How to judge Amare Stoudemire’s judgment
Oh great, it’s rule book time
Everybody saw what happened last night. Once again, a tough decision will be put into the hands of the NBA powers that be. Cub will have the more thorough game recap in a little while, but first here is a quick recap of the events of the end of the fourth quarter that made this situation particularly interesting.
-With the Spurs leading by one, Amare holds his ground as Tim Duncan tries to deliver the big basket once again. Amare makes the shot tough for Tim, and it doesn’t go in.
-Nash pushes it the other way and gets it to Amare with a behind the back pass in traffic for the bucket that gives Phoenix a one point lead. Amare, who blew so many big, close shots in game 1, used those soft hands to hold onto the ball, and the finish was not a given.
-Next possession, Michael Finley misses a shot, Nash finds Amare with a second straight behind the back pass and Amare finishes. If I may get all hyperbolic for the moment, those were the two biggest baskets of his career back to back. In a building where the crowd is yelling “dirty” every time he touches the ball, where Amare had set himself up to be the villain for whining to the media about Bowen and Manu, he made three key plays at the very end to turn the series in Phoenix’s favor.
-The Suns play MORE defense with Raja pressuring Manu into a miss. Robert Horry delivers Steve Nash the forearm smash. Amare and Boris Diaw start to rush onto the floor, but are restrained a few seconds too late as they violate one of the NBA’s dumber rules. Phoenix seals it at the line, though Nash missed some free throws, possibly caused by the wooziness from getting slammed into the boards.
I posted a comment to this effect last night, but if Amare and/or Diaw are suspended, was that the biggest shot of Big Shot Rob’s career? If Tim Duncan goes for 40 and 20 against the Amare-less Suns in game 5 and the Spurs win a championship, is it tainted? Amare might have had a moment of stupidity by walking onto the court, so do you think he deserves his possible suspension? Feel free to comment. I personally would say no, because then what’s stopping role players from taking shots at stars? Should Amare be expected to have the self-restraint to think “Oh hey it’s the biggest game of the year, we got a huge stop and there goes my teammate, my point guard, the two time MVP with the ball. Oh look at that, one of the players on the team I’ve been accusing as dirty who is twice his size, just took a cheap shot at him. Hey I’ll just stand here and watch.”
Hopefully the NBA won’t be so literal and Amare will be allowed to suit up for game 5. The same goes for Diaw, but I’m focusing on Amare cause he went from delivering at both ends of the floor at the key point of the NBA season so far, and moments later he might have cost his team their season because he had a reaction to seeing his teammate get victimized by a cheap shot. Nash may have flopped a little bit, but a shoulder check into the boards is a shoulder check into the boards. It was probably a frustration foul from Robert Horry, and if you want to defend him, add it to the list of Spurs “coincidentally dirty plays.”
Maybe I’m just saying that because I’m blatantly cheering for the Suns? This was a championship team galvanizing type of win. They beat a tougher, more physical team on the road, coming back from down double figures late in the fourth, about to drop into a 3-1 series chasm. They won it at both ends of the floor, with their players having their manhood questioned all week long, and they responded like champions. The refs also gave them many of the calls throughout the game. Nicely done, Stern. I know the Suns have been farther than this in the playoffs, but the feel of the win was one of those special moments that we remember as “the next step” for a champion. Again, the Suns played great defense in crunch time, and Amare the villain of San Antonio, came up with 3 key plays in the final moments, before the Horry check.
Craig Sager’s interview with Nash was priceless. He referenced Big Shot Rob taking a big shot at him, and you could hear Nash deadpan “Ha. Good one.” It was also pretty amazing that this was the night that Shaq would be in the studio with TNT. Is there any other situation where a professional police officer would be asked to analyze a basketball game and the NBA rule book? Shaq had to emphasize that rules are rules and the Suns are guilty. What are the odds that a lawman would be on the set on the one night where the letter of the law was put into question?
This is going to be a long-running open-ended discussion. Have fun with that.
Before all of the Phoenix-San Antonio mayhem took place, Jake and I went to the Nets-Cavs game. He’ll have much more on that later this afternoon some time. Getting there was an adventure in itself. A slow moving adventure featuring a ridiculous amount of traffic. Maybe Jake will choose to detail that, maybe he won’t. I understand either way. Just to pre-emptively defend myself, I’m slightly ashamed of my behavior the day after Mother’s Day. After being honked at one two many times, I may have yelled out “Don’t (profanity) honk at me you grandma (more profanity, more profanity, more profanity)!” We got to the game late, and due to some credential problems didn’t get to our seats until sometime in the second quarter. Jake will have the rest. Not the greatest final possession for the Nets. Their season is pretty much over.
Eagles (starting?) QB Donovan McNabb was at the game. Didn’t see Kevin Kolb anywhere. That line was for Khalid, though its not like I have any comeback if he were to insult my team.
I stayed up later than usual after absorbing much of the post-game to watch Heroes. It was sub-par, yeah I said it!
349 Responses to “How to judge Amare Stoudemire’s judgment”
May.15 at 8:39 am
Max Airington says:
Free Amare!
May.15 at 8:43 am
Jack says:
No way should they be suspended. Suspending Amare and Diaw would have to be followed by a rule where players aren’t allowed to make eye contact with players on other teams.
May.15 at 8:44 am
Mukester says:
Amare’s going to play. And crush the Spur’s in GM5.
May.15 at 8:52 am
Sesa says:
Rules are rules. Both of them (Amare and Diaw) should be fined but not suspended. The whole situation is different, they didn’t try to escalate anymore conflict.
On the other hand, the L should suspend Horry one game for the least.
May.15 at 8:52 am
Chief says:
If they take Amare out then you know that the league is just trying as hard as it can to have another boring finals. Remember Detroit vs. the Spurs?
NO ONE, i mean no one wants to see a rematch.
May.15 at 8:53 am
Tariq says:
Come on. If Diaw, and especially Amare get suspended, I’m going to kick David Stern in the windpipe. Everybody jumped up when Nash hit the deck; you could argue that they got up out of concern for their MVP rather than to retaliate against Cheap Shot Rob. And like I think Nash pointed out, if you want to get literal, then you should suspend anyone who gets off the bench to celebrate a big play. Listen, you have to put these kind of incidents in context, if a player getting up leads to an altercation of some sort, even indirectly, fine, suspend them, but if it’s inconsequential, how are you gonna suspend someone for getting up and then sitting back down shortly thereafter, while not suspending someone for kneeing a guy in the crotch or angling himself underneath a shooter in a potentially dangerous way (on a guy who just underwent microfracture surgery no less). Hey, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Suns win this series, because they’re style is more enjoyable and less methodical than SA, but I’m not really rooting for them. Stupidity just irks me. Suspend Smush Parker for sucking.
May.15 at 8:55 am
Tariq says:
By the way I’m glad they didn’t suspend Bowen. And I don’t think they should suspend Horry, Baron or Richardson either. The only player who deserves to be suspended is Vince Carter.
May.15 at 8:57 am
white hot eboy says:
It sucks, but they have to go for 1 game. If it was 2 Spurs it would be the same result. The Spurs have three notorious floppers, Bowen, Manu & Oberto and if anyone didn’t think that Nash “embellished” the cross-check into the boards they are extremely naive. Nash was dribbiling right at Horry and although he may not have expected to be smashed, there’s no way it would have knocked him OFF his feet! Nash pinball’s his way through 48 minutes each night and he just doesn’t crash to the ground on what really was equal to an illegal pick at any other point in a game. Horry will be gone too, and I think Phoenix has enough at home for one game to pull out a big win without Amare and Diaw.
May.15 at 8:58 am
K22C says:
Okay, Robert Horry messed up. Definately should be suspended. Diaw and STAT got off the bench. Rules are they should be suspended for one game. I am tired of the common thought that Spurs basketball is boring.Obviously it isn’t if this is the only series tied at 2. I wouldn’t think that STAT and diaw should be suspended, but after STATS whining about the rules and bowen being a dirty player you would think that STAT would play by the rules. He didn’t so does that make him a dirty player?
May.15 at 8:58 am
Sesa says:
Anyway, now we all know that San Antonio Spurs is David Stern’s golden goose if it wasn’t for this series.
May.15 at 8:59 am
K22C says:
@Tariq- Vince Carter should not even be in the league. This is a league for men not women….
May.15 at 9:00 am
K22C says:
@Sam- You are really up on the suns stuff. it is kind of funny
May.15 at 9:05 am
FLUD says:
Juwanna Carter. Fines all round.
May.15 at 9:12 am
Joel O's says:
This is simple, like a few of you guys already said: if Amare is suspended, this will set the precedent for it being OK to field some 12th man player for the sole purpose of flagrant fouling the other team’s key players to incite silly suspension-worthy reactions. Phew. Long sentence.
May.15 at 9:15 am
K22C says:
Nah because some players would just play basketball
May.15 at 9:15 am
illydiva says:
I’m embarrassed to say that I couldn’t hang thru the 4th and missed all the drama. Ironic how Big Shot Rob, who has been virtually absent from this series, ends up delivering what might be the fatal blow when we’ve all been clamoring for Burke (who really is absent in this series) to lay the wood on a Spur. I don’t know how the league can let Stat & Diaw off for their actions…to say nothing of Raja Bell. Can’t even guess how this one will play out.
May.15 at 9:15 am
Joel O's says:
IF the Spurs get away with this, in the next round karma will kick them in the ass. With Duncan / Parker on the bench, I hope Utah gets Joe Benchschmoe to shove Ginobili around til some key player hops off the bench and goes to intervene.
May.15 at 9:16 am
Romeo says:
They (the L) cant suspend Amare and Diaw becuase they were going to check in, they were up before nash went to the floor and they came in rite after, and there was no other way to get to the scorers table because everyone was rushing to see if the MVP was ok. So with that technicality they will probably remain for game 5 to take on the Spurs on home court.GO SUNS, and learn how to play clean spurs!!
May.15 at 9:16 am
Kev says:
As a ridiculously biased Raps fan, I could watch Vince drive into trouble with his head down for years.
The NBA does some dumb stuff, but could you imagine suspending Amare and Diaw, and not Horry? Really, which person did the worse thing? It’s so ludicrous do think of, that I dont think the NBA could do it. Plus, if they love ratings, and they do, this series is gotta be fetching a ton… no way they want to ruin it
May.15 at 9:22 am
Joel O's says:
For some reason the Spurs really ARE getting annoying, not just boring. Not that I’m a hater, they are a joy to watch when they run their half court plays, one of the few teams other than Detroit or Utah who play it *gasp* “the right way”. But this year in particular they are getting supremely ref-whiny AND simultaneously cheap-shot-esque dirty at the same time. Big turn off to casual fan. I ball - and there is NO WAY swinging your feet around in the air a la Bruce Bowen’s kick to Amare is a natural basketball motion. Who the f*** plays defence by swinging his feet around? Not unless you’re trying to hurt people.
May.15 at 9:23 am
solly what says:
1. Stouda-whiner should shut the hell up. I hope he doesn’t get suspended just so Timmy D can show him up, AGAIN. 2. Nash is a baby and was clearly exagerrating. He knew Horry was going to foul. That’s what happens at the end of close games. Duh. 3. If Finley had been on last night as he was in the previous games, it would be 3-1 Spurs easy. 4. Spurs in 7 and everyone knows it. The Suns should stop whining and start playing basketball.
May.15 at 9:24 am
Big M says:
If half the knicks team got suspended for the same rule back in 97(?), theres no way Stern can not suspend Amare and Diaw without blatant favortism. Don’t like the rule, but they have to be suspended. Its not like after the knicks series it became common practice to send scrubs to body slam other players.
May.15 at 9:25 am
solly what says:
Mr. Joel– do you RECALL in game 2 when Barbosa just happened to be under Tony P coming down from a jumper causing Tony to back flip onto his head? Did you hear Tony crying? NO.
May.15 at 9:29 am
Sparker says:
Mr. Big Shove, who do u think u are?
May.15 at 9:29 am
K22C says:
solly what he/she really knows what they are talking about, bout time someone is smart and sees the other side
May.15 at 9:33 am
Shiz says:
yeah, the game after Stoudamire calls the Spurs dirty, Big Shot Rob proves him right by deliverying quite the nice hip-check…Good one Bobby. I give ya a 8 for technique, a 2 for timing. The best part is how he he reacts after the foul, like he knew it was just a mental lapse, but that it would start some more drama. Oops…Not one of his best basketball plays.
May.15 at 9:38 am
dez says:
Horry should be gone.
Amare/Diaw should be fined.
The Suns should win.
Key word is ’should’
May.15 at 9:38 am
Shiz says:
…And even with the “convenient” cover that Amare was simply, innocently going to the scorers table to sub in, he and Diaw should get a 1-gamer. Robby should get two. I mean it was a non-shooting foul that happened WAAAAAAY in the backcourt…No need for such a hard foul so far away from being an actual scoring threat…you can stop the clock by tuggin a guys jersey out, you don’t need to give em the ol arena-football-man-meets-wall treatment.
May.15 at 9:39 am
Ryan Jones says:
Because David Stern is David Stern, Amare and Diaw will be suspended.
And because his believably exaggerated flop made Horry’s shiver look even worse than it was, Steve Nash will earn a contract with his beloved Tottenham Hotspurs. I expect to see him starring as Spurs’ holding midfielder come August.
May.15 at 9:44 am
Sparker says:
i’m amazed anyone thinks nash flopped. u could tell by the look on both of their faces (horry frustrated beyond the point, nash outraged) and the immediate reaction of the suns bench. horry going all raja-kobe may be viewed as esp serious because he did it in front of the scorer’s table with that extra potential for injury. anyway, the raja-kobe is the litmus on this one: horry will go down for one
May.15 at 9:46 am
Boyd says:
Joel has the main point - if Amare gets suspended, San Antonio will, once again, be getting away with dirty play and no sanctions. A lot of the stuff San Antonio has done in this series is so blatantly dirty that to penalise Amare - making it a total non-series, is hard to imagine. If the sternbot does suspend STAT, which for the record I don’t think he will, because he will be effectively killing off the only competitive second round series, he will be seen as a complete San Antonio homer, letting them do what ever the f*ck they like. He doesn’t even have to suspend Horry, just letting both teams suit up full-strength for the next one will declare a ‘fair play’ type of attitude. That’s not to say Horry should get off, mind.
May.15 at 9:48 am
Joel O's says:
solly what: Haha yeah I concede the Suns can be a bunch of pansies sometimes. I don’t think that their hands don’t have blood on them - see last year’s Bryant-Bell UFC main event during the playoffs. It’s just that as someone who’s been a bit more than casually rooting for the Spurs, who cried for David Robinson’s elation when he won the first championship, who was couldn’t help but root for the ailing Sean Elliott, and who was blown away when Avery thanked God and his family instead of trash talking after hitting that championship winning jumper… it just feel a lot harder to root for this Spurs team. I want to. But I can’t. I’m still a huge fan of Duncan’s bank shot. Manu’s controlled-insanity drives.
May.15 at 9:50 am
Joel O's says:
But amidst the Bowen cheap shots and the whole Duncan-vs-the-refs controversy and what not… It’s just harder to root for this team now.
May.15 at 9:55 am
Boyd says:
Jones, if there was any way of making the transaction I would bet you $50 they don’t get suspended. The Sternbot is not gonna kill off the only competitive series left in the playoffs and allow an asterisk to go down in the history books next to the Spurs ‘07 title saying ‘San Antonio takes the chip after getting a winning ticket in the second round - role player Robert Horry smashed legendary point guard Steve Nash into the stands resulting in the suspension of Phoenix’s All-star centre, Amare Stoudemire.’ Because Stern will know, like we all do, his decision is not about a one game suspension, it will decide who wins the NBA championship. That’s a hell of a decision, and the league is not going to intentionally make itself uncompetitive.
May.15 at 9:56 am
Joel O's says:
Lol if Nash signs with Tottenham then the Red Devils should sign Bruce Bowen to be the next Roy Keane. He’s already got “sliding tackle from behind” down pat in his repertoire.
May.15 at 9:57 am
Sesa says:
It’s funny after all the talk went down here the L didn’t make any decision regarding Amare, Diaw and Horry. I’m not surprised if the L suspend Diaw and Amare not Horry.
May.15 at 9:57 am
K22C says:
Okay It is not a rule that a player should get suspended for committing a hard foul. for awhile i thought that horry deserved a suspension. I changed my mind. All he did was committ a foul at the end of the game. If he got suspended for that, it would be like saying you can’t foul at the end of the game. sure he may have fouled harder than he should… call a flagrant. but after watching it again and again on youtube for the last 5 minutes Nash flopped. Horry did not break a rule except for committing a foul. Diaw and the Whiner did break a well known NBA rule. Both teams of this series have been really physical, neither team has been dirty, dirty is when the pacers brawled.
May.15 at 9:58 am
solly what says:
OK I grant you your points, but Duncan vs. the refs? He clearly states that he has nothing against them. Ironically, Timmy giving skeptics exactly what they’ve been begging him for: emotion and personality— that is exactly what got him in trouble with Joey C. And I would give anything to see a return of Manu’s controlled-insanity drives. He is the missing link. I honestly just want to see them play basketball. This series could be amazing. Put away the hormones, suspensions, and tissues and lets see some basketball.
May.15 at 9:59 am
dez says:
The flop was when Nash took the extra 5 seconds lying down on the floor, not the actual hit.
Also, if this was GS and Baron Davis was checked like that, best believe Whoooo would be busting gats cross-sideways.
May.15 at 9:59 am
Carla says:
If the NBA suspends Stat and Diaw they be favoring the Spurs. I can’t help but feel that there is more to these decisions than rules. The NBA’s first interest is revenue and the fans that bring it. The officials make calls all the time that keep stars in the game, despite fouls. I hope they find an excuse to keep Stat in on Wednesday.
May.15 at 9:59 am
K22C says:
@boyd- Nash is far from legendary
May.15 at 9:59 am
Tariq says:
Ryan,
If Nash signs with Spurs I hope Barca signs Zokora.
May.15 at 10:01 am
K22C says:
also @boyd- Pistons will win regardless.
May.15 at 10:03 am
solly what says:
Nash on the Spurs will never happen– thank goodness.
May.15 at 10:04 am
1hush D says:
If the Sternbot suspends Amare, the Suns stand a better chance with him in SA than without him in Phoenix. So I say, if he is suspended, do not show up for game 5 in protest. The lost revenue would fire a shot across David Stern’s bow that would last forever.
May.15 at 10:06 am
AB_40 says:
stoudamire and diaw will both be suspended and fined. Horry will also be supended and fined for the technical or flagrant foul for wich he was ejected. and hey rules are rules. If they don’t suspend them any player can walk on the court see what’s going on and then return to the bench. Remember NYC denver? I rest my case.
May.15 at 10:09 am
K22C says:
@1hush D- Get off STATS pole
May.15 at 10:13 am
1hush D says:
K22C, I know you are still upset for getting called out as a Spurs Sack Daddy but really, Diaw and Amare did nothing that warrants suspension unless you want to follow the letter of the law in which case, Nash is correct - if one steps onto the floor (from the bench) in celebration, one should be suspended. The ignorant, Shaq-style, “you do the crime, you do the time” is fairy unimpressive.
May.15 at 10:15 am
1hush D says:
I meant “fairly” unimpressive. No disrespect to J. Amaechi. Freedom is yours.
May.15 at 10:15 am
K22C says:
Well i guess every player who steps off the bench in celebration should get suspended then, other than the fact that this was not an act of celebration but possible retaliation because Nash couldn’t handle a foul.
May.15 at 10:22 am
Ryan Jones says:
I hope you’re right, Boyd.
May.15 at 10:22 am
1hush D says:
Don’t get me wrong. I think Nash got hammered but I saw the acting there. Also, I am not sure I would punish Horry either. If I felt that way then I may have to support a suspension of J Rich on that hard foul on the Utah Ogur. I think Horry checked Nash out of frustration and it was not real clean but suspension? I don’t think Bowen deserved suspensions for his dirty play either. Just to be clear.
May.15 at 10:25 am
Joey says:
I think that Horry will get suspended for Game 5, and I think that’s bullshit. In the 80s and 90s, that’s a hard foul that gets met with some hard fouls; today it’s a suspension. That’s no fun. I think that the Spurs do themselves a disservice in crunch time by slowing things down so much on offense. It allows Phoenix to remain set and bring help on Duncan as it wants to. Why not make Phoenix move, placing pressure on the rotations? Phoenix is not a great defensive team, but it’s good enough, and how hard is it to defend something that isn’t moving?
May.15 at 10:25 am
1hush D says:
K22C, you are into the paradox now. Yes, it is different when the players are up celebrating but now officials are judging the behavior and the celebration on the floor violates the letter of the law. If we can violate the letter of the law, then don’t we have to judge Amare and Diaw’s response? If so, they do not get suspended. They did not charge onto the floor ready to do battle. This is how the conversation will go up top. Boyd is right….no suspension will happen.
May.15 at 10:27 am
K22C says:
See none of them broke the league rules though, Stat and Diaw did. but we will just see what happens i guess. i hope they dont get suspended, because it is an exciting series. but it would be interesting to see what the suns could do without them.
May.15 at 10:27 am
Annette Perry says:
It goes beyond a cheap shot and if they didn’t suspend Bowen for his “accidental” kick to Nash’s groin and Parker for his over the top exaggeration of method acting resulting in splitting Nash’s nose, but do suspend Diaw and Stoudemire for walking on the court after Horry body checked and slammed Nash into the boards then the league has become irreprably dysfunctional. Watching San Antonio all year has been like watching basketball players coahed by Hulk Hogan. Actually Hogan would probably be a much better method coach than the sissy whining bully promoting Popovich. Horry is lucky we were able to restrain my 7 year old Nash loving daughter from running all the way to SA to get in the face of Horry. It wouldn’t have been pretty.
May.15 at 10:28 am
K22C says:
@1hush D- don’t forget STAT knew he was wrong and lied to cover it up. Saying he was checking in when he clearly wasn’t.
May.15 at 10:32 am
pitt says:
If indeed Stoudemire and Diaw get suspended and the Spurs manage to win the Finals, this will undoubtedly go down as the biggest “shot” of Robert Horry’s career. Do I think they will get suspended? Yes. Do I think they deserve to be suspended? Absolutely not. The NBA should not adopt nor endorse a “two birds with one stone” policy, which is essentially what occurred last night.
May.15 at 10:34 am
1hush D says:
That was some of the best lying I have seen. Did he purposefully dumb down the “Coach Mike told me to check in and that is what I was doing”? I was impressed with his quality lying. Good thing the L don’t have rules on telling lies…………..yet.
May.15 at 10:42 am
ftex says:
@solly Sorry you’re “one of those type of Texans”, I know it must hurt to be predisposed to being ignorant. Probably a GW fan to boot. Watch the replay, if you’re close enough to forearm someone you are close enough to wrap your arms around the person to ensure the foul like every other player in the history of the league has done and continues to in that exact situation. Don’t even talk about whining… the Spurs, and particularly Duncan whine every time the miss a shot or bobble the ball whether there is any contact or not. They could probably play a lot better than they do if they didn’t waste so much time getting back while looking at the refs and flailing their arms, not to mention Duncan has to push his eyes back in his ugly mug, that takes time too. Imagine if the league actually passes a flop penalty next season like they have been discussing… the San Antonio Trout will lose just from the opponents shooting T throws all night. Get a grip bro, Spurs are low class, boring, lame personality, zero heart… Sure they’re a good team, but all they have going for them is a stat sheet. Pretty pathetic when you can wrap up the whole dynamic of them with a 2 dimensional piece of paper.
bahahaha
May.15 at 10:46 am
milson says:
If DStern and the league remain the rediculous rulebook fundamentalists that they tend to be Amare and Diaw will probably get suspended. Hopefully though they will see what a huge mistake that would be and realize that the whole point of the rule is the ensure teams maintain control of their bench, which it can be argued Phoenix did very well. While the players did run out to the floor they ran into a wave of Suns assistants and thus nothing really escalated.
May.15 at 10:46 am
allenp says:
Damn, Suns fans are whiners. Seriously, two Suns players ran on to the court and then lied about what they did so they wouldn’t be suspended. Horry was wrong, he should be suspended, but you can’t run on to the court. That’s the rule. They enforce it on everyone.
May.15 at 10:49 am
rob stewart says:
I don’t think Amare should be suspended. Even if this was Bill Laimbeer (who certainly isn’t my favorite player) I wouldn’t think a suspension is fair. Amare should know that lying is not the answer (if he did lie) but If you saw someone jack up your best friend or one of your boys I doubt your first reaction would be to make sure you don’t cross some line on the court. Stern has an oppurtunity to step up and do the right thing. Let em play
May.15 at 10:50 am
davide says:
nice comment about stern and the calls in game 4 of the suns/spurs. we all know without the refs calling duncan out of this game there is no series. and that is exactly what happened last night. duncan let it get to him and the team followed with a collapse. blame that on tim getting down on himself when seeing stern and the refs getting involved in the series. spurs were outrebounded but had more assists. and let’s give the game ball to nash with 8 turnovers. that’s a star. or is he ready for hollywood? forget the suspensions. on either side. keep the stars in the game and let’s lace it up and keep the officials and the league office out of it. no whining on either side. and stern keep your comments to yourself and your refs off the court. let’s see them go at it and see who’s standing. you tell me.
May.15 at 10:52 am
K22C says:
@rob. you mean if your bestfriend is a good flopper?
May.15 at 10:54 am
Zee says:
I think there will be fines and the nba will say something about how the footage only showed the suns bench and not the spurs as the reason. there will be a new rule that says both benches must be monitored or something like that. bam! series not ruined and a legitimate reason.
May.15 at 10:54 am
mark says:
Suspended- no question. All three of them - and Nash should get an oscar. MVP trophy of that game goes to the refs. two bogus charges on Duncan? “Screens” by nash with arms spread eagle ? Man those were some terrible calls in the 4th. Does the league want a Suns - Pistons finals that bad?
Spurs still have to overcome that garbage - even with Javie reffing the game. “The refs also gave them many of the calls throughout the game. Nicely done, Stern.” - I am hoping by them - you meant the Suns.
May.15 at 10:54 am
Terk says:
Official NBA Rules:
Section 7 C.states:
c. During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. No offense to Shaq, but the law is not as cut and dry as “a rule is a rule”. I suppose the issues at hand are: 1. whether Amare was sufficiently close to the bench to be in “the vicinity” (eg. not in the stands throwing haymakers).
And 2. Whether the league considers the exchange to be “an altercation”. I think Stu Jackson has two avenues (irrespective of the somewhat drummed up excuse of Amare going to check in) to make a fair decision. Could he easily agree that the argument and technical fouls didn’t constitute and “altercation”? The answer is yes. I expect Horry to be suspended for 3 games, and for no suspension to be levied against Phoenix. Then again, who knows? It’s sports…not exactly a pantheon of righteousness.
May.15 at 10:55 am
Khalid Salaam says:
If amare and diaw are suspended and the suns lose the game and subsequently the series, then i’ll have to consider whether i respect the nba enough anymore to continue watching the playoffs.
May.15 at 11:00 am
Annette Perry says:
Hey 1LUSH, sober up buddy, Stoudemire lied about crossing a line on a basketball court. But Bowen lied through his teeth about kicking someone in the groin. Oh goodness, let’s see lying about stepping over a little painted line, lying about kicking some in the gonies…and who should be suspended.
May.15 at 11:01 am
G Man says:
If Horry had clipped Nash with his shoulder I would say maybe flop. Nash is not known to be a flopper unlike some Spurs. Horry outweighs Nash by about sixty pounds. And he used his elbow. The guy who watched UTUBE should look closer and see the elbow that’s being used, add that with the weight differential and it’s simple physics. Ever been running full kilter and hit an immovable object that is jutting out? If you didn’t go flying than you’re made of jello
May.15 at 11:01 am
george says:
Amare, Diaw, and Horry should all be supended for one game. You can’t bend the rules for anyone, or else it will taint the league. The NBA is trying to get rid of it’s thug image
May.15 at 11:04 am
Randi says:
As a 90s Knicks fan, who’s seen my team’s players such as Patrick Ewing being suspended for being off the bench by an inch, I must say that Amare and Diaw should be suspended. The rules are the rules. It’s not fair, but the league has set a clear precedent when it comes to players leaving the bench during an altercation.
May.15 at 11:11 am
G Man says:
Other obvious proof of it is the reaction of Horry. Give me a break. The guy nails Nash and then quickly turns and walks away without even looking, like a child who knows he’s done something wrong. Look I don’t really care who wins this series unlike you other “OBJECTIVE” opinions, but if you don’t look at the facts of the moment than this is nothing more than a glorified my Dad is bigger than your Dad conversation by three year olds…
May.15 at 11:12 am
dez says:
There is absolutely no way these Suns are going to win without Amare/Diaw. Nobodys going to take the pressure off Nash to keep the team running.
May.15 at 11:12 am
mark says:
I already question if I respect the NBA enough to watch - especially after that officiating fiasco I watched last night - excert from ESPN: Phoenix Got the Calls May 15, 2007 1:00 AM I really hate people complaining about the referees. It’s just so tiresome.
And on some level — I may be crazy with this — I feel it is the job of
fans to think like champions. Be mentally tough. Play through adversity.
Think like a winner, not a whiner. But this game was something. I was rooting for Phoenix — in the name of a
tied series and exciting play deep into the playoffs — and through
Phoenix’s comeback I was at first pleasantly surprised as a handful of 50/50
calls went the Suns’ way. But it just kept going. San Antonio couldn’t catch
a break. Nash drew a charge on Duncan when he was well inside the no-charge
line, Raja Bell’s flop drew paydirt … By the time Leandro Barbosa barreled
into Tony Parker and Parker got called for the foul, I started to feel sort
of cheap. I wanted Phoenix to make the big comeback, but not like that. I hate to fuel the whiners and conspiracy theorists out there. And it’s
premature to say this was really called the Suns’ way. It felt like that
from my seat, watching it once in real time. I would love for an intelligent, non-partial person with a good DVR to break
down all the questionable calls and give us a report. From watching it in
real time, I feel the referees were a big part of this victory. I’d love to
proven wrong. Of course, plenty more happened. There were great plays by both teams
(especially Steve Nash’s left-handed behind-the-back bounce pass in the
lane). There may be suspensions. We’ll talk it all out in the days to come. UPDATE: Adam Hoff at WhatIfSports, who admits he has never been a San
Antonio fan at all, and recently examined the calls in Game 2 in this series
and found that San Antonio was getting the benefit of the doubt, stayed up
late examining every possession of the fourth quarter of Game 4. San Antonio started the quarter up eight, so it’s a meaningful section of
the game. You should read Hoff’s description of every play. He found that of
all the foul calls that might have been considered “bad” in the fourth
quarter, the the Suns were the beneficiaries of five, and the Spurs were the
beneficiaries of none. By his estimation adding in no-calls and violations
makes the disparity even greater. Here’s Hoff’s conclusion: In real time it definitely seemed that Phoenix was getting the majority of
the close and/or dubious calls and no-calls and that bore itself out in the
“research.” There were a lot of reasons the Suns came back to win (Amare
bouncing back, Nash being a straight pimp, and Brent Barry and Michael
Finley taking a couple of bad fadeaways), but there is no denying that the
calls were a HUGE factor. And beyond the +5 for Phoenix, there were probably
a half dozen other calls that were really close and/or not typically called
in the fourth quarter of a playoff game (or even during the first quarter of
an exhibition game). So the Spurs definitely wore it from the zebras. It
felt like an alternate universe, to be honest. And in San Antonio! What a
strange night.
May.15 at 11:13 am
mark says:
The refs gave the Suns that game last night. No question.
May.15 at 11:15 am
Los Man says:
Amare was checking into the game. The Spurs are getting away with murder and Tim Duncan must be blending in with the zebras because he doesn’t get call for squat!
May.15 at 11:22 am
» The night the Playoffs changed (I hope) - SLAM ONLINE says:
[…] Of course, those good old refs and their department heads (the NBA office) may just have the last say, what with the debate over Amare leaving the bench, but I’m going to leave that debate to others and pray to God that the NBA uses some decent judgment and lets him play. […]
May.15 at 11:27 am
Blue says:
Well, Khalid, be prepared to make that tough decision because the league has painted itself into a corner this year by flexing they’re “zero tolerance” muscles on everyone since this season began. Hopefully the Suns won’t lose because of this. But Stern and Co. have penalized a variety of stars over the past few years and to let one “get away” with breaking a rule (even if it is BS) would do serious damage to they’re credibility on other rulings (Fall Brawl at the Palace, JT’s crotch shot on Finley, Kobe’s arm swinging, Rasheed waking up in the morning, etc.) and give a ton of loopholes to future “perps” appeal processes. But you are correct…the playoffs will suck for real if that chain of events occurs.
May.15 at 11:27 am
LPnAZ says:
Right on Khalid. Stat and Diaw were not heading to fight Horry, they were running to make sure Nash wasn’t killed. I’m ready to boycott the playoffs.
May.15 at 11:27 am
JT says:
i got a solution for this. The league should suspend Robert Horry for the reminder of this series, Nash should be fined for trying to attack Horry, Diaw and STAT should be suspended for a game and D’antoni (or whatever his last name is) should get a one game suspension for going after Horry before the ref stoped him.
May.15 at 11:28 am
Zee says:
the refs gave the spurs game 3 and tried to make it up to the suns by giving them game 4. it all works out in the end… i think
May.15 at 11:33 am
JT says:
STAT and diaw weren’t checking in. When you R checkin’ in you don’t go straight into the court. The Suns’ assistant coaches had to PUSH amare and diaw back. The suns are too soft. Nash totally flopped. Horry isn’t strong enough to send Nash flying like that. STAT is really strong (or so I thought) and in this searies he has been nothing but a lil’ cry baby. Man up Amare or go play of the WNBA.
May.15 at 11:34 am
Davie says:
If they get suspended its a total disgrace!!! Bowen should be suspended for the Knee to Nash and big shot Rob should most certainly be suspended
May.15 at 11:44 am
003 says:
The question is, do they follow the letter of the law, or the spirit of it? The former will push for a suspension. The latter for grace. What the L needs to ask themselves is this: what really went down. STAT didn’t even make it to Nash before he was stopped. He set a foot on the court in order to run around other people. Should they be suspended? No. The situation as a whole should be taken into cognizant consideration. That is, after all, how the world whirls. IF STAT gets suspended, the Suns are going to have a bug of a time trying to hold G5. Being a true Phoenician (it sure has been toasty lately), I want to see them pull this one out as bad as the next cat. If STAT’s actions result in his suspension, then I will have to shake my head in dismay–at the L, and at him. Without reason there is no cause. 15 May 2007, Amare’s journal entry: Dear Diary, Note to delf: if you don’t give them a reason, they can’t suspend you. Next time, just sit yo’ a** down. The Spurs aren’t worth it. STAT PS — Bruce Bowen sure is a whiny little b*tch. I need to put an embarrassing face flush on his mug on my TO DO list.
May.15 at 11:45 am
mlr says:
Amare said he was getting up to go in the game, that he knew he was going in with the next foul (the Spurs had to foul somebody). He said he didn’t even know what exactly had happened to Nash. Let’s just believe him and move on.
May.15 at 11:45 am
Co Co says:
Just for the hell of it I want to say Steve Nash is supposedly the best player in the league and even without Amare he has one other All-Star on his team. If he’s as good as advertised then it shouldn’t matter whether Stat is there. They made it to the Conference Finals without him last year. What’s one game?? Just for the sake of argument….
May.15 at 11:47 am
Amanda says:
I think all rules should be carried out no matter the player. You can’t expect the other NBA or WNBA players to just sit back and take this because people have favorites. Yes Stoudemire is a Suns key scorer, but he knew the rules and they wouldn’t break the rules for favorite men Shaq and Wade so you shouldn’t do it for anyone else regardless if it means Spurs win and Suns have NO chance. Personally I don’t think the Suns are a One man team anyway. That’s LaBron and Kobe not the Phonix Suns. They have plenty more players. If they lose so be it. It’s their fought for acting like bullies. They are role models out there carrying on like street thugs. It’s bad for the NBA when they condone this behavior. Children look up to these men and half of them need a reality check. I know I don’t want my daughters watching grown men push and fight on their job!!!! The said part is you all actually think they should get away with this!!! Well if the NBA wants to pay men millions of dollars to act like gang bangers that’s your business!! I know if Stoudemire’s not suspended I won’t watch Nba basketball No more!! (unless it’s Shaq and Wade)
May.15 at 11:49 am
VTrobot says:
@K22C - Nash is far from legendary? When you’re tying/breaking playoff records of legends like jordan and the big O, you’re legendary. The Spurs are lucky that Nash hasn’t been completely on this series. I’ll be happy if your Pistons win. I lived in Portland during the Sheed years and it’s great to see that dude do well. I won’t be happy if the Spurs win it all. Can’t stand that whole team. PJ might be one of the most chokable people on earth. TD, enough with that ball hugging BS after whistles. I’m sick of seeing him peeking over a ball that he’s hugging.
May.15 at 11:51 am
joe jackson says:
I dont think they should be suspended at all, if worst comes to worts the nba should just fine bell and stoudemire but not suspend them that would be stupid and unfair!!!
May.15 at 11:59 am
whooo! says:
the stern conspiracy is always about the knicks/lakers/celtics bias, isn’t it? how on earth would it make sense for him to have spurs instead of phx in the finals? it’s so stupid of a notion, but ppl are so glued to conspiracy theories they’ll think of anything. i don’t wanna se amare of diaw suspended, but what happens next time? i think the best way to do it is if amare n diaw don’t get suspended, neither does horry. you can’t bend one rule and enforce the other. either all 3 suspended, or nobody’s supsended.
May.15 at 11:59 am
ray says:
if stoudemire gets suspended for preparing to go smash horrys face after that hockey check, i’ll never watch the gay ass NBA again. stoudemire should get suspended, but not for leaving the bench, but for not sodomizing horry with a curling iron for fckin with nash. the spurs are a whorish, whiny, bitch ass team, an everyone except spurs fans will admit to it. they intentionally try to injure people cuz theyre little fags, they cry to refs, like little fags, and the only reason the series isnt 4-0 , is cuz the refs suck the spurs dick on a weekly basis. if i had 1,300 dollars, i’d buy courtside seats to game 5 and throw a hatchett at horrys head for and make duncan suck my dick while parker tapes it. in closing i’d like to take a minute to tell all spurs fans to suck my d***, your team sucks, theyre gonna lose - even with all the advantages given by bad calls, and if i see sumone wearin a spurs jersey here in phoenix im gonna tie um to a cactus an beat um with a golf club. good day
May.15 at 12:00 pm
MikeyP says:
Honestly, the NBA isn’t huge on turning the biggest series of the year into a no contest. If you suspend Amare and Diaw the spurs will bum-rush the Suns. It will not only be unfair, but it would ruin one of the best series year in and year out in the NBA playoffs. It would honestly be a tragedy to let these 2 teams not play at full steam now that this amazing series is tied 2-2… JUST CAUSE SAN ANTONIO IS RIDIN’ DIRTY! LOL. LETS GO SUNS!
May.15 at 12:11 pm
Kev says:
where did the expression “bum rush” ever come from?
May.15 at 12:15 pm
Dan says:
Amare and Diaw will both be suspended. All of you who think that they wont are living in a fantasy world. Horry probably will be suspended as well, but that still gives the spurs a huge advantage in game 5. Amare and Diaw should learn to control themselves.
May.15 at 12:22 pm
Manuel says:
Horry should retire, there should be a rule against 50 year olds playing in the NBA.
May.15 at 12:24 pm
alex says:
you know i am sick of the crap that the Spurs get away of a lot of cprap where at game1 the suns got kicked by a spur and you no what im sick of tim dunkan getting away with a lot of stuff
May.15 at 12:27 pm
alex says:
you know i am sick of the crap that the Spurs get away with. In game 2, the suns got kicked by a spur. And you know what im sick of, tim dunkan getting away with a lot of stuff. so you know please let amare free
May.15 at 12:33 pm
Aaron says:
Spurs fans are unreal! So Horry simply fouled Nash and shouldn’t be suspended? What about the elbow shot to Bell? Also, it won’t matter if anyone gets suspended because Duncan walked onto the court during the undercut from Jones on Elson. Suck on that…
May.15 at 12:35 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
‘ Should Amare be expected to have the self-restraint to think “Oh hey it’s the biggest game of the year, we got a huge stop and there goes my teammate, my point guard, the two time MVP with the ball. Oh look at that, one of the players on the team I’ve been accusing as dirty who is twice his size, just took a cheap shot at him. Hey I’ll just stand here and watch.” ‘ Yes.
May.15 at 12:36 pm
mlr says:
Aaron
Is that true. do you know where there is a clip showing that.
May.15 at 12:37 pm
Kevin Wilson says:
The Suns should have stayed on the bench and let the five guys on the court take care of business. If Diaw and/or Stoudemire is suspended they’re to blame. Patrick Ewing did much less to get a suspension in 1996.
May.15 at 12:38 pm
Tim says:
why does everyone care about the rules the NBA has never been about rules, after 4 years you can change pivot feet without getting called for a travel, every screen they set is illegal, its hilarious to see guys set a screen then jump out at the guy trying to get around it. the only time the rules matter to the NBA is when they can fine someone they either dont like or they think is ruining their image. with the way suspensions have been free-flowing during the warriors jazz series i really believe nothing will happen, although nash is a 2 time MVP and most people will be able to jump on the “its because he is white” bandwagon i think horry will get suspended and i dont care if amare or diaw get suspended because it is a bogus rule and everyone who says that the spurs are just playing hard is on crack, ive played hard and thats how you play when you know the refs arent going to call certain things when they should, so they are getting away with fouls but thats not their fault its the refs so i dont think the spurs are dirty i think they pay attention to what gets called and what doesnt in the NBA and use it to their advantage. and manu is possibly the worst player i have ever seen, how he doesnt get called for player control fouls all the time just boggles my mind, but thats the refs that let him get away with it, so good for him and the spurs they are the best at knowing how much the refs will let slide.
May.15 at 12:38 pm
J3K says:
VTrobot, I second that about the Tim Duncan ball hugging. I can’t stand it. Or when he gets called for a foul, denies it, and then when he realizes they won’t change the call he holds his arms in the air for 45 seconds. We’re all talking about the Suns bench, did anything happen at the Spurs bench? I haven’t seen video of that at all, but I’m sure the League has some.
May.15 at 12:40 pm
soyboy says:
i agree that the “keeping control of your bench” would be a more appropriate criteria for enforcing the rules. and no i did not think that nash flopped. For the exact same reason “G Man” pointed out….i mean it’s plain physics.
May.15 at 12:41 pm
Gilbert says:
So many Spur-haters out there, No one appreciates fundamentals. Spurs are NOT a dirty team, they have never been a dirty team. They have no record of being dirty and purposely trying to hurt someone. But all of the sudden STAT comes out of frustration of being man-handled By DUNCAN, and calls them dirty. sure buddy. None of the Spurs plays were intentional, 1.Bowen did not kick him in the leg, he just ran up behind him to get the rebound. If he was trying to hurt him, bowen would have atleast looked down at his leg, and see where he had to kick to do injury. which is head was on the ball the whole time trying to get a rebound. so no harm there STOUDA-WHINER. Not our fault STAT had become a softy from being injured. 2. People are blaming parker for nash’s nose? yah right. It was nash who reached in and caused that, its his own fault, thats what you get when you try to reach in while Parker is turning on the burners. Spurs are getting hard fouls all the time, and they rarely whine abd gripe about it. Parker didnt want to fight nash after he knocked him down, parker didnt want to fight Bell after he made parker land on his back, none of the spurs got off the bench to fight bell in defense of thier point guard star! wow!
BUT when Nash takes a hard foul from Horry, STAT and DIAW get off the bench wanting to fight. SUSPENDED! it’s thier mistake, young players make stupid mistakes, and STAT is known for that. They should of controlled themselves, just like the spurs did when they get hit with hard fouls. Rules are Rules, the rule was put there to prevent big fights, and this could have easily escalted into one. on the other hand celebration is different they are not trying to fight, and Personally I have never seen anyone who celebrates by running all the way to the check-in table. this is a no brainer, stop being a spur-hater cuz STAT and DIAW made a stupid mistake they should have never made. STAT and DIAW should be suspended. GO SPURS GO. say it loud people.
May.15 at 12:42 pm
Jansen says:
This situation seems to favour teh Spurs for something that they did wrong! I think it could start precedence to do a flagrant foul for this type of reaction to get playas suspended. Robert Horry for STAT and diaw, wow.. if i was SA i woudl take that any day. Dosnt it just seem wrong that pheonix can possibly come out worse in this situation when it occured from a potentially dangerous foul. various things could have happened. Nash could have got injured for instance. No fight did break out, all the suspensions from ppl walking on the court have starting from a fight? This fould was basically committed in front of the whole team of course they are gonna go see if steve is alright regardless if there is a fight or ppl want to fight.
May.15 at 12:42 pm
mlr says:
Aaron I want to know if Duncan walked onto the court
May.15 at 12:46 pm
jrg says:
does anyone know when a decision will be made, and when we will be told
May.15 at 12:48 pm
Gilbert says:
duncan was already on the court. watch the game people, before making judgements.
May.15 at 12:49 pm
ALX8725 says:
Warriors fan here…. and WOW! the Spurs totally got robbed last night with the calls. There were so many calls/no-calls in favor of the Suns… I would’ve been really pissed if I was a Spurs fan. Cheap Shot Rob laid a hard foul… and Nash didn’t over-exaggerate it until he was on the ground. But Rob knocking him into the scorer’s table wasn’t a flop, it WAS a flop when Nash flailed his arms after lying on the ground for a second or two. I hope Amare and Boris don’t get suspended because it will mean that the Spurs will win the title again this year, which I don’t have a problem with… but it’s nice to have some variety every now and then.
May.15 at 12:51 pm
James says:
If there needs to be a goon on Utah, then Rafael Aurujo may finally earn his guarenteed millions. He looks and shoots like the incredible hulk.
May.15 at 12:52 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I don’t think Nash dove into the table—he was legitimately pushed/elbowed/checked. But the “collapse” at the end when he stretched his head out on the floor seemed suspiciously staged. Maybe it’s just because flopping and acting have become so prevalent that the natural reaction is to expect it, but it sure seemed extra to me.
May.15 at 12:55 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
And Amare and Boris didn’t just step onto the court—they headed straight towards the conflict. Sure, they didn’t throw any punches or anything, but they gave the officials two more bodies to worry about, which is the WHOLE POINT of the rule. And it’s not like this is a new rule or anything. Guys have been suspended (as Amanda has pointed out) for less. If you’re gonna keep the rule on the books, you can’t apply it selectively just because it wouldn’t be “fair.”
May.15 at 12:59 pm
drbonzo says:
Rubenstein makes a good point about setting precedent if the L does suspend Amare. It would definitlye entice future scrubs to “bruise” stars in order to invite suspensions. The L really needs to use its judgement here. The Suns had the game, Horry incited, guys reacted…very simple…if the L suspends Amare and the Spurs go on to win, fans will be looking back on this for decades to come. Amare did nothing wrong. The L will be dictating the entire series and seaons of a team that has battled hard and fair all year.
May.15 at 1:00 pm
Cyk1 says:
@K22C Nash is pound for pound best player in the L. The guy is a gift from the basketball gods. It is undeniable to those who know the game. If it doesn’t come easy for the Spurs they just fade away.
May.15 at 1:04 pm
Co Co says:
Why are a lot of people sort of implying Horry is anything like a scrub sent in to take out a marquee player. Horry has done more in his career than A LOT of so called superstars. I understand the sentiment, but Horry isn’t a scrub
May.15 at 1:06 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
“Scrubs” (which I would contend Robert Horry is NOT) have been fouling “stars” hard since the beginning of time. It’s not like this is some startling new development. The five players on the court—along with the three refs—should be able to take care of things without help from the bench. And the players on the bench should know the rules. Horry was ejected and off the court within, what, two minutes? Justice was swift and fair. There was NO NEED for Amare and Boris to involve themselves in ANY WAY.
May.15 at 1:10 pm
Boyd says:
Salaam has it right: As I’ve already said, the Sternbot and the NBA front office know that the NBA title has to be decided on a basketball court, not by them over some non-event. They know how many fans they would turn away by handing the Spurs the title on a plate. They are not going to intentionally take all interest out of the playoffs. And for all you Detroit fans out there, they are too thin and not talented enough to beat the Suns or Spurs over 7, so an Amare suspension would decide the title. If SAS or PHO were in the East, they would be 12-2 0r 12-1 en-route to the finals. Don’t let what Detroit is doing fool you; they are a Western calibre team in the Leastern. Mac’s Rockets would have cut it up in the E, but where are they now? Trust me, Stern isn’t gonna throw out the legitimacy of the title over this. And whoever questioned Nash’s status, you have no sense of perspective or history; in 20 years time we will look at footage of a 6′ 1 white guy who won two MVP’s and tore the league to shreds. Whether he wins a title or no, we will all look back with a collective ‘aaah, don’t make ‘em like that any more.
May.15 at 1:12 pm
ray says:
russ bengtson is a real douchebag
May.15 at 1:13 pm
Ikemob22 says:
If we could the “cheap shots” in NBA live I’d cop it and start to play it!! each NBA fight and brwal or whatever Id be able to make a decent stating 5 for all my teams!
May.15 at 1:17 pm
ray says:
russ bengtson is not the woman you want on your team when your opponents start playin dirty. first sign of trouble or a fight and russel would be bakin cookies and makin friendship bracelets….i know if my teammate took a cheap shot like that, i wouldnt be able to stay on the bench, not even to fight neccessarily, but atleast to check on your teammate to see if hes ok…..but youre right russy, its better to stay on the bench, you dont want to break a nail or anything…
May.15 at 1:19 pm
Gilbert says:
if the decision is made to suspend STAT and DIAW, there are NOT handing the spurs a title on a plate, like many of ya’ll think. They still have a chance, and spurs still have to go thru utah/gw and detroit. now dont say any of those teams cant beat spurs becuz anything is possible. anybody recall GW vs Dallas? oh wait that happened this year! come on people, stop being babies becuz ur team messed up. it was STAT and DIAW’s decision to be dumb. get over it, the L is not handing nobody a title, they are simply taking care of the rules and enforcing it like it should be. simple as that. players should take responsibility for thier own actions and think before they act. sorry sun fans. but its your own teams fault.
May.15 at 1:19 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Did Shaq really say on TNT that he would have voted for Kobe for MVP? Or is this just a baseless rumor?
May.15 at 1:21 pm
Ikemob22 says:
LOL… russ isnt a (woman)/cupcake he lives by the golden rule or something like that it must go in line wit not snitching and the dnt hit rule we were all taught as kids. His momma raised a non violent kinda guy!He just one of thoes” mind ya business kinda cats I guess!
May.15 at 1:25 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Ray, you’re the exact kind of moron the NBA created the rule for in the first place. I suppose I didn’t realize that Stoudemire and Diaw are trained EMTs. That’s my mistake.
May.15 at 1:26 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
You guys are awesome.
May.15 at 1:27 pm
Ikemob22 says:
I got love for you Russ!
May.15 at 1:28 pm
Aaron says:
Jalen Rose was on 1st and 10 and stated that the league is reviewing the play earlier in the game in which Duncan came onto the court after Elson was undercut by Jones. Steve Kerr brought up the same point in an interview as well. He supposedly took four or five steps onto the court and Bowen went out to pull him back. So, Duncan and Bowen could be suspended if that is the case.
May.15 at 1:29 pm
tt says:
this is the first time that Mr. Bengston sounds fair.
May.15 at 1:30 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
They should just suspend everyone for Game Five and have Pat Burke play Fabricio Oberto one-on-one for 48 minutes. Then change the rule in the offseason. Or install seatbelts on the bench.
May.15 at 1:32 pm
dj says:
Technically, the “leaving-the-bench” rule is only enforced if a FIGHT breaks out. Guys leave the bench area to cheer and stuff all the time, its not like there’s a laser force field around the bench that trips an alarm everytime you cross it. Since Bell/Horry/Nash never was a “Fight” but just a lot of scuffling with the refs/coaches holding the players back, this rule shouldn’t even be in the picture. Now if bell lands a haymaker on Rob and all hell breaks loose and you leave the bench, then yeah suspensions should be handed out. But this was a non-fight situation, and since there was no fight how can you suspend STAT just for merely moving past an imaginary line that ppl accidentally cross many times during a game?
May.15 at 1:34 pm
Co Co says:
So, how about that Vince Carter turnover???
May.15 at 1:34 pm
solly what says:
Yes Gilbert Yes. Suns need to stop crying and take the hormone pills.
May.15 at 1:36 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Tim Duncan left the bench briefly in the second quarter:
http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/05/15/tim-duncan-left-the-bench-too-will-he-be-suspended/
Suspension?
May.15 at 1:37 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Ray is not smart.
May.15 at 1:38 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Ray, you really have a way with words.
May.15 at 1:38 pm
Ryan Jones says:
In fairness, Russ does make delicious cookies.
I don’t happen to agree with my friend and former boss on this — I think there should be some leeway in the rules, where as long as guys on the bench don’t actually get involved in the action, they should just catch a warning or fine or something — but Russ’ point is nonetheless valid. This sh*t isn’t a streetfight, Ray, let alone streetball; it’s a bunch of multimillionaires in what is essentially the entertainment industry playing a little boys’ game in front of a paying public. We all love this game and take is as seriously as we need to, but following your thought to its logical conclusion, these situations should justifiably end in hockey brawls. Which, given the physical nature of hardwood floors and guys who aren’t wearing helments and pads, seems like a pretty bad idea. I hope that makes sense, and if it doesn’t, I expect you’ll be calling me “Ryanny” and accusing me of trafficking in baked goods as well. So be it.
May.15 at 1:39 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Sam - that’s funny. There was no altercation. Do you have tape of them crossing the court to get to the locker room, too?
May.15 at 1:41 pm
ray says:
what the funk does being an EMT have to do with anything? maybe youve never played contact sports, jennifer. if your teammate takes a hard foul or he gets physically attacked because an opponent is ‘frusterated’ , you cant help but get up and find an angle from where you can assess the situation and see whats going on with your teammates health. and the NBA didnt create the rule for ME , they created it because, these are large angry men that play these types of physical sports, and they know heads will get busted if they dont set some guidelines. that doesnt, however, have anything to do with somebody going to see if someone else is alright. if stat wanted to bust horrys head, it would’ve happened, obviously he got up to see what was going on, otherwise dan d’antoni wouldnt have been able to restrain him from leaving the bench area.
May.15 at 1:41 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Ryan, I don’t think Ray can read that much in one sitting, much less comprehend it. Also, I would call you “Rhianna”. And make you dance.
May.15 at 1:45 pm
Boyd says:
Check out the main photo on ESPN where Nash is ripping Horry’s shirt and giving it the ‘f*ck you, mate’ only a true footballer could pull off. Priceless.
May.15 at 1:46 pm
ray says:
ryanny.. i cant wait to sample your muffins, i bet theyre delicious… and reggie, i cant wait for you to sample my nutsack, i KNOW you’ll find it delicious.
May.15 at 1:49 pm
Gilbert says:
haha SAM, no altercation there even tho elson got undercut, spurs didnt whine about it lmao! that video is pointless, you may as well get some footage while players step on the court before a clear time out is about to be called and players step on the court., or better yet, get some footage while there is 3 seconds in the game left and one team is winning by 20..and you see all the players on the court. dumb video, no altercation. sorry
May.15 at 1:50 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Straight from the 2006-’07 NBA rule book, page 42: “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 $50,000. The suspensions will commence prior to the start of their next game.” I think that qualified as an altercation.
May.15 at 1:52 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
The Horry/Raja/Nash dustup, I mean.
May.15 at 1:53 pm
crug says:
to anyone who thinks the suns are whining… 1. this is basketball not football
2. look at the bs the spurs pull like knees the the groin and kicking legs out trying to ruin amare’s knees
3. suns whine? tim duncan should be tossed out of every game for complaining
4. the spurs are the biggest whiners in the nba, everyone knows it
5. also the dirtiest team in the nba, and someone finally called them out on it
6. tim duncan looks like he just came out of his mothers womb
7. if any spurs player wants to brawl with amare…go for it and see what happens when a young stud kicks the %^#$ out of old girls
8. SA is just bitter because their city smells and wished they had chicks like the PHX
9. tim duncan needs a diaper and finally… 10. bruce bowen, please dont knee me in the groin like a cheap shot little girl
May.15 at 1:55 pm
Siege says:
KK everyone needs to just open their eyes and minds plz. Where i’m from it’s called “shine your eyes.” So those in favour of a amare-diaw suspension are telling me that it is right to commit such a hard foul when you’re clearly beaten (the suns werent gonna fumble the ball) and there are 18 seconds left on the clock - pure idiocracy. Honestly, this is what makes me believe that this was a spurs ploy. Horry acting like he was angry. C’mon the guy has what? 6 rings and he’s frustrated when his team is not even losing the series just yet. BS. Amare soft by calling Bowen dirty? nah i dont think so; I think i can understand where he’s coming from considering his career almost ended a year ago and ANY of you who went through such an arduous recovery process would be enraged by such a cheap play. How dare the league suspend them, especially when this is a player who gets amare like 15 of his points a night. Nash didnt flop, he got thrown by a huge player, the momentum with which he drove helped of course but thats not a flop: its physics.
1
May.15 at 1:59 pm
Co Co says:
Russ, we’re fighting a losing battle. Apparently all rules should just be disregarded now.
May.15 at 2:00 pm
mayo says:
Gilbert, russ and ikemob22 must be on the byatch team! hopefully one day that never happens to someone you love or respect! cuz i’ll tell ya i would never have you guys as my friends or let alone my team! EVERYBODY KNOWS THE SPURS ARE A D I R T Y TEAM! no one plays defense by raising their knee in the middle of a play!
May.15 at 2:00 pm
ray says:
immediate vicinity doesnt say anything about crossing the inbound line of the court. have you ever seen how close the bench area is to to that line? its literally inches away. amare didnt stray from the immediate area of the bench, he walked perpendicular to the bench area, and was feet away at all times. not to mention he never touched any member of the opposite team , didnt say anything, nor did he compound and exaggerate the altercation in any way…merely looked to see what was happening. no point made.
May.15 at 2:00 pm
ray says:
immediate vicinity doesnt say anything about crossing the inbound line of the court. have you ever seen how close the bench area is to to that line? its literally inches away. amare didnt stray from the immediate area of the bench, he walked perpendicular to the bench area, and was feet away at all times. not to mention he never touched any member of the opposite team , didnt say anything, nor did he compound and exaggerate the altercation in any way…merely looked to see what was happening. no point made. so much for page 42 :-/
May.15 at 2:02 pm
ray says:
not to mention amare WAS participating in the game, he was just taking a rest…technicality
May.15 at 2:03 pm
ray says:
mayo’s a smart guy
May.15 at 2:07 pm
ray says:
good points siege
May.15 at 2:07 pm
Spurs Fan says:
I’m a huge Spurs fan and was completely shocked when Horry body checked Nash. I really hope that Amare and Diaw do not get suspended because I am loving this series the way it is. No way do I want the Spurs to beat a depleted Suns team. I want them to win it the right way. This is truly a rivalry in the making and I want this to go to game 7! With the Spurs winning the series of course…
May.15 at 2:08 pm
Kev says:
that duncan stroll has gotta count too, I would think…
May.15 at 2:09 pm
Ryan Jones says:
By the way, the lord has called Jerry Falwell home. Any thoughts, Ray?
May.15 at 2:09 pm
mayo says:
Watch this one in game three! Bowen should been ejected from this game! http://nba.aolsportsblog.com/2007/05/13/bruce-bowen-knees-steve-nash-in-the-groin/
May.15 at 2:10 pm
Spurs Fan says:
Oh and one last thing I have to say. I actually love the attention the Spurs are finally getting from everyone else. Before this series it was, “Oh the Spurs again, how boring.” Now it’s “I hate those dirty Spurs! I hope they lose!!!” At least people are passionate about them I guess.
May.15 at 2:11 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
No one’s saying what Horry did was right. Last I checked, he was immediately ejected, which is what the rules state to be the proper punishment for a flagrant 2. But what Amare and Boris did, in passing the coach’s box and coming to damn near half-court during an altercation, wasn’t right either. You can’t expect the League to selectively enforce rules just because it isn’t “fair.” And ray, I assume by your logic, you would like to see the Suns punish all of the players who stayed on the bench throughout the whole situation. Because obviously they’re a bunch of pussies who didn’t come to check on the situation.
May.15 at 2:11 pm
Hersey says:
The league has put itself in a situation where it can decide a series. Their reigning MVP gets checked into the scorer’s table and two of his teammates attempt to come to his aide. Nash was still laid out on the floor when Diaw and Stoudemire came toward him not Horry. If the Suns lose two players and the Spurs lose one (for the elbow to Raja’s throat not the flagrant foul) then the NBA is a joke. That rule is terrible because we’ve already seen it decide a playoff series (Knicks-Heat 1997) and it was created because punk ass Greg Anthony attacked KJ in street clothes. It’s designed to prevent brawls but it encourages goons. Hit a star player and try to get a reaction. What if a guy gets hurt from a hard foul. What’s the interpretation of the rule if a guy is hurt?
May.15 at 2:12 pm
crug says:
tim duncan left the bench in the 2nd quarter on a hard foul to tony parker…if amare and diaw are out, he must be tossed as well.
May.15 at 2:12 pm
ray says:
i say good ridence
May.15 at 2:13 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
The entire rulebook is available for download is you wish to peruse all of the rules. I think I just looked up “nba rules leaving bench” on Google. I’m also assuming the book is made available to players and coaches.
May.15 at 2:14 pm
crug says:
tim duncan is seen here leaving the bench on a hard foul to tony parker
http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/05/15/tim-duncan-left-the-bench-too-will-he-be-suspended/
if amare and diaw are suspended duncan must also be…he clearly left the bench area
May.15 at 2:15 pm
mayo says:
one of the people here said bowen’s eyes were on the ball the whole time! this video shows otherwise! this is the kisk amare was talking about! http://ballhype.com/story/youtube_bruce_bowen_kicks_amare_stoudamire/
May.15 at 2:15 pm
Ryan Jones says:
What the f*ck is up with the bold comments?
May.15 at 2:16 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Seriously? Is only my computer