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"as always"??
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6814904
Congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs on their fourth NBA championship in the Tim Duncan era.
And congrats, too, to the NBA and its idiotic, backward, zero-tolerance sentencing guidelines for making it possible.
I suspect the Spurs would have found a way to win two of the next three games against Phoenix even if Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw had played in Game 5, but now it's a foregone conclusion.
It was a great trade for the Spurs: Robert Horry straight up for Stoudemire and Diaw.
Horry is a terrific role player and perhaps the most clutch playoff performer in league history, but at this point in his career he's just one small element of Gregg Popovich's deep rotation, and he finished 12th on the Spurs in scoring at 3.9 points a game. Stoudemire is an All-NBA first-teamer and Diaw is one of the league's most versatile players.
Even with all their weapons locked and loaded, the Suns still had precious little margin for error and needed a spectacular finish in Game 4 to level the series at two games apiece. Without their best low-post scorer (Stoudemire) and low-post passer (Diaw), the Suns are sunk.
In other words, it was a great play by Horry to body slam Steve Nash into the scorer's table and the league rewarded it accordingly. In fact, all NBA teams should employ a Bob Probert-type player for exactly these situations. Send in the goon at the end of the game to clothesline the other team's superstar in front of his bench and see how many of his teammates manage to stay in their seats with their arms folded.
Like those obscene sentencing guidelines that bind the hands of judges and make them sentence people to life in prison for writing a bad check (Texas, you can look it up), the NBA has painted itself into a corner with its asinine stance on leaving the bench.
As David Stern's lieutenant Stu Jackson said, "No one here at the league office wants to suspend players any game, much less a pivotal game in the second round of a playoff series. But the rule, however, is the rule, and we intend to apply it consistently."
As if the league had nothing to do with the stupid rule in the first place. No, Stu, the league does want to suspend players. That's why it creates Draconian, letter-of-the-law rules in the first place. Any fair assessment of the activity following Horry's cheap shot — and the conduct leading up to it — would lead one to conclude that a suspension for Stoudemire and Diaw was disproportionately harsh. But why leave room for fair assessments when you can tie your own hands with truly moronic rules that leave no room for interpretation or mitigation?
The rule was created to deter those out-of-control melees that have marred postseasons past. But clearly, in this instance, it failed as a deterrent. Two of Nash's teammates sprang to his defense after seeing their most valuable player get viciously poleaxed with 18 seconds left as he tried to dribble out the clock.
Did they punch anyone?
No.
Did they shove anyone?
No.
Did they escalate the situation?
No.
They were merely turned around by the Phoenix coaching staff and led back to the "vicinity of their bench."
But the de facto penalty — the end of the Suns' remarkable 61-win season — was as severe as if they had just come out swinging. Which sends an inane message: If you've already left the bench, you might as well get your money's worth and land a few haymakers on the guy who just cheap-shotted your teammate.
The irony here is that the Spurs — as always — have been the antagonist in this chippy series. Horry's body check was just the latest in San Antonio's fusillade of, shall we say, extra-legal conduct.
Bruce Bowen has mastered the art of fouling his man fairly constantly in a manner where the home viewers see it, the announcers see it, his opponents feel it and only the officials are blithely unaware of the stealth beating he's administering.
Poll
The perfect example of this technique occurred in Game 3 when he raked Nash's off-hand as Nash crossed over, forcing a turnover. Replays revealed a clear foul. They also revealed that referee Eddie F. Rush could not have been in better position to make the call, but — as has so often been the case in this series — he swallowed his whistle. Sometimes Bowen's mayhem is less subtle, like when he kneed Nash in the groin.
So the less-physical Suns had been knocked around pretty good in San Antonio and yet were mere moments away from slipping back to Phoenix all even with Mr. Momentum on their side.
Then Horry did his best Zdeno Chara impression, driving Nash into the boards.
The unflappable David Stern — the guy with absolutely no understanding of what it means to be a teammate or to be physically pushed to your very limits — believes that NBA players should have no reaction whatsoever when they see a beloved team member get cut down in front of them.
Or perhaps he thinks they should join hands in a prayer circle at their bench. This is all in keeping with his players-as-automatons goal for the sport. His strange, obsessive desire to wring all emotion out of the players gave us his zero-tolerance edict this season that resulted in countless technical fouls for mild protestations and, yes, sarcastic laughing.
Though he was quick to throw Joey Crawford under the bus, it was Stern and his misguided policy that produced the unfortunate Crawford v. Duncan episode.
Which brings us to the bigger picture: The sad state of the NBA. That pop you just heard is the bubble bursting on the long, uninterrupted NBA boom.)
Ask the dwindling number of hardcore NBA fans about this season and they'll tell you it sucked. Spurs-Suns was the last great hope to salvage something from this year-long walkabout in the hoop wilderness. And now Stern, via his button man Stu Jackson, has taken that away from us, too.
So now we can ready ourselves for the inevitable showdown between San Antonio and some Eastern Conference pretender — probably Detroit — and yawn our way through a series of 85-80 games in which both teams shoot 38 percent. Woo-hoo. Yee-haw.
The biggest basketball fan I know just sent me a one-line e-mail: "I hate the NBA."
Mission accomplished, David Stern.
"as always"??
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6814674
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 1 hour ago
So David Stern has wielded the hammer of justice. Selective justice, that is.
Suspending Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw was actually a no-brainer. Rules, after all, are rules. Stoudemire and Diaw, along with the Suns' coaching staff simply had to know that suspensions would be automatic if the sideline was crossed. (Notice that none of the Spurs' benchmen made the same mistake.) That Stoudemire is an All-League player and that the Suns' chances of winning the pivotal Game 5 are now greatly diminished is totally beside the point.
Good for His Sterness for doing the right thing in this instance. He couldn't suspend Diaw without suspending Stoudemire. Otherwise the message would have been that franchise players are allowed more leeway than marginal players. And if he had concocted some weasely reason for not suspending either of them, then Patrick Ewing, et al, would have screamed bloody murder for all the suspensions handed down for the same offense back in 1997 that enabled Miami to get a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference semifinals. In following the letter of the law instead of submitting to popular demand, Stern showed plenty of guts.
However, his remaining judgments were not quite as righteous.
Yes, Robert Horry delivered a cheap shot to Steve Nash, and deserved to be punished. But Baron Davis' hit on Derek Fisher was a worse offense, if only because Nash could see Horry coming while Fisher was blindsided.
By the same measure, the misdeeds of Al Harrington and Jason Richardson were likewise more dangerous than Horry's. After all, Harrington went after Carlos Boozer's head. And Richardson deliberately flipped Mehmet Okur in such a way that Okur landed with terrific force on his back. Both of these assaults could easily have resulted in severe injuries.
If Horry was banished, the same measure should have been meted out to Davis, Harrington and Richardson.
Why wasn't this done?
One reason is that Stern felt compelled to exercise a modi of restraint, or else he'd be roundly accused of conducting a Tuesday Afternoon Massacre.
But there are other reasons:
The generous words of forgiveness issued by the Jazz players, which was an indication that they were more interested in earning a legitimate victory in Game 5 than in being granted one by decree.
Horry is essentially a bench player who's on the court for limited minutes and has a limited effect on the proceedings. So his exiling will not greatly upset the balance of power.
Davis, Harrington, and Richardson are go-to players and their absence would essentially forfeit (and conclude) the outcome of the Utah-Golden State series. Stoudemire and Diaw will be back for Game 6, so their one-game suspensions don't doom the Suns.
But maybe there's another reason why Horry is sentenced to solitary confinement toast while the Warriors' das ly threesome is free to conduct dirty business as usual.
Perhaps Stern felt it was necessary to protect two-time MVP Steve Nash.
Oh, well. Three out of six ain't bad.
Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 13 books about hoops, the current one being "The pivotal season — How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA."
LOLOLOL its simply a sign the basketball gods are with us.
'em they act as if we've won already.
Two thoughts. First, Robert Horry was just standing. It was not a forearm shiver. He braced for the impact. Steve Nash was going full speed and did a little of a flop. Is Horry that strong where he can just deck a man like that?
Second, why did Nash jump up after a few seconds on the ground? was he hurt or was he just acting? He sure seemed hurt at first but then jumped right up and went at Horry. Ever since Amare called the Spurs dirty, the whole world believes it. They are not any more physical than any other team in the NBA. What happened to the soft label? Amare said it and after one or two body contacts it is TRUE?
Hench is full of . Just your usual part-timer filling in time between articles about other sports.
Rosen, however, does have a point. I do think Horry's suspension may have been two games instead of one for a couple of reasons.
1) His actions were worse than that of the Phoenix players.
2) The league may have simply had enough of these hard fouls in the other series.
Still, don't do the crime if you can't do the time.
not only that, he could see that there was no room between horry and the sideline.Yes, Robert Horry delivered a cheap shot to Steve Nash, and deserved to be punished. But Baron Davis' hit on Derek Fisher was a worse offense, if only because Nash could see Horry coming while Fisher was blindsided.
I don't like the fact that Stoudamire and Diaw got suspended. They just practically invalidated our championship if we win it that is, in the eyes of every NBA fan looking for that all too important excuse. Now jackasses are going to cry murder from now 'till the end of time, and proclaim 2006-2007 an * season. Stern just ed both the Suns and us with that little move.
pffft. the league protects his ass every night.Perhaps Stern felt it was necessary to protect two-time MVP Steve Nash.
who gives a what the fans of other nba teams have to say about the rings?
YESSSSS
it deters from the rubbing it in their faces part god dammit!!
Horry is what like 6'10 and 250 lbs? He's twice the size of Nash, it isn't that difficult.
Steve Nash weighs 125 lbs? No wonder he went flying like a rag doll. He also defies physics in that his hands and feet flail around after he hits the ground.
it deters from the rubbing it in their faces part god dammit
The only rubbing to do is
4 - 0
thats it.
If the spurs do it tommarow night.
He's 12'6", 390 pounds!He's twice the size of Nash, it isn't that difficult.
do you really think any of the le starved fans who troll this forum would give a if they won a le in like fashion, let alone one of their favorite team's 4 les? that's why these poor mother ers show up in here all the time. it eats at them.
The suspensions could also doom the Spurs. beleive me.
I like and wholeheartedly agree with Rosen.
Unreal that Horry was suspended for 2 games, when Baron and Richardson and Harrington didn't get any suspension. Total make-up suspension to appease the Suns.
Again, Horry was wrong for his actions (as Amare and Diaw were for theirs), but the refs started it.
I will be glad when this series is over. It's tiresome.
I'm still amazed by how we went from the classiest, best, model, stellar, boring franchise to the dirtiest players since the Bad Boys in Detroit overnight.
The Suns do have a good propaganda machine goin...
totally agree with this, could he appeal it?
1 game suspension is ok. But 2 is ing bull .
Apparently the term "figure of speech" has been lost on you.
Apparently the term 'another whiny ass Suns fan' has been lost on you.
I thought Nash was doing a great acting job too, it didnt look like a hard check to me. Re: Amare and Boris, hey, if those thugs had stayed on the bench theyd be in the next game. Also, where was the call when Oberto got flattened earlier? I still think game 5 will be tough as Amare hasnt been that great in this series anyway.
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