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Big Shot Bob strikes again
Big Shot Bob strikes again
By Jemele Hill
Page 2
A historical question: Could Robert Horry's cheap shot on Steve Nash in Game 4 be the biggest shot of his career?
It wasn't a 3-pointer, but Robert Horry may have struck the biggest blow in a playoff series yet again.The trey Horry nailed to destroy the Sacramento Kings' NBA title hopes in 2002 did nothing compared to the damage his forearm could do to the Phoenix Suns, who until the final 18 seconds of Monday night's critical Game 4 were tougher than the San Antonio Spurs. The forearm buried Nash underneath the scorer's table, but most importantly, it incited Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw to charge onto the court from the bench -- which all but guarantees them a suspension for Game 5 in Phoenix.
Hey, they don't call him Big Shot Bob for nothing.
If the NBA hands out the expected suspensions, the Spurs will lose only the whopping seven points per game Horry is averaging in this series. Meanwhile, Phoenix will lose two of its top six players and a serious chance to put the Spurs' neck in a guillotine.
Is it fair? No. Is it right? Absolutely. The NBA doesn't have much choice but to suspend Horry, Stoudemire and Diaw for Game 5.
The rule about players leaving the bench is there to prevent situations from escalating into utter embarrassments. It's an ironclad rule that isn't open to interpretation, and it can't be applied differently because it adversely affects one team more than the other. In fact, the point of the rule is to affect teams so adversely they don't break it.
If the league does nothing to Stoudemire and Diaw, it will set an awful precedent and send the message that the rules are vulnerable to perception and public outcry. As if the Suns are the only team in NBA history that can claim this rule puts them at an unfair disadvantage.
And there's no way Stoudemire just was ambling to the scorer's table to check back into the game, as he claimed afterward. Give him (or the Suns' PR rep) credit for coming up with such a cute excuse. But go watch the replay. Stoudemire broke out into a Carl Lewis-like sprint toward the on-court scrum -- looking like he wanted to do to Horry what Uma Thurman did to David Carradine in the final scene of "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" -- which weakens Stoudemire's creative explanation.
Look, I get why Stoudemire and Diaw rushed to Nash's defense. Nash is their boy, and teammates are obligated to stick up for one another -- especially in a series that has grown as testy as this one. The Spurs were behaving uncharacteristically graceless, and Horry's forearm of frustration was exacted because the Spurs blew an 11-point lead late in the game -- and thus a golden opportunity to put their foot on Phoenix's neck.
AP Photo/Lm Otero
We'll see if David Stern buys Amare Stoudemire's explanation, or just shows him some mercy.But given how commissioner David Stern has shown zero tolerance for player misconduct since the Detroit-Indiana brawl, what Stoudemire and Diaw did simply wasn't smart. And by the way, did you notice how the Spurs' bench stayed put, further undermining Stoudemire's contrived explanation?
You'd have thought the Suns would have learned from Raja Bell's one-game playoff suspension against the Lakers last year. Bell's clothesline on Kobe Bryant could have cost the Suns that series.
The Spurs are much stronger than the Lakers, and losing Stoudemire and Diaw will hurt a whole lot more than losing Bell. Even if the league decides to suspend Horry for two games, Phoenix will be affected much more.
Of course, this is going to fuel speculation that Horry's cheap shot was on purpose. But all it does is show exactly how much the Spurs are in Phoenix's head.
The Suns won Game 4, but the Spurs are winning the mental war. The Suns' gritty victory was powerful enough to change this series permanently in their direction, but they've now given the power back to the Spurs with one bad decision.
The Spurs maintain a certain advantage as long they can yank Phoenix's chain whenever they want. And Big Shot Bob's reputation for delivering in the playoffs continues to be well-deserved.
Page 2 columnist Jemele Hill can
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
i really struggle with a hard foul being called a cheap shot. he didn't blindside nash, nash knew he was going to be fouled. excessive, yes...dirty/cheapshot, no.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Cheap Shot Bob is no idiot...he knew it was desperation time with that game out of hand and the series becoming a best of 3 without homecourt...and he knew that big players for the Suns were on the bench...and he knew they'd probably respond...
Bob has to be suspended for the elbow to Bell...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
I think this was all contrived by the craftiest player in the league.
Way to go, Rob.
:toast
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Posted this in other thread but probably goes better in here.
http://i14.tinypic.com/676yioo.jpg
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...9-b769f655098f
Picture of Rob fouling Nash- keep in mind this was in a Canadian paper.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
I think this was all contrived by the craftiest player in the league.
Way to go, Rob.
:toast
I agree. It was too out of character for him and the Spurs. He did it for a reason.
Will it work? Time will tell.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Of course, this is going to fuel speculation that Horry's cheap shot was on purpose. But all it does is show exactly how much the Spurs are in Phoenix's head.
Doesn't make any sense. If anything it's the opposite. It showed how much the Suns were in the Spurs head. Amare constantly calling them dirty, league looking carefully at Bowen, etc. while the Spurs scoffed and said they aren't physical and sarcastically replied, "yea we're like the bad boy pistons, etc." well they lost their cool and fell into the trap of now being called/labeled dirty for real.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
And can I just add that for someone whom was brutally fouled, Nash sure recovered quickly.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by Testing
Doesn't make any sense. If anything it's the opposite. It showed how much the Suns were in the Spurs head. Amare constantly calling them dirty, league looking carefully at Bowen, etc. while the Spurs scoffed and said they aren't physical and sarcastically replied, "yea we're like the bad boy pistons, etc." well they lost their cool and fell into the trap of now being called/labeled dirty for real.
I think it was brilliant, and I love Horry even more than ever now.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
And can I just add that for someone whom was brutally fouled, Nash sure recovered quickly.
I'm confused...
Nash was checked into a padded table. Should he ham it up and act hurt like Baron Davis would? The fact that he wasn't hurt has nothing to do with the severity of the foul by Horry...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
And can I just add that for someone whom was brutally fouled, Nash sure recovered quickly.
The table is padded, Nash takes harder falls under the basket every 5 mins during a game....Nash flopped, and his acting may have cost his team game 5.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
I'm confused...
Nash was checked into a padded table. Should he ham it up and act hurt like Baron Davis would? The fact that he wasn't hurt has nothing to do with the severity of the foul by Horry...
Nash never would have been in the scorer's table if he hadn't thrown himself there.
Horry did not ram into him- just bumped him.
And Nash, being a former soccer player, you think would be use to contact.
I am sure he was anticipating it on that play- is likely what enabled him to sell his acting job.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Nash did act on that play.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Amare and Diaw will not be suspended. Book it!
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
The table is padded, Nash takes harder falls under the basket every 5 mins during a game....Nash flopped, and his acting may have cost his team game 5.
Quote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
Nash never would have been in the scorer's table if he hadn't thrown himself there.
Horry did not ram into him- just bumped him.
And Nash, being a former soccer player, you think would be use to contact.
I am sure he was anticipating it on that play- is likely what enabled him to sell his acting job.
Unbelievable... :lol
The only flop or "sell" on Nash's part was him laying down and putting his arms up for a brief second...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Unbelievable... :lol
The only flop or "sell" on Nash's part was him laying down and putting his arms up for a brief second...
That is what I am talking about...when he started to get up, then acted by laying down on the floor...that is why Amare and Diaw ran to the court....
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Unbelievable... :lol
The only flop or "sell" on Nash's part was him laying down and putting his arms up for a brief second...
It's not like Nash is a 7 foot wing man, he's actuallly a tough guy.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Either way...its reaching that Horry planned that whole thing.
I am sure he was getting slightly frustrated with the bad calls that were going the Spurs way the last couple of minutes or so...i think he thought Manu was def fouled on that last block/TO. He went to give Nash a hard foul and it ended up as an over the top foul combined with the bad angle and Nash's flop.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
YOU mean " HIT" --- you can't suspend horry for fouling :p:
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Either way, even if they somehow manage to suspend Diaw and Amare, Suns will be maaaaad and that's even more dangerous than having them play. Also, Suns made a majority of their comeback with Amare on the bench the past couple of games due to foul trouble. They've been doing fine without him...and Diaw has yet to show up, so I doubt it'll make that much of a difference. Either way, Spurs in a tough situation.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Cheap Shot Bob is no idiot...he knew it was desperation time with that game out of hand and the series becoming a best of 3 without homecourt...and he knew that big players for the Suns were on the bench...and he knew they'd probably respond...
Bob has to be suspended for the elbow to Bell...
Your takes are so anti-Spurs and biased! How many Suns players should also be "suspended" then for flipping players, cracking heads, raking eyes.
Come with a fair take, please.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
That is what I am talking about...when he started to get up, then acted by laying down on the floor...that is why Amare and Diaw ran to the court....
I really doubt that...the hit was the big incident...
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarrinS
It's not like Nash is a 7 foot wing man, he's actuallly a tough guy.
um, ok...
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilMissSPURfect
YOU mean " HIT" --- you can't suspend horry for fouling :p:
You can for elbowing Bell though...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilMissSPURfect
YOU mean " HIT" --- you can't suspend horry for fouling :p:
:lol
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrandeDavid
Your takes are so anti-Spurs and biased! How many Suns players should also be "suspended" then for flipping players, cracking heads, raking eyes.
Come with a fair take, please.
Dude...Horry was ejected on the spot...there is no question it was a bullshit foul on his part. It can't be defended...
The hit on Manu's eye was a complete accident...as was Nash's nose getting cut...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
suspensions for elbowing.....hmm
nope...nada....
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
elbows, flops, emotionas, hard fouls are part of the game! u get hit...u get up and keep going you don't bail and whine and cry.....i thought you mav fans woulda learnt that by now!
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
I'm confused...
Nash was checked into a padded table. Should he ham it up and act hurt like Baron Davis would? The fact that he wasn't hurt has nothing to do with the severity of the foul by Horry...
aaaaaaaaa caught you! you said FOUL! u should b confused! :dizzy
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilMissSPURfect
elbows, flops, emotionas, hard fouls are part of the game! u get hit...u get up and keep going you don't bail and whine and cry.....i thought you mav fans woulda learnt that by now!
Alrighty then... :dizzy
The elbow that Horry threw on Bell is not part of the game though, hun...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Give it up for Horry -- the Alabama Hot Pocket
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Alrighty then... :dizzy
The elbow that Horry threw on Bell is not part of the game though, hun...
guess u didn't see ALL the elbows that were?
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilMissSPURfect
guess u didn't see ALL the elbows that were?
Fill me in...please... :lol
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
i find this whole scenario comical because Horry hotheadedness now forces the NBA to do what it doesn't want to do and that is suspend 2 key players from a playoff team. i don't blame this on the refs, but if the officiating hadn't been so one sided in the 4th, the spurs emotions wouldn't have been so high. now with horry overreacting to shitty officiating, he forces the NBA to make some tough decisions.
i love it.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilMissSPURfect
suspensions for elbowing.....hmm
nope...nada....
yes in this case.
Horrys foul on Nash was a flagrant 1 at best. It was a hard body check and he didn't go for the head. After Bell swung at him though he threw an elbow back in retaliation. That is what he will get the game 5 suspension for. Of course, thats a pretty good trade for Amare, Diaw, and Bell....LOL
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Fill me in...please... :lol
I'm sure if u erase all your mav chokes on your dvr and make room for some real basketball you could see it and rerun them to your content!
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicCowboy
yes in this case.
Horrys foul on Nash was a flagrant 1 at best. It was a hard body check and he didn't go for the head. After Bell swung at him though he threw an elbow back in retaliation. That is what he will get the game 5 suspension for. Of course, thats a pretty good trade for Amare, Diaw, and Bell....LOL
i missed that...did bell actually take a swing at Horry??? was it closed fist?
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicCowboy
yes in this case.
Horrys foul on Nash was a flagrant 1 at best. It was a hard body check and he didn't go for the head. After Bell swung at him though he threw an elbow back in retaliation. That is what he will get the game 5 suspension for. Of course, thats a pretty good trade for Amare, Diaw, and Bell....LOL
:cry life goes on...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
The only problem I have is Horry's arm position. He definetely pushed his elbow into the contact...Otherwise it would have been a flop by Nash. Stupid foul. Stupid Amare + Diaw.
/Spurs in 6
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilMissSPURfect
I'm sure if u erase all your mav chokes on your dvr and make room for some real basketball you could see it and rerun them to your content!
Translation: I've got nothin'
:lol
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by VaSpursFan
i find this whole scenario comical because Horry hotheadedness now forces the NBA to do what it doesn't want to do and that is suspend 2 key players from a playoff team. i don't blame this on the refs, but if the officiating hadn't been so one sided in the 4th, the spurs emotions wouldn't have been so high. now with horry overreacting to shitty officiating, he forces the NBA to make some tough decisions.
i love it.
Horry hotheadedness? :lol
That foul was absolutely calculated and he intentionally did it right in front of the Suns bench. Smart move by a crafty veteran with a handful of rings.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by VaSpursFan
i missed that...did bell actually take a swing at Horry??? was it closed fist?
Yes, it was a closed fist. Bell should be gone too.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Translation: I've got nothin'
:lol
translation : Watch the game and stop hatin'
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Alrighty then... :dizzy
The elbow that Horry threw on Bell is not part of the game though, hun...
here's your elbow....they were engaged in a playfull game of pattycake!
http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007..._horry_412.jpg
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
I guess Sean Marks will now get playing time.
:lol
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilMissSPURfect
Uh huh...you can take your tongue out of your cheek now...
at 4 seconds notice Horry leaning and accelerating into Bell (off screen)...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-0qe7PGCQvI
He tried to give Bell an elbow across the face. He's a big MMA fan...must've been confused about where he was :lol
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
You can clearly see in that picture that Bells fist is closed. Bye bye Bell.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicCowboy
You can clearly see in that picture that Bells fist is closed. Bye bye Bell.
What picture???
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
like i said stop the hatin' .....i dont want to particpate in your over ANALYZING again! Horry fouled! it was called a flagrant 2 (apparently)
now back to the SPURS....(dailydime)no matter how you over analyze it you just hatin'! Because if you were a basketball fan you would be in AWE!
Over the last 10 years, the Spurs have been one of the best teams in the NBA. Their 82 playoff wins tie the Lakers for the most in the league in that time. They can eclipse the Lakers with a win in Game 5.
They have won 19 playoff series, which is second in the NBA in that time. And they have won three titles in that span, which is tied for the most in the league.
Most Playoff Wins Since 1996-97 Seaso
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
All right- having seen the replay, I am going to adjust my stance slightly.
Horry did run Nash over. However, I still say Nash landed and then flopped over dramatically like a fish.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
And can I just add that for someone whom was brutally fouled, Nash sure recovered quickly.
Sure is funny huh? Phoenix, being close to Hollywood and just coming off a series there, must have gotten in some acting lessons.
If Nash would have actually gone down as hard as he made it look, he would still be on the floor.
Horry hit him fairly hard, but what the hell was Nash doing running 90 miles an hour down the court at that stage of the game? Trying to get up another 7 second shot? And it's not like he didn't see the hard foul coming.
Maybe he was trying for an Oscar.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
What picture???
http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007..._horry_412.jpg
That picture was taken right after his fist contacted Horrys chin (not that great of a punch BTW...Horry ducked his head back and it was just a glancing blow) and Horry was swinging the elbow to deflect and retaliate. Thats why Horry will be suspended too.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LilMissSPURfect
like i said stop the hatin' .....i dont want to particpate in your over ANALYZING again! Horry fouled! it was called a flagrant 2 (apparently)
now back to the SPURS....(dailydime)no matter how you over analyze it you just hatin'! Because if you were a basketball fan you would be in AWE!
Over the last 10 years, the Spurs have been one of the best teams in the NBA. Their 82 playoff wins tie the Lakers for the most in the league in that time. They can eclipse the Lakers with a win in Game 5.
They have won 19 playoff series, which is second in the NBA in that time. And they have won three titles in that span, which is tied for the most in the league.
Most Playoff Wins Since 1996-97 Seaso
It was "apparently" a flagrant 2? :lol
and I have no idea why you typed the rest of that crap...hopefully it was a copy/paste :lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
All right- having seen the replay, I am going to adjust my stance slightly.
Horry did run Nash over. However, I still say Nash landed and then flopped over dramatically like a fish.
like I already said he did...the only sell on his part was him laying back after he hit the table...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicCowboy
http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007..._horry_412.jpg
That picture was taken right after his fist contacted Horrys chin (not that great of a punch BTW...Horry ducked his head back and it was just a glancing blow) and Horry was swinging the elbow to deflect and retaliate. Thats why Horry will be suspended too.
Yea, that picture where I see 4 open hands... :lol
I'm sure Bell did make a fist, but say that picture proves it is just comical...
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Yea, that picture where I see 4 open hands... :lol
I'm sure Bell did make a fist, but say that picture proves it is just comical...
uhhh...look at Bells hand behind Horrys. The thumb is touching the curled index finger. Thats called a fist shithead.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
like I already said he did...the only sell on his part was him laying back after he hit the table...
You were right.
From where I was standing at the game last night, all I saw was Robert bump into Nash and what appeared to be Nash throwing himself into the table.
Robert had his back to me so I didn't see him get Nash with his arm.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicCowboy
uhhh...look at Bells hand behind Horrys. The thumb is touching the curled index finger. Thats called a fist shithead.
Spurs fans taking it to a new level today... :hat :smokin :drunk
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
You were right.
From where I was standing at the game last night, all I saw was Robert bump into Nash and what appeared to be Nash throwing himself into the table.
Robert had his back to me so I didn't see him get Nash with his arm.
Props to you for admitting your stance was a little off... :toast
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Props to you for admitting your stance was a little off... :toast
:toast Sorry for automatically not believing you just because you're a Mavs fan. :oops
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
Spurs fans taking it to a new level today... :hat :smokin :drunk
Leonard, I watched it on video last night from a different angle. I didn't have to be a homer to see the punch thrown and i'm pretty confident the NBA front office will see it that way too.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
one thing about bell
he does have some history of being dirty
that will not help his cause
suns are mentally weak like coach
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Somebody pm me when the nerds make a nice animated gif of that clothes line :toast
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Alright, I've been pretty much sheltered from what all is going on.
I came home from the game and was so damn tired i went straight to bed no radio nothing.
Did Amare and Diaw DEFINATELY come off the bench onto the court during the altercation?
Did Bell DEFINATELY throw a punch?
IF SO
All three are gone for game 5.
Horry SHOULD be.
I was disgusted after that happened.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicCowboy
Leonard, I watched it on video last night from a different angle. I didn't have to be a homer to see the punch thrown and i'm pretty confident the NBA front office will see it that way too.
Dude, can you read? All I'm saying is THAT picture doesn't show shit...damn!!
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
"The Spurs were behaving uncharacteristically graceless, and Horry's forearm of frustration was exacted because the Spurs blew an 11-point lead late in the game -- and thus a golden opportunity to put their foot on Phoenix's neck."
This pretty much sums it up for me. The Spurs blew it.
I say Amare gets suspended because he has been an whiny immature idiot bitch this whole series. He is a spoiled brat and needs to grow up as well as d'antoni. This might teach them a lesson, an unfortunate lesson but one none the less due to their stupidity. We shall see.
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by T Park
Alright, I've been pretty much sheltered from what all is going on.
I came home from the game and was so damn tired i went straight to bed no radio nothing.
Did Amare and Diaw DEFINATELY come off the bench onto the court during the altercation?
Did Bell DEFINATELY throw a punch?
IF SO
All three are gone for game 5.
Horry SHOULD be.
I was disgusted after that happened.
Yes
Yes
Yes
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Re: Big Shot Bob strikes again
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
Big Shot Bob strikes again
By Jemele Hill
Page 2
A historical question: Could Robert Horry's cheap shot on Steve Nash in Game 4 be the biggest shot of his career?
It wasn't a 3-pointer, but Robert Horry may have struck the biggest blow in a playoff series yet again.The trey Horry nailed to destroy the Sacramento Kings' NBA title hopes in 2002 did nothing compared to the damage his forearm could do to the Phoenix Suns, who until the final 18 seconds of Monday night's critical Game 4 were tougher than the San Antonio Spurs. The forearm buried Nash underneath the scorer's table, but most importantly, it incited Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw to charge onto the court from the bench -- which all but guarantees them a suspension for Game 5 in Phoenix.
Hey, they don't call him Big Shot Bob for nothing.
If the NBA hands out the expected suspensions, the Spurs will lose only the whopping seven points per game Horry is averaging in this series. Meanwhile, Phoenix will lose two of its top six players and a serious chance to put the Spurs' neck in a guillotine.
Is it fair? No. Is it right? Absolutely. The NBA doesn't have much choice but to suspend Horry, Stoudemire and Diaw for Game 5.
The rule about players leaving the bench is there to prevent situations from escalating into utter embarrassments. It's an ironclad rule that isn't open to interpretation, and it can't be applied differently because it adversely affects one team more than the other. In fact, the point of the rule is to affect teams so adversely they don't break it.
If the league does nothing to Stoudemire and Diaw, it will set an awful precedent and send the message that the rules are vulnerable to perception and public outcry. As if the Suns are the only team in NBA history that can claim this rule puts them at an unfair disadvantage.
And there's no way Stoudemire just was ambling to the scorer's table to check back into the game, as he claimed afterward. Give him (or the Suns' PR rep) credit for coming up with such a cute excuse. But go watch the replay. Stoudemire broke out into a Carl Lewis-like sprint toward the on-court scrum -- looking like he wanted to do to Horry what Uma Thurman did to David Carradine in the final scene of "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" -- which weakens Stoudemire's creative explanation.
Look, I get why Stoudemire and Diaw rushed to Nash's defense. Nash is their boy, and teammates are obligated to stick up for one another -- especially in a series that has grown as testy as this one. The Spurs were behaving uncharacteristically graceless, and Horry's forearm of frustration was exacted because the Spurs blew an 11-point lead late in the game -- and thus a golden opportunity to put their foot on Phoenix's neck.
AP Photo/Lm Otero
We'll see if David Stern buys Amare Stoudemire's explanation, or just shows him some mercy.But given how commissioner David Stern has shown zero tolerance for player misconduct since the Detroit-Indiana brawl, what Stoudemire and Diaw did simply wasn't smart. And by the way, did you notice how the Spurs' bench stayed put, further undermining Stoudemire's contrived explanation?
You'd have thought the Suns would have learned from Raja Bell's one-game playoff suspension against the Lakers last year. Bell's clothesline on Kobe Bryant could have cost the Suns that series.
The Spurs are much stronger than the Lakers, and losing Stoudemire and Diaw will hurt a whole lot more than losing Bell. Even if the league decides to suspend Horry for two games, Phoenix will be affected much more.
Of course, this is going to fuel speculation that Horry's cheap shot was on purpose. But all it does is show exactly how much the Spurs are in Phoenix's head.
The Suns won Game 4, but the Spurs are winning the mental war. The Suns' gritty victory was powerful enough to change this series permanently in their direction, but they've now given the power back to the Spurs with one bad decision.
The Spurs maintain a certain advantage as long they can yank Phoenix's chain whenever they want. And Big Shot Bob's reputation for delivering in the playoffs continues to be well-deserved.
Page 2 columnist Jemele Hill can
...........as per my post last night about what time will reveal about Horry's decision to hardfoul Nash........
