So let me get this straight...

[Cali Coug]

Elbowing a man in the head- fine.
Body slamming a player to the ground- fine.
Kneeing a player in the groin- fine.
Taking 3 steps towards your star player who just got crushed and then doing nothing- 1 game suspension.

Sounds about right.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

Elbowing a man in the head- fine.
Body slamming a player to the ground- fine.
Kneeing a player in the groin- fine.
Taking 3 steps towards your star player who just got crushed and then doing nothing- 1 game suspension.

Sounds about right.

Congratulations! You've just passed David Stern's "The NBA my way" course.

You should receive your certificate in the mail soon.

[Cali Coug]

And then there is this gem from the NBA:

The Suns countered by saying that Duncan and Bruce Bowen were guilty of a similar leaving-the-bench offense in Game 4's first half when San Antonio's Francisco Elson fell on the Suns' James Jones after a dunk. That play was also reviewed, but Jackson -- while conceding that Duncan "should not have been on the playing court" -- said that the league determined there was "no cause for the suspension rule" to be applied because the Elson-Jones tangle was not deemed to be an altercation.

Elson-Jones=tangle
Nash-Horry=altercation.

All the NBA has done is make the series MORE dangerous for the players and INCREASE the likelihood of a serious fight.

If I were the Suns, I would put in 1-2 players deep on the bench and have them blatantly foul Duncan right in front of the Spurs bench. Heck, they should launch Duncan straight into Popovich. That would be guaranteed to get the entire bench to step forward 3 feet and get them all suspended. The Suns player would then get 2 games (and he wouldn't be missed anyways).

Well done, Stern. Well done.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

And then there is this gem from the NBA:

The Suns countered by saying that Duncan and Bruce Bowen were guilty of a similar leaving-the-bench offense in Game 4's first half when San Antonio's Francisco Elson fell on the Suns' James Jones after a dunk. That play was also reviewed, but Jackson -- while conceding that Duncan "should not have been on the playing court" -- said that the league determined there was "no cause for the suspension rule" to be applied because the Elson-Jones tangle was not deemed to be an altercation.

Elson-Jones=tangle
Nash-Horry=altercation.

All the NBA has done is make the series MORE dangerous for the players and INCREASE the likelihood of a serious fight.

If I were the Suns, I would put in 1-2 players deep on the bench and have them blatantly foul Duncan right in front of the Spurs bench. Heck, they should launch Duncan straight into Popovich. That would be guaranteed to get the entire bench to step forward 3 feet and get them all suspended. The Suns player would then get 2 games (and he wouldn't be missed anyways).

Well done, Stern. Well done.

Yep. The NBA is all about protecting it's superstars and thus protecting the leagues cash cows. Absolutely appalling.

[YOhio]

The thing that bothers me the most about these suspensions/nonsuspensions is that they have taken away from a great NBA postseason. At a time when the NBA should really be promoting the great games, the league messed it up with silly decisions.

[Tex]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

All the NBA has done is make the series MORE dangerous for the players and INCREASE the likelihood of a serious fight.

If I were the Suns, I would put in 1-2 players deep on the bench and have them blatantly foul Duncan right in front of the Spurs bench. Heck, they should launch Duncan straight into Popovich. That would be guaranteed to get the entire bench to step forward 3 feet and get them all suspended. The Suns player would then get 2 games (and he wouldn't be missed anyways).

Well done, Stern. Well done.

This is exactly right. The NBA has slowly devolved into thug-ball, and this is one of the chief reasons why.

Oh, but they have to wear suits in the off-season, and NO MORE MEDALLIONS! Great thinking, Stern.

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

Yep. The NBA is all about protecting it's superstars and thus protecting the leagues cash cows. Absolutely appalling.

Appalling, but not that surprising.

[cougjunkie]

Kenny Smith said it best on TNT- He said the NBA has to suspend Amare and Diaw otherwise they will never be able to enforce the leaving the bench rule again. It doesnt matter the magnitude of the game you cant pick and choose your spots. Miami lost a series in 1997 (the van gundy leg grab game) because they had players leave the bench and could only dress 6 guys for the next game.

Phoenix is grasping at straws if they are trying to point out that Duncan left the bench. I dont like the rule but if the rule is there Amare and Diaw both broke it. At least Diaw caught himself and went back to the bench Amare had to be restrained.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by cougjunkie

Kenny Smith said it best on TNT- He said the NBA has to suspend Amare and Diaw otherwise they will never be able to enforce the leaving the bench rule again. It doesnt matter the magnitude of the game you cant pick and choose your spots. Miami lost a series in 1997 (the van gundy leg grab game) because they had players leave the bench and could only dress 6 guys for the next game.

Phoenix is grasping at straws if they are trying to point out that Duncan left the bench. I dont like the rule but if the rule is there Amare and Diaw both broke it. At least Diaw caught himself and went back to the bench Amare had to be restrained.

The rule needs to be revised. As I said above, Stern has only incentivized teams to flagrantly foul an opposing player right in front of that team's bench, because the odds of multiple people coming onto the court from 3 feet away is ridiculously high if you foul someone hard enough.

All Stern has done is reward Horry's behavior and possibly given the Spurs the series or, alternatively, encouraged the Suns to play dirty and get as many Spurs' players as possible ejected in the process.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by cougjunkie

Kenny Smith said it best on TNT- He said the NBA has to suspend Amare and Diaw otherwise they will never be able to enforce the leaving the bench rule again. It doesnt matter the magnitude of the game you cant pick and choose your spots. Miami lost a series in 1997 (the van gundy leg grab game) because they had players leave the bench and could only dress 6 guys for the next game.

Phoenix is grasping at straws if they are trying to point out that Duncan left the bench. I dont like the rule but if the rule is there Amare and Diaw both broke it. At least Diaw caught himself and went back to the bench Amare had to be restrained.

Grasping at straws? Duncan did leave the bench. Under the rule, he should be suspended from the next game, but the league decided not to enforce the rule.

Why?

[Surfah]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

Grasping at straws? Duncan did leave the bench. Under the rule, he should be suspended from the next game, but the league decided not to enforce the rule.

Why?

I haven't seen Duncan leave the bench. Did he leave the bench and step onto the floor? I think the rule is you can't step onto the court. But I haven't seen video of Duncan, just Diaw and Amare.