True Hoop -- Finally a reasonable Objective Opinion.

I can't say I am happy about the suspensions in the Suns/Spurs series. It benefits my team, but the rule is stupid. That being said, everyone in the NBA knows it, and if Ewing and Barkley have been a victim of it, you knew Stern would be cutting no slack. Jalen Rose said after the game he knew it would be a suspension because he step onto the court in a game and was 94 feet away from what was going on and still got the next game off.

Horry's foul was a little over the line b/c the game was out of hand, but at the same time, it wasn't like a Raja closeline, a J-Rich throw down or a B-Diddy elbow. I don't think he should have gotten two games for it. Nash sold the foul and then got up to "fight" Horry, which in turn drew his own players off the bench. He needs to stop the flopping just like Manu and Raja do, too. It backfired big time on his team.

My two cents on the whole situation is that Mike D'Antoni and Amare shouldn't have been bitching to the media from the start. If they thought what Bowen did was dirty, there was no need to have a pissing match in the media about it. The media and public opinion don't hand out fines or suspensions. They should have went through the proper channels and this whole physical play stuff would have never gotten drummed up. But instead, D'Antoni has been hissing like a cat at the refs during the game and in press conferences, Amare called the entire Spurs team dirty, when Bowen was the only one who did anything to him. Sorry to be real here but Raja plays physical with anyone he's guarding, and just as much as Bruce ever does.(he calls himself a poor man's Bruce Bowen) Kurt Thomas holds Duncan's shirt and waist everytime he touches the ball and Nash has a little chicken wing elbow he uses to create shots all the time. The Spurs have said nothing to the media and took matters into their own hands on the court. This team has been labeled soft since I've been a fan. They didn't just become the freaking Bad Boys overnight in one series. They knew they had been labeled as dirty by the Suns and most media outlets after those comments and I think they've used it to their advantage. If everyone thinks you're dirty, then give them a little something to talk about, all the while still getting in the head of the Suns.

I think the Suns are a great team and Nash is a HOF player(I wouldn't have said that 1 year ago) but from Robert Sarver down to Amare, they need to keep their mouths shut and their emotions in check and play the damn game. They are talented enough to win without whining. The Spurs last year in the Semi's were getting killed by the refs and the physical/dirty plays from the Mavs(Terry's nut punch, Stackhouse hard fouls) but they kept their mouths shut and forced a game 7 by playing the way they know their team could play. The Suns expect this to be a stroll in the park but that ain't what the Playoffs are about.

Late.

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Originally Posted by Findog

And it would still be fair to delay that punishment until November.

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Absolutely not.

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Would you complain if someone used your option to play against the Mavs, the Mavs lost when they would have won had he served the suspension then, and then that player retired before serving his suspension? Would you deem that as "fair".

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No, I would not complain. It is not reasonable for me to ask for a standard that I refuse to grant to my opponents. There would be mitigated joy if we beat the Spurs without Duncan, Suns without Nash, etc. You might get a trophy, but you want to earn it beating your competitors at full strength if possible. Injuries are one thing that ultimately we have no control over, but asinine rules enforcement is something else.

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Originally Posted by Findog

If you intentionally injure somebody, you can get sued in civil court -- see Washington, Tomjanovich.

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Doesn't have to look intentional.

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Originally Posted by Findog

And it would still be fair to delay that punishment until November.

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Of course it would be, because that's how it's always been done. :rolleyes You can't change a rule like that because fans of other teams that have gone through the same things would burn down the NBA offices (see 97' Knicks)

Also, please just admit you would only want them to do it because the Spurs are the ones benifitting.

Findog.. go back to your cage. Your analysis is biased. If you look at the video, Diaw and Stoudemire both went straight to the fight, not to the scorers table. You have to be blind not to see this.

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Originally Posted by romad_20

Also, please just admit you would only want them to do it because the Spurs are the ones benifitting.

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No, I want the Spurs the advance. I BADLY want the Spurs to advance. Reason #1: So Finley can get his ring and #2: since we can't have rings, we can at least win the pissing match with the Suns. If they fall short this year, their three year body of work is less than ours.

does the players union have any say in this rule after the season? from the stern interview on the dan patrick show i got the impression it was between the league and the board of governors - stern said this rule has not been in question since it was implemented and does not think it will be an issue after the season...

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Originally Posted by leemajors

does the players union have any say in this rule after the season? from the stern interview on the dan patrick show i got the impression it was between the league and the board of governors - stern said this rule has not been in question since it was implemented and does not think it will be an issue after the season...

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I doubt the union has much say unless it would be changed to be more draconian in its penalties. There's always a chance it could be a bargaining chip in some other dispute, but I've never heard the union stating they had any problem with the rule in the past decade.