs person foul you with the intention of a 'hard foul'.
The bottom line is that the NBA has an agenda to get the Spurs into the finals. They are too slow to do anything but thuggery, so they need Stern and Stu Jackson working for them. This is the biggest piece of favoritism I have witnessed since the Soviets "beat" the USA squad. Stern and Jackson will get "their" squads (Spurs and Pistons) into the finals and we´ll have another unwatchably bad, low rating nightmare. I hope they both get fired because they are morons. They don´t understand that NOBODY wants to see this hacking, stopping crap anymore. Let the athletes play. If you´re too slow, like Cheap Shot Bob, get off the court.
Stu Jackson is a joke. Physical play in the playoffs is OK with me but when players push the envelope like Barron Davis, Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen, etc... step up and let these guys have it yet suspending 1 all star and his backup for being curious or protective, please! I would like to see if Stu Jackson put a bet down on tonights game prior to handing down this suspension---HMMMMM
I am happy with a basketball game, when "the team that most deserve to win" wins. I am also satisfied when the team that got lucky wins. (luck is a part of any game)
The NBA front office likes to see "the correct" team to win. This is just sad. David Stern is your typical dictator. First he makes a bunch of moves that are great for the league (promoting the league internationally, zone defense, no hand-checking on the perimeter). Now he's making a bunch of moves just for the hell of making moves (dress code, new ball, ridiculous suspensions), and becoming defensive as hell about everything. Did anyone else hear him attacking the interviewer on NPR when he was being asked about the racially biased officiating report?
These don't help the NBA; these are just things he wants so the league looks more like what he wants it to look like. Like I said, typical dictatorship. The next step is him getting paranoid and firing Stu Jackson on count of treason. We saw it happen with Stalin, we saw it happen with Mao, now we're going to see it happen with Stern. Well then in the name of 'fairness', about 5 seconds after the opening tip-off tonight James Jones should clothesline Duncan into the scorers table then the next time down the court knee Parker in the groin and see if everyone just keeps to their seats on the bench. And if Duncan or Parker drop we can all talk about their 'acting' tomorrow right?
spurs playing dirty? did everyone forget about the black eye manu is sporting? the back breaking fall parker took after being undercut? dont blame parker for busting steve nashes nose. that was a freak accident. i dont think i have heard the spurs complain once about the physicality of this series. they roll with the punches and keep playing. suns on the other hand cry about everything! i know the spurs would rather have amare and boris play game 5. blame the nba front office. not the spurs.....
The NBA is not only unfair about its disciplinary action, it's is incorrect (contrary to Stu Jacksons ludicrous claims). We've seen it all season long- from Kobe's suspensions to the Joe Crawford essentially being thrown from the league and now this. The sad thing is that there is a clear favoritism towards the spurs from the League's Execs. Check this out, Kobe suspended after accidentally hitting Ginobli, Veteran NBA ref fired after meaningless game altercation with Duncan (when was the last time you saw a ref. get fired?) and now you get 2 of the Suns best players suspended so they'll miss a decisive game against who? Oh yeah...the Spurs.
The Horry Elbow wasn't that bad. I can understand him being suspended, but two games? Bell only got one for clotheslining Kobe last year. What gives?
Baron Davis' foul on Fisher was almost as bad. There must be some bias involved.
I am not a huge fan of the NBA. However, I am a huge fan of the Suns. I applaud the fact that they are an organization that seems to encourage its players to act professionally and properly.
If this suspension leads to the Suns losing this game, I am going to have a very difficult time supporting the NBA in the future. I just can't support an organization that's run by people who lack common sense. There should never be a possibility that the League needs to make a decision on something like this that will obviously affect the competitiveness of the game. The rule stinks and the ruling stinks even more. I have respected most decisions made by the NBA but this is the silliest by far. Whether the Spurs win or lose, n im hoping they lose(please let the bball gods punish the Spurs by having Duncan n Parker suffer season ending injuries together in the 1st minute of Game 6, maybe the Suns can get Pat Burke to take em out), I wunt be watching the NBA from now on.
Stu is the biggest nut that the NBA has ever had. Tell me Stu. Who has the intention of hurting the opposing player more. Is it Kobe or Bruce? You belong to boxing and not basketball.
if you people don't watch the NBA anymore, like you wrote, than how do you possibly now what happened? saying "this and that are the reasons me\many people don't watch anymore" is just absurd. if you like basketball, you watch the NBA, period. if you just want to be entertained, go watch American Idol.
To all of you who say a rule is a rule so the suspensions are fair;I have one question, then why is Tim Duncan playing? The NBA made a judgement call to keep Duncan in the game, but when it comes to Amare and Diaw, they said they have no choice. Interesting! That just goes to show that the NBA does not want the Suns to prove their style of play can win a championship. Stern for MVP!
to the anonymous lawyer ashamed of his profession:
your reference to an "unjustified assault" is redundant and simply incorrect. every assault is unjustified, as you put it. what you describe is a battery, at best, and probably not even that. at any rate, perhaps you're not much of a lawyer after all. that might explain your low opinion of other lawyers. most lawyers i know understand the need for fairness in applying the law. that's why we became lawyers, to fight for fairness. stubborn stu jackson's quote that his decision may not be fair but is correct, is equally stupid and has nothing to do with him being a lawyer, just egomaniacally rigid. he should be fired, and stern should reverse this ridiculous ruling. failing that, duncan and bowen should also be suspended for a game, and horry should be out for the rest of this series, at least. another thing -- the rule, according to SI, says "all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined $35,000." is it just me, or didn't Diaw and Stoudemire both remain "in the immediate vicinity of their bench"? Unless "vicinity" is defined somewhere in the rule, there seems to be enough leeway in that word alone to have let both Suns players escape a suspension. a good lawyer would have used that leeway to apply the rule fairly, to hell with being correct. What an incredible outrage by this David Stern. The Suns are not getting a fair shake here. I am a Spurs fan but I won't be celebrating if they win this series. And I won't be watching anymore of the games either. Disgusting decision indeed!!!
The suspensions are the last straw. I am cancelling my NBA season tickets, I will never spend another dime on NBA merchandise or attend another game. This ruling is STUPID!!!!!
I'm a lifelong Spurs fan and I think suspending Amare and Diaw is a horrible move. This series has been fun to watch. Every game (except game 2) has been pretty close and hard fought, and this overly harsh enforcement of the rules hurts the fans more than anyone. We're being robbed of another great game. I know, I know, the rules are the rules, but there MUST be some grey area in there - Horry should sit a game for making a stupid decision and losing his temper. That doesn't change the fact that he's a good guy, he just lost his cool and it should cost him. But suspending Stoudamire and Diaw? It's just not the right call.
someone take the mvp award from dirk nowitzki...THEN give it to david stern!!David stern and Stu Jackson ruined NBA!!SUCH STUPID RULES HAVE BEEN MADE!!u get suspended for just leaving your seat!IF SPURS WINS THIS SERIES then there is no use for the people to watch the playoffs anymore...
Wouldn't it be "correctness" to suspend Tim Duncan for a game for getting up at the end of the 2nd quarter?
What part of the rule don't you understand? NBA rules CLEARLY state that in the event of an on-court incident, "all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined $35,000."
The rule does not say... if you move away from your bench 5 ft., you are penalized xxx. or if you move away from your bench 10 ft., you are penalized xxx. GET OVER IT!!! LEARN TO LIVE BY THE RULES! I have heard numerous times that a coach has remained with the team too long and the players have stopped listening. The same is happening with Stern. I think he is following the WWE path of creating a team that everyone hates. I love watching basketball but I avoid watching Spurs games, because what they play might be entertaining, but that is not basketball. I hope the Spurs lose, so I can watch the Suns play.
On a totally unrelated, and apparently obscure note, azcentral is reporting the following story:
The Phoenix Suns announced today that they had signed Scottsdale resident Mike Tyson to a 10 day contract. Says Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni, "His ball handling is a bit weak, but I think you'll find his defensive abilities on Duncan... striking." When asked for his thoughts Tyson said, "I'm just biting at the chance to get out there and show the world what I can do again" http://farm1.static.flickr.com/196/501069700_529e8628eb_o.jpg So what I'm getting from all of you is that Jeff Van Gundy wasn't lying last year about the refs fixing the games????
Screw David Stern, and his pack of jokers...
Nash was acting? Ridiculous! He was trying to avoid being fouled so he could run out the clock. As for enforcing the letter of the law, the NBA showed very little brainpower. The "altercation" only commenced when Raja's chin confronted Horry's elbow. Before then, all that had happened was a foul by Horry. By then, Amare and Boris were as far from the bench as they would ultimately go. Once the altercation commenced, Amare and Boris immediately retreated. Textbook compliance with the rule. Jackson and Stern absolutely blew this one.
It seems to be that once Amare, claimed "dirty" that is all that has been the focus here. The Suns and fans would do the game of Basketball a great service, if they would just shut up and play! Hip check or hard foul, stiched nose or black eye, on the court or off the court- just play! Life (Basketball is a metephor for life) is not filled with soft clouds and easy paths to the top, stop pampering the delicate players and may the best win! Shut up and play!!! (or watch)
This is a stupid rule, it is too general. The NBA is trying to make the players into robots where they will have no emotions. It's just natural on Amare's and Boris part to walk towards the incident, they did nothing else wrong. I used to like the Spurs, but as of game 4, I think they are a very dirty team.
Everyone,
I've added another post on the topic in which a law professor weighs in on the issue. Check it out if you're interested. Thanks, Pete You are so right on. This why the NBA will always be second best. Thanks! Mr. Sern ans Stu. Ratings for game five just went into the hole.
I just stopped following the NBA. I just cant watch this garbage anymore. The refs give game 3 to the spurs, game 4 to the suns with officiating, then this moronic judgement. I wont even go into the other playoof series, same crap there. Its not a game, its not a sport, its manipulation of financial futures of the NBA. I wont be taken for a fool anymore. Who cares, I'll watch the NCAA and FIBA, at least they know that fairness is required for competitions to be legitimate. This years playoffs arent legit. Strike 3 NBA, I've got alot better choices for entertainment, and baseball, football, and the NCAA/FIBA for sport. The FIBA teams are better than the NBA anyway in a real game where fouls are applied the same to each player.
One thing nobody's seemed to pick up in all this is how many people are going to tune in to game 5 just to see how the game plays out. I'm sure a lot of people (myself included) flip between the game and whatever else we're watching. I'm betting a good chunk of those people will be watching the game a lot closer this time.
Come on - Deal with it. You break the rules you pay. The rule specifically states - if you step on the court during an altercation you are suspended.
The difference with Duncan walking on the court was there was NO ALTERCATION. Besides, I heard that he was just "checking into the game." Also, when a player shoots an emotional jump shot to win a game at the end of regulation and the players jump up from the bench to cheer (and also step onto the floor) they are NOT suspended. If a player gets up off the bench to help a fallen teammate - he is NOT suspended. If a player gets up off the bench while there is a fight - he is SUSPENDED. Finally, the NBA hates San Antonio more than any other team for the simple fact that it is small market. Trust me - they would much rather have the runnin and gunnin Suns in the finals as opposed to the Spurs slow, methodical play. There is no conspiracy. The main problem is that Refs are human and they make mistakes. Some are questionable - but they do the best they can. The NBA front office followed the rule book. If you're upset about this and want the league to stop rewarding dirty play, then do the only thing that will make Stern listen or care. Email TNT, ESPN, and ABC that you are boycotting the rest of the NBA playoffs since the winner has already been predetermined. If threatened by a loss of revenue, they will contact Stern, and he will listen to them. Just go on their website, and click on "contact us".
First off let me say to all those who don't want to watch the NBA anymore,See Ya Later!Intense series like this are going to have controversy. That's part of the fun.However this rule definitely needs to be re-examined,because in effect it rewarded the team that started the whole incident.
I generally won't respond to ignorance, but it seems some of you can't be watching the same series that others are. First of all, Bruce Bowen has been warned for his style of play already this season. Several players and one coach have asked the NBA to check into Bruce Bowen sticking his feet under players after they elevate for a jump shot, leaving then no where to come down safely. Secondly, prior to this last game, anybody with a decent vision can see that those games weren't called fairly. San Antonio had benefited from a lopsided called series. When you have network commentators seeing the injustice in the infraction calling, that says a lot. I don't have a problem with calling the game close, as long as you call it on both ends of the floor. Clearly, this had not been the case. Tim Duncan never fouls anyone. Time Duncan is not the best power forward to ever play the game. Does anyone hear remember Karl Malone? When you are the NBA's poster child, obviously, you get the benefit of most calls. He whines after every call against his team. In defense of Robert Horry, he normally does not take cheap shots at other players. Clearly he was frustrated. Hopefully the league will take a look at loosening the reigns on that rule in the off-season. Clearly, neither Stoudamire nor Diaw got anywhere close to throwing a punch or approaching a member of the other team. Unfortunately, as the rule is stated now, they have to uphold it. If you let those guys off, what does that say about the other hundreds of times players were suspended for the same infraction. As for the idiot that said the Suns were playing the media game, have you forgotten about Tim Duncan saying to the media, "I hope my teammates get a fair shake in the playoffs", after an official was unfairly suspended for the rest of the year, by the commissioner, because of an incident with the poster child. Undoubtedly, the officials are treading on thin ice.
I'm a huge suns fan and first of all i do understand that a rule is a rule. Stat and the Frenchman left the bench due to human instincts. The suspenion of the two guys is the wrost thing i have seen in basketball since the Indiana and Detroit brawl. I think that the NBA head coachs and players need to force out stu jackson because the guy is terrible and is ruining the league. David stern is digging a large hole due to this. I cant believe you will suspend a player and not inforce that with all players. TD and Bowen both left the bench in the same game and that was overlooked. Also in game 3 when Bowen knee Nash and in game 2 when Bowen kicked Stat. That is why the NBA needs a image change and not changing what the players wear and say to refs. I believe the suns will win tonight in game 5 and go on to win in game 6.
Well the rule says if a player leaves the bench then its an automoatic suspension. They left the bench enough said. There is no arugement to this. I really don't think Amare would have been suspended if he wouldn't have lied in his press conference about the coach wanting to put him in the game. Oh well there is always next year for you
Suns fans, oh wait ya'll over the luxury tax next season lol Play off basket ball is about mental conditioning. Experienced teams know that and will use everything at their disposal(even getting on the other team's nerves) to win. This game reminds me of the Heat, Dallas series last year where Dallas was whinning like babies. My advice to the Suns, you still have a chance to win the series,hence Shut up and Play !!! Everything around is a distraction even David Stern!
Stern and Stu should immediately be fired and banished. Lets get someone who has a clue and a positive vison for the future of the league in place...This is the most archaic stupid decision I have ever seen.
THIS IS WHY THE NBA IS THE LAUGHING STOCK OF ALL AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS....all you people that say a rule is a rule are obviously morons or spur homers (both which go hand in hand)...if the rule is a rule, then why didn't bowen or duncan get suspended for leaving the bench? if the biggest spur homer of them all (steve kerr) said duncan should of been suspended
Two points: One, it's not like the Spurs sent out their "goon" to clobber the Suns' best player. It was a three-point game, and Horry was out there cuz he's one of the best clutch three-pointer shooters in the history of the game -- and this game was far from decided as some people have said. And yes he screwed up with that frustrating play. Two, to assume that it will be a another Spurs-Pistons final and a boring, no-watched series is ignorant and hypocritical. If you are a fan of the NBA, you'd want to watch the "best" teams out there, regardless of their style. Seriously, are you saying you'd only watch the Finals if the high-octane Suns (or if the Warriors had advanced) were in the Finals? I'm sick of that. Don't watch then. It's funny to hear how the spurs are boring, yet they've playing in some of the most exciting, buzz-filled second-round series of the past 5 years: spurs-lakers, spurs-mavs and spurs-suns. ... yawn...??
stu is short for stupid...i guess his momma got it right
I wouldn't hire these guys to run a diary queen
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, "It takes a genius to whine appealingly". Guess what? 'No geniuses here!
Stop whining. Spurs will win in 6
If what you want is flexibility then the rule should be changed to say that the commisioner will have discretion to dispense punishment, however the rule says if you leave the bench during an altercation you are suspended, so just enforce what's in the books, please. And to all these people who don't watch the NBA anymore how is it you even know about this occurence and you are sore losers since obviously your team hasn't won anything.
The real point is that no-tolerance policies always result in unfairness at the margins. This is the same thing that gets a kid suspended from school for bringing a knife to cut his apple with (due to a zero-tolerance for weapons in schools). One should always look at the circumstances and in this case it makes no sense to suspend Amare or Diaw (unless you also suspend Duncan and Bowen who stepped on the court on an earlier play).
"Two Points" The problem with a Spurs/Pistons final is that, besides being boring,is that it won't be the two "best" teams playing. If the Spurs were truly the "best" team, they wouldn't need to play dirty to win.
Tim Duncan never gets called for a foul? What? Did you even watch Game 4? His foul trouble (he picked up his 4th/5th fouls in the fourth quarter) single-handedly helped the Suns rally, as he had to sit in a crutial part of the game, and when he came back, he couldn't challenge Amare's late flurry. It all evens out. Quit griping about the refs.
I watch NBA games ALL the time when I see it on... I love watching basketball and the NBA... But with this decision to suspend Amare and Diaw because of a thuggish move by Horry advertedly giving the Spurs the series win, almost makes me want to write off the NBA and just stick to College basketball.
Horry is a clutch player and a smart guy. this was an entirely pre-planned foul in the closing minute of a lost game for the Spurs. by flagrantly hitting the Suns leader into the stands right in front of the Suns bench - especially with all the dirty play antics the Spurs have pulled all series - Horry was obviously trying to draw players off the bench or cause something worse. it is THAT INTENTION that the NBA should penalize - Horry should be suspended the rest of the playoffs.
the Suns players acted entirely responsibly - they re-acted with automatic concern and then checked themselves - they did not escalate the situation. The suspension of Amare is stunningly moronic - this is supposed to be a 'professional' sports league. Stern is now encouraging actions like Horry's with these suspensions. like so many others have said here, i'm done following the inconsistent and silly NBA. I'm not a Spurs fan, but I agree with the notion that the Suns are trying to whine their way to another series win. They did the same thing last year when the Lakers were up 3-1 and Nash called on the refs to roll some calls his way.
Horry did clearly commit a hard foul on Nash, it wasn't that bad and Nash clearly was trying to oversell the foul. He is a lot dirtier and sneakier than the casual fan realizes. If David Stern gets the MVP, then Horry should get sixth man of the year.
dirtyspurs.blogspot.com Let's be honest. The Phoenix Flops, I mean Suns brought this upon themselves. They whine, beg and plead for every call. And when they get a call, they can't control themselves. Life is black and white, gray is not an option. Rules are rules, not opinions.
does this series remind anybody else of the 02 western conference finals, when the refs gave the lakers game 4 on a silver platter and then turned around and gave them game 6 too? i don't understand why stern would want the spurs in the finals, but it sure seems that way.
Suns fans, everytime you use the "Spurs are a dirty team" excuse, you're whining -- can't you see that? Plus, it's not like you don't have a physical player on your own team -- Raja Bell does the exact same stuff that Bowen does. Did you forget the Kobe play from last year? And watch Bell off the ball in this series. He grabs, pushes, holds too. It's just part of the game, so deal with it.
This ruling is asinine. The NBA is clearly run by morons. If the Spurs win the title, they can thank the league office for handing it to them.
League management is just showing how bias they are in the application of this rule. We have to go by the letter of the law mentality is just crazy, wasn’t the rule put in place to protect the player’s, coaches, fans and other personnel in the area? They didn’t run towards the altercation, but towards Steve Nash to see if he was okay.
As far as Raja Bell, he got and deserved the one game suspension last year during the playoffs. Enough said, the team didn’t ask him to go out and take Kobe out; he was angry and got caught up in the moment. Just as wrong as what Robert Horry did to Nash, neither one was justified they could have hurt the other player. Hard fouls are going to occur, there is going to be physical contact you have ten individual in confined space. But, what occurred during game 4 was a calculated tack taken by and opposing team to eliminate at least one of the starting players of their opponent. As you can see from Gregg Popovich’s comment “It was just an end-of-game foul and Steve fell down”, this just goes to prove that he didn’t care about hurting another team’s player, it was all about the win. Here in lies the true problem, do what ever it takes to win without any regard for the other player’s well fair. This was the risk Gregg Popovich was will to take, oh but it wasn’t his risk was it, it was the other team’s problem. Or is it the league’s problem that so little care is taken in regards to the player’s health and well being. This is their livelihoods they are playing with, just as in game one when Bowen kicked Amare’s Achilles serious injury could have occurred, this is what the league should be preventing. The problems run very deep within the entire NBA organization, that one of the leagues premier coaches would think that this was not a big deal said a lot about the league. This is why this was the wrong decision for all the wrong reasons and in the long run it truly hurts the fan’s that having been here for the NBA. RIDICULOUS! Wrong move! A little kid could have done better. Its fine that they got suspended...But what about Duncan and Bowen. They left the bench the game before.
I would like to see the Phoenix Sun's 12th man to get a lot of minutes tonight and body check Tim Duncan into the scorers table. Preferably at a time when Ginobli or Parker are on the bench. That would only be fair - now wouldn't it. The NBA is fixed. Stern and Jackson have absolutely no common sense. Why isn't Duncan suspended for leaving the bench? What about Bowen's "CUP JOB" on Nash - No intent there commish???? What a Joke. Congrats San Antonio on this gift from your commissioner. And one other thing - Commish - way to cancel your trip to Phoenix - very macho to not want to face the music.
Anon 3:35 PM - You don't need to "oversell a hard foul" and risk injuring yourself by flying into the scorers table when you have the ball, the lead and only a few seconds left in the game...that's just silly.
As someone said way above to the 'just deal with it/suns are just whining' bunch, if that's just playing hard then I hope Duncan is absolutely flattened 5 seconds into the game tonight and Parker gets a knee to the groin the next trip down the floor after that...and hey if it happens, remember they must be acting and no whining about it allowed. let's just make it even/consistent and suspend Duncan and Bowen for leaving the bench earlier in the game. to fail to do so just clearly illustrates the glaring double standard.
The reason the NBA enforces rules like this one is to keep matters from escalating. The players know that if they leave the bench during an altercation they will be suspended. It is their own fault for not following the rules. Plus every assistant coach knows this rule and it is their responsibility to keep the players on the bench.
I'm reminded of an old Al Maguire/Ray Meyer story, from 1968, a game Marquette won against DePaul at Alumni Hall.
A few moments into the contest, the two competing centers, Bob Zoretich of the Blue Demons and Pat Smith of MU, were ejected for fighting. Zoretich, 6 feet 7 inches, was DePaul's second-leading scorer and rebounder. Smith, 6-3, was the Marquette's second- leading rebounder but only took five shots a game. Meyer complained to reporters that he lost one of his best scorers, while Marquette just lost a guy "who couldn't throw a ball in the ocean if he were standing on the beach." The next week in Milwaukee, McGuire arranged for a photographer to accompany him and Smith. "Al had me go out to Lake Michigan in my basketball uniform in the middle of winter and throw a ball into the lake," Smith said. The photo ran locally and was picked up by newspapers around the country. Wow they are so consistent with their decisions. Amare and Diaw step a few feet outside the bench and get suspended for 1 game each. Bowen kicks Nash in the balls and Amare in the achilles and gets 0 games. Huh?
We live in a time when leaders are so afraid of making mistakes and invoking the ridicule of the press that they will ineffectively rely on inadequate rules when they should use their heads to evaluate unique circumstances. Do you remember Mike Brown, the former FEMA Director? Is it hard for us to imagine that his failure to act in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was technically correct? He was not really a leader, he was a manager. Our country is full of managers who simply interpret the rules in black and white. They only act when the book says to act. In their fearful view, to do otherwise could result in career suicide. On the other hand, they are often very successful. I like managers because you always know what you’ll get. Their oversight usually seems fair because they do not deviate from the rules. But, there are those time in life where robotic non-pragmatic managers cannot honor the complexity of unusual circumstances. In those instances, I prefer a leader; someone who is not afraid to think outside of the box. Stu Jackson is no leader. He's a manager and he has done his job well. He will be rewarded because he was not hired to lead but to follow. What the NBA needs, however, (what this country needs) is visionary leadership.
When you play Spurs you always play against 7 - Stern + Jackson with the team
Remember, this is the same league that threw out Duncan earlier in a pivotal game that could of gave the Spurs a chance to catch Phoenix for the 2nd seed, because he laughed on the sidelines. He's right. The league is laughable.
Horry's foul was a cheap shot, but Staudemire and Diaw knew better than to run onto the court during an altercation. That was just dumb.
Wierd judjments are just part of the game. Like it or not, that's sports. Deal with it. What the NBA is saying is it's ok to put a bit player on the floor and initiate a confrontation. Then throw the book at the other team for defending themselves. If I'm an NBA coach I'd keep a couple thugs at the end of the bench just to stir things up and see what happens. San Antonio is the big winner...
I think this says it all about how the Spurs play the game:
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told The Associated Press that he didn't even think Horry's foul on Nash was that bad. "It was just an end-of-game foul and Steve fell down," Popovich said before the penalties were announced. "I didn't think it was such a big deal." And it's not just Amare and the Suns who think they play dirty. I can't believe Popovich actually said that out loud! Just reiterates what a moron Stu Jackson is, first with the boneheaded drafting when he was GM for the Vancouver Grizzlies and now this. He is completely oblivious to what's going on around him.
There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy. There is no conspiracy.
wasnt Stu Jackson the worst new york knock coach ever.. and that says something - wasnt he the leader the fool backing the playground ball -- how dies he even work in basketball??
For those that say Nash was acting, think about it, he ran for 40 minutes and then got jip checked running at full speed into the commentator’s bench. I would want to lay down for a sec after that as well. You guys never put your arms over your head when you are tired and lay down?
Regardless of what the NBA might say, they have made an exception to the rule in the past. Remember when Doug Christy and Rick Fox fought near the exit of the court in the Western Conference Finals a few years ago? Several players left the "vicinity" of the bench during an "altercation" that occurred during the game. Stu Jackson said it was different because they didn't know who Doug Christy was fighting (possibly a fan). But based on what Stu Jackson said yesterday, "it's not about fairness, it's about correctness". If he really believes what he said yesterday then would have applied the rule to that situation as well. Clearly they can interpret the rule and not apply it to every situation.
In the end, the fans are the ones that will end up suffering. We were being treated to a great playoff series and now we'll never know who really should have advanced. Horry shouldn't be suspended and neither should Amare and Boris. This is a great example of why the NFL is KING and everyone else is a distant second! Anyone who thinks Steve Nash flopped or that he 'tripped' over Bruce Bowen needs to remove his head...needs to watch more basketball...
Ah...and the NBA wonders why nobody watches and cares. Take the only team that anyone would actually pay to watch (there is no true fan that can say that it is not great to watch the Suns), then hold the Suns to the rule and not the Spurs. Hey Stu, if a rule is a rule then Duncan and Bowen should be out as well...it's about being correct, not fair!
When the Sun(s) sets down darkness prevails…
1984 Celts Lakers all over again-the better team didn't win because the powers that be didn't want it to
`1980's all over again. McHale clotheslines Rambis and the league tells the Lakers to play nice. The best team won't win this series because the powers that be want the international markketing the SPURS bring
People forget that Stoudemire is inmature and has done numerous stupid things throughout the playoffs to cost his team momentum or a chance to win. This is just the latest stupid thing he has done.
Horry always delivers at crunch time. He did it once again!
I am having flashbacks of 1997 all over again . . . Knicks vs. Heat.
Knicks had Championship Team written all over them before PJ Brown tossed Charlie Ward into the stands, forcing David Stern to suspend half the Knicks Team, like that made any sense. Still doesn't. Horry always finds a way to break the heart of a team, either with a 3-point shot, or a cheap shot. And what was Tim Duncan doing off the bench in the 2nd quarter??? Horry biggest shot ever? Interesting results. Was it strategic thinking or an emotional overreaction?
I am Canadian, and a near contemporary of Steve Nash. My lame claim to fame is that I have "played basketball against somebody who has played Steve Nash". I have followed his career closely from his high school days at St. Michaels University School in Victoria, B.C., through his days at Santa Clara (and the clutch final minute free throws that knocked off Arizona in the NCAA first round during his freshman year), and on into the NBA.
I say all of the above because I root for the man, and am hoping fervently that he adds to his back-to-back MVPs with a legitimizing NBA title. However, as disappointed as I am at the implications Stoudemire's (and Diaw's) suspension has for the Suns' (and Nash's) prospects, I cannot find fault with the league's decision. Granted, it did not appear as though Stoudemire or Diaw meaningfully contributed to any inflammation of the incident in question - but that is beside the point. The rule exists for a reason - to prevent such situations from blowing up into something more damaging. Everyone agrees that incidents such as the "Palace Brawl" and other altercations damage the league's image. Therefore, in order to prevent such incidents, the league made a rule. Now many are arguing that this rule should be bent because, even though Stoudemire and Diaw clearly broke the rule, they just as clearly didn't do any real harm, and therefore should be given a pass on their actions. This is self-defeatist logic to all those who claim to care about the game and its image. If the league accepted this logic, every time an altercation occurred in the future, the culprit who leaves the bench but does not necessarily become physically "involved" could claim "I didn't really affect the situation" so, based on the Suns-Spurs precedent, "I should be given a pass". Conceivably, such arguments could be made ad-infinitum until such a day as one of those moderate transgressors actually does "affect the situation", a swing (or worse) is taken at somebody, and the league receives yet another black eye. The strict enforcement of such rules - EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO MEANINGFUL INFLAMMATION OF THE SITUATION AT HAND - de facto reduces the propensity for such ugly incidents to develop in the first place. Horry and the Spurs got away with, and benefited from, a cheap shot (and yet again Horry proves his worth to a title contender in the playoffs). As a Suns fan, I am ticked-off. But as a basketball fan, I'm glad to see the league do the right thing. Go Suns (Nash) Go! I am seeing a trend here with the people who seem to be commenting without being overemotional, and I have to agree. I would have no problem with the suspensions, except: the NBA does not define the immedieate area of the bench ( I could easily argue either that the Suns were or were not in the immediate area); Duncan had stepped out onto the court, from the bench the night before, and was not punished (at the very least, that was a technical for too many players on the court); and Davis with GS gets a flagrant with no suspension, while Horry gets two games. I agree -- the NBA needs to be a tad bit more consistent in their interpretation of their own rules. Gee, I thought the NFL was taking the fun out of sports. Glad baseball season is here.
So how many times do you guys need to have the rule explained?
NBA Rules Section VII--Fines c. During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $35,000. Seems that the key word here is altercation. So where was the altercation? When Bell confronts Horry and Horry puts a forearm across his chin, would qualify. Had Bell rushed to help Nash instead, I don't think any Suns would be suspended today. The rule is pretty clear and the NBA enforcement of the rule has been even clearer. It's not a case of rewarding the Spurs, as much as punishing the Suns for breaking the rule. As for Duncan and Bowen stepping on the floor in the 2nd quarter, they would have been suspended if Elson and Jones had gotten into an altercation, but they didn't, so no rule was broken. Hard lesson for some young (dumb) players. the reason why NBA playoffs are more riveting to watch is that the refs will let the players play. There is definitely more contact and physical play allowed - letting the players decide the outcome instead of the refs. One game out of 82 is definitely not as important as 1 game in a best of 7 format. They could've fined these players more or have them serve the suspensions for next season's regular season games.
this is not a "Solomonic" decision. It's more of a "Moronic" decision. Why not let the players decide who wins this series? this latest ruling by the nba left me so exasperated i almost screamed. Without any fans watching, the nba wouldn't make any money, and would fire the moron that made this decision: David Stern. David, for your own sake, just try to keep some semblance of wanting to retain your job. Just Try. We already hate you. Just please, please don't let this escalate by essentially imploring the fans to leave their "living room couch areas" to join the new fad that will be burning effigies of "Big shot bob" horry and David "Man of questionable intelligence" Stern. How can you essentially REWARD robert horry? He essentially saved the series for the spurs by manipulating your cumbersome rules. I beg you to rescind the moronic inane decision to suspend the backbone of the suns' frontcourt. I must stay, David, this decision has basically made this year's playoff series unwatchable for me. Way to screw it up.
yet Duncan got nothing for leaving the beanch in the 2nd.....guess they want to get Duncan another ring.
welcome to NBA PLAYOFF basketball
spurs? dirty? since when? lol since amare told people so? i have NEVER heard of the spurs being dirty up until this series because the suns are too scared to just play a PHYSICAL game of basketball PLAYOFF basketball has been like this ever since the league started, and only up until the last few years have the rules made it so that this league has turned into a "two-hand touch football" like game so for all you whiners out there, the spurs "dirty" style of play is just what you would call normal PLAYOFF basketball SPURS in 6 Ye right... the Spurs knew that by fouling Nash, Stoud and Diaw would come to the rescue, hence be suspended... riiiiiight...
The sad part is that this sereis will no longer be remembered as one of the greatest in NBA playoff history. The commis and his people are getting paid millions of dollars to make sure the NBA is entertaining. They can't come up with a creative way to enforce rules and make sure the game stays fair, then the owners should hire a traffic cop for 50 grand a year to enforce the rules.
So let me get this straight, Stu. If Junior Jones had planted an uppercut on the Spurs' Elson in the first quarter, then Duncan and Bowen would have also had to serve suspensions, right? Hmmm. I don't get it.
Stupid suspension is all I can say. Dirty trick from Horry costs two Sun's players. Dumb rule from the NBA.
After reading all the comments, I believe the most important point is being overlooked: There is an incentive for players to cause more fights. What if James Jones saw Duncan step on to the court in the second quarter and pushed or punched Ellison just to get Duncan suspended? What if the Suns put in Pat Burke to be a goon, like John Chaney did at Temple? These could cause future problems for the NBA, if a player or team begins manipulating the rules to gain an advantage or enforce vigilantly justice. If the league wanted to get it correct, then it should have either suspended no one, like it did with Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis from the Warriors or suspended Horry, Duncan, Bowen (all three technically broke a rule), Diaw, Bell and Stoudemire (all three technically broke a rule). If the NBA is so concerned about marketing, correctness, fairness, justice and what is best for the game, then it would have gone with either of the above mentioned options. EITHER LIVE ENTIRELY BY LAW, OR USE JUDGEMENT IN EACH CASE-BY-CASE SCENARIO. I was a huge fan of the NBA growing up, but lost interest after MJ retired. Since the Suns have become a playoff contender these past seasons with Nash, I began watching the NBA again. If the Suns loose game 5, and also the series as a possible result, then I will not watch the NBA until David Stern and Stu Jackson are replaced.
Where does CNNSI get these morons who write these columns?!! First of all, HORRY WAS NOT SENT ON THE COURT TO START A FIGHT!!! He committed a hard foul, so what!! This isn't the first or only series where a flagrant foul was committed. In the GoldenState vs. Utah series 3 were commited and 2 in one game by GoldenState. One by Baron Davis and one by Jason Richardson (which i believe was a lot more serious than any other). Nobody jumped of the bench in both these cases. Its not a natural instinct to jump off the bench and go 20-25 feet towards the action. If it was after every flagran foul, everyone would be doing it. Why didn't any other suns player move towards the action? Were they scared or just chicken poop? Neither!! They just didn't loose their brain and do something that they are explicitly told not to do. There is no way to compare sending in some goon to start a fight and what happened between Horry and Nash. If Horry had gone up to Nash and pushed him to try and invoke a fight for no reason, then yeah that would be more like it. That is not what happend. It was only a 3pt. game at that point with 20secs still left in the game. The game was still very much in doubt. Thus suns were down by 5 with less time when they played the spurs earlier in the season and almost won. My point is that Horry wasn't trying to start a fight, he must have been just frustrated with what had gone on. If Amare and Boris had just used their brains like their teammates, had Raja ( who by the way is and always will be a thug) been more concerned with Nash's health than to act like he wanted a piece of Horry none of this would have happened. Horry would have gotten a 1 game suspension end of story. To say the Spurs started this whole dirty play during this series need to remember that Raja started the hard fouls in the first game with the forearm to Manu's chest on a pump fake in that first game. BEFORE ALL THE SO CALLED DIRTY PLAY STARTED.
Way to screw up a great series, NBA. You guys suck.
Not true that Stoudemire was just coming to the aid of Nash. Why would Suns assistant coaches restrain him from charging onto the court if he wasn't planning to go after Horry?
Hopefully the suns undercut Timmy D or somebody and take him out for the rest of the series. Maybe blow out his knee. Lets see how well this rule has prevented violence when retribution for a horrible decision is the best solution to the problem.
Wow thanks goodness the commissioner wasn't watching the UTAH % Warriors series..NOW THOSE WERE FOULS AND SURPRISE NO 1 GOT SUSPENDED. Explain that one to me please
Just happy I'm not an NBA fan. This is a pretty good example of why no one likes the NBA anymore. Too many foul calls, too many bad calls, too much bs, and too much game-fixing through one-sided calls.
suspending stoudemire and diaw is like giving someone the death penalty for going 1 mph over the speed limit.
stupid penalties like this, just as in real life, do not serve as deterrents in that moment of heat. all they do is detract from the value of the game and the series. the playoffs are ruined if the spurs win this game. i guess we'll never know. totally unfair ruling. NBA is starting to look rigged like boxing. Hello Mr.Stern, I hope you are reading all these letters, maybe your thinking to yourself "Maybe I made it to clear that I'm trying to alter the outcome of the NBA play-Off's." If not you should. I wont sit here and say i'll never watch another NBA Game, But every year it get's a little easer for me to say,"It Wont be Long until I'm back to Football..
Hope your happy with you decision, cause it seems the majority of the Fan's SUN'S and SPURS are not. This type of nonsence would not in any other sport! this is why baseball is americas past time and basketball will always be a popularity contest and not on talent !
Nation Briandead Association
David Stern get off the Spurs bandwagon ! your suppost to be an unbiasd judge ! common now your a joke and so are you policys
10 years ago that wouldn't have been a flagrant foul. The NBA has gone 'soft' over the years. Now instead of competitive, physically grueling games that many of us old-schoolers loved about the NBA then, we are now forced to watch this 'soft' version. All thanks to David Stern, for changing real basketball into a sissy game. Even the college game is more physical than today's NBA version. If he claims that the right decision was made, then why did he cancel his trip to watch the Suns-Spurs game and choose to watch the Cavs-Nets game. Just goes to show that he is afraid to stand by his own decisions. Everyone can forget about the notion that Stern and Jackson should have used 'common sense' when making a decision, the problem was they have none. By the way, didn't everyone know that Stern and Stu love Tim Duncan? This was their chance to help him win another championship and they sure did take it.
I never thought I'd say this but I'm done with the NBA. I'm tired of it. It's become pathetic. I'm out. Oh please people... Have you ever watched a playoff game before? Unsportsmanlike or not, big guys are gonna smack little guys around every chance they get. The only one who should be embarrased is Nash. All that flopping around on the ground, I thought I'd flipped to a World Cup match. Must've been all that soccer training in his youth...
I'm impressed with Mr Stern's sudden cancelation of his trip to Phoenix - Too scared to face the fans - sad.
Could anyone here imagine what would happen if the NFL decreed that a team would have to sit two of its marquee players from the Super Bowl because they had stepped onto the field of play out of turn in a playoff game? Or, if two star hockey players had to sit out a playoff game simply for coming onto the ice for 10 seconds or so during a fight? Would MLB kick two star players out of the World Series for entering the field of play but not getting involved in a brawl? Of course, you can't imagine any of those scenarios because such a thing would never happen in any of those leagues. Apparently, the NBA is the only league that would even consider allowing a minor infraction to completely change the outcome of its championship tournament. What a farce of mediocrity and ridiculousness the NBA has become.
boycut NBA until David Stupid Stern and Stu(pid) Jackson are fired.
what do you expect from Stu Jackson...look at how he screwed over the Grizzlies in Vancouver. I think he hates Canada! What an idiot!
That particular rule is to make sure that no altercation will escalate into bodily fights with bench players joining the mess. This, of course, is not about competition. Those who enjoy fighting should go watch SmackDown not NBA.
NBA did a great disservice to the Spurs by not suspending Bell and Nash. After all, These guys were after Horry! And while they are at it, they should also suspend the Phoenix coach for...whatever-just to live up to their faulty logic!
"Everyone is missing the bigger issue here. It started with the dress code" and it is now continuing. The NBA is only concerned with their image, and that's why they want San Antonio in the Finals. All the guys on that team are well spoken, clean cut guys"
(Posted: May 16, 2007 12:44 PM by Anonymous) My anonymous friend, you wrote the most utterly truthful sports-related words I've read across the Internet in the whole last decade. If you ever get to Milan (Italy), make sure you send an e-mail beforehand: here someone's owing you a beer. This is all about players taking cheap shots to gain advantage.....right?
Look at the SI writers. They live in a world of classless fools who couldn't get a job in their business without taking the contrary view....and attacking people. They don't have to be right. It just has to sound like a story. If they play clean....no one will read their stuff. You're seeing plenty of that today from the cheap shot artists at SI. Isn't Stu Jackson the one in charge of things like this? If you're going to have a go at Stern, at least do it for the right reasons.
Also, i get the feeling that all these reactions wouldn't be here if Jalen Rose was the one who stood up and got suspended instead of Stoudemire and Diaw. But because two major Suns contributors got suspended, everyone's up in arms and ready to storm the league office. The NBA has been 100% consistant in enforcing its 'no players leave the bench' rule since it implemented the rule in 1994. The reason why people are making this such a big deal is because of who got checked (Nash) and we was suspended (Horry, Stoudemire, and Diaw). Think about this: Keep Nash the same, but change Horry to Manu Ginobli and the Suns' bench players to Jalen Rose and James Jones. Dish out the same punishments (2 games for Ginobli, 1 each for Rose and Jones). Is there such an uproar about the NBA's decisions? Of course not. If anything, everyone would be crying about how unfair it is for the Spurs that Ginobli (a vital player) received a 2 game suspension that could alter the series. It shouldn't matter who the players are. The NBA established the rule to prevent serious situations and they have been severely strict with there suspensions for 13 years. Ask Jalen Rose who was suspended while playing for Indiana against Jordan and his Bulls in the 98 playoffs for "literally taking 2 steps on the floor." If the NBA starts looking at 'gray area' or 'common sense,' every incident will be an uproar with all of the "well he didn't get suspended for this, and he got suspended for that" talk. This is a black and white rule that made the decision easy for Stern and the NBA.
Whoa! The NBA sure knows how to kill a sport! Mr. Stern & company are certified idiots. I won't be spending any time (or money) on anything they are involved with. Time to log off permanently.
Again with the hard playoff foul excuse. This is a sport, and sportsmanship is very absent. Robert Horry is old school? No. He's Thug School. Piss on these guys.
if i were the suns ill ask Pat Burke to tackle Tim Duncan ... and get Jalen Rose to tackle Parker ... they get tossed and the nba rules will blow on Sterns and Jacksons face ... they're tolerating it anyway...
then probably they'll start using their brains the spurs are reckless they flop they hold they hand check, but at the end they play GOOD DEFENSE????? sure its the playoffs but the RULES are the RULES right...thank god stern is going to the cavs game cuz there would been some harsh words for him
Let's hope that Stu's adventures in NBA land turn out better than his adventures in Vancouver. The fact that he's totally undermined the credibility of an entire sport is remarkable. No character and no integriy.
Nobody will be talking about this in 10 years.
Is sad, but a nice way to Ads NBA RULES to players.benced player hardly earn Ads endorsment anyway. Horry Stoudamire & Diaw is a good stamp! Come next season i bet players will be reluctant to even leave the bench to use restroom..
hey i love watching the suns play and my favorite player of theres is amare, but im behind stern for these suspentions. those are the rules and the rules are rule if pat bucke had broken them would anyone care? no the only reason someone care is because it was an allstar which got hit with the suspentions.
Chris Mannix has no spine (read his article on the SI site). I really hope this incident serves as a catalyst to change this rigidly arbitrary rule. As all Knicks fans know, this rule cost us the '97 playoff series against the Heat. Once again David Stern lets his ego get in the way of making the right decision...
Chris Mannix has no spine (read his article on the SI site). I really hope this incident serves as a catalyst to change this rigidly arbitrary rule. As all Knicks fans know, this rule cost us the '97 playoff series against the Heat. Once again David Stern lets his ego get in the way of making the right decision...
Let me say this, I like both teams. The suns for their fun style of play and the spurs for their toughness and smarts. Infact the spurs have been one of my favorite teams for the past few years for their smarts. Unfortunately, the spurs are a dirty team. Having played competitively for over 14 years and being the defensive player of the year many years in a row (over 5) as well as being a coach, I can say there is a line between dirty (flopping isnt dirty just not classy) and hard toughnosed defense. The spurs crossed that line many a times. This has tainted the series and the NBA. No matter which team wins, the NBA loses. David Stern has just proven that he is not a leader who can make sound decisions. If you must follow a rule then you must apply to both teams no matter the situation. It was clearly seen that Tim Duncan and I believe Bowen left the bench when Elson went down yet they have not been suspended. As for Stu Jackson, is anyone actually able to say something positive about him and what he has done since entering the NBA? Doubtful. Funny thing is since the Joey Crawford incident happened, I think Stern is still trying to coddle his favorite star Tim Duncan (who I do believe is a great player). Another point, once you have been playing the game as long as these players have been, there is a certain honor amongst the players regarding fouling. Bruce Bowen has repeatedly crossed the line with intentional objectional defence, kneeing an opponent in the groin (nash) kicking an opponents achilles when no chance to block him (amare). Also losing 2 key members for one has been player seems like a good deal. In no way does it seem like Stern favors the Spurs.
Quit crying--it is the rule and it has been enforced a few times in the playoffs (i.e. Knicks - Heat). The players are aware of this rule and they broke it--end of story. If they let this incident slide, then the next time an altercation occurs players will take a few extra steps closer. If this was the case the players would keep testing the limits and the NBA would need to "draw a line" somewhere. This rule prevents violence and it allows NBA officials to easily determine who is in violation of the rule. It is similar stepping out of bounds with the ball. Oh! Maybe they can change this rule too! I recall many--almost--great plays where the player had part of his foot out-of-bounds. David Stern can you change this rule too?
Yes, it is unfortunate that the series probably will not be as good as it could have been, but whose fault is that? Answer: Stoudemire and Diaw. This does not even compare to how unfair the suspensions were for the Knicks in 97' (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knicks-Heat_rivalry). The Knicks were up 3-1 but the NBA decided spread the suspensions over the last two games so the Knicks could not be at full strength for the remainder of the series. The Suns still have a chance here. Imus did not even break a rule and he lost his job, these guys are only suspended for one game. In essence the rules were broken by the players, and to not like the justice is outright dumb on our part. The game is a good one because of these rules, and as each player is advised at the beginning of the season and playoffs, they know the consequenses of their actions. There are not little-leaguers. __ As for Nash, he really sold it as a hard foul by his flailing, but this he learned because he as all of them, learn to use the rules to their favor. I honestly believe that the Suns have been crying a lot, and of course their leader is known to be a cry-baby, but the crying is their psychological warfare as did the Lakers against San Antonio in 99 and 2000. Let's just enjoy the game with or without the players. Both teams are still dangerous, and even though it may be tilted to favor the Spurs in game 5, it may well be the Suns who win it. As a Spurs fan I hope not, and if it occurs, I have not lost anything, nor have our players lost anything, other than a trophy and bragging rights. Basketball is a game, and should be played as one. Not run like a business.
For the NBA to remove a dominationg player like Stoudamire and a very good player like Diaw seems unfair when the Spurs only lose a player like Horry and especially when Horry was the instigator. Maybe the NBA should have an instigator rule like hockey. Because most NBA teams only have 7 or 8 good players, to lose one of these players, is very excessive. It's not like you can throw players 9 and 10 into the fray and expect the same result. Without Stoudemire in game 4 there would have been no comeback. He clearly made a big impact in the last few minutes.
The thing that surprizes me is how David Stern cancelled his trip to Phoenix to attend the safer venue in Cleveland. This choice shows a little cowardice on his part. I don't expect the Suns to win another game now. And all the alibiing by Popovich and his thugs won't change his tainted victory one iota. I wonder what are you people thinking? We are always saying these players should take reponsibility for thier actions. Everyone of these players knew beforehand what the consequense would be for leaving the bench. Dont you wonder why bowen was not suspended? The league looked at the tape and saw that a lot of it was Nash trying to get Bowen out of the game.They saw that bowen actually pulled back. But because of all the talk of dirty play from Amare they had to do something. All I have to say is I hope the league is watching everbody. The suns want the spurs to let them run and do whatever they want. If they want to win a championship they must win it like all the other n.b.a. teams.It aint easy, so stop whining and play ball.
What can you say now? Horry's play was inexcusable - doing that to a little guy when the game was finished. The Suns reacted instinctively - oh, penalize them. If you have to.
Just don't pretend that the offenses of Stoudemire and Diaw were anywhere NEAR what was done to Nash. Stern probably never played the game at all. HE should be in front of the cameras defending himself. But what does it matter? The Suns now have the moral edge. They should finsih off the Spurs in 6. You notice no Spurs are defending Horry. Guess why. No matter intentional or unintentional, putting foot under a player when he's landing is dirty! Because the consequence is always to ruin this player's season or even his whole carrer! Make no excuses for such kind of 'habbit'!!!
I was kind of skeptical on the claim that the Spurs are dirty...I always cheered for them when David Robinson was a member, but that Horry check was dirty. Ridiculous...uncalled for...you don't disrespect a 2-time MVP with play like that!!!
Robert Horry did not 'take down' Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. They took themselves down. Other players saw fit to stay on the bench. That is not to excuse Horry's behavior. He has to be held accountable for his behavior, just as Amare and Diaw are for theirs.
 |
Let me hear from you
Beyond posting a comment, if you have a news tip or a link to a story or video clip that you think is interesting, please drop me a line. Or if you have a general question or comment, send that along too. You can email me here. (One note on the blogger comments: The only rule is to keep it clean. No curse words, please. This is a family blog.) Recent Posts
  |
||
  |
|||
Copyright © 2008 Time Inc.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
