Pictures of Amare leaving the bench

[TampaDude]

If Stoudemire got suspended for this, the league would ruin a brilliant series.

There should be no suspensions for either team over this. This is the ing playoffs, exceptions to rules should be made in this scenario. Stoudemire didn't cause any problems, Diaw didn't cause any problems, Horry and Bell didn't really fight, they just got physical.

All players involved should be on the court in Game 5.

I would tend to agree with you, but if the NBA doesn't suspend them, future violators of that rule will be able to point to that as a way out of being punished. The rules are the rules. NO EXCEPTIONS.

[monosylab1k]

definitely breaks the letter of the law there.

in the last pic, it almost looks like the assistant is trying to push Amare over by the scorer's table in order to say "see! we were just checking him in!"

[Obstructed_View]

Actually the rule has been amended from the Ewing suspension. There's wiggle room for the league. I say don't suspend anybody, even Horry, and let 'em play.

[Kevin Blackistone]

booo, i had to pay $54 for the mayweather/de la hoya fight...this would've been free!....anyway, i wouldn't give up anything to not have that barkley/shaq throwdown or to laugh at jeff van gundy sweeping the floor with his suit during the heat/knicks brawl, those were funny as

Hey, if we want to watch this like the WWE - I'm all for it. Let's turn this into a combo of boxing and Roman Gladiators - see who's really the toughest and the most skilled.

[sabar]

I'd definately say that once you're out of the coaches box it's really hard to argue you're still in the vicinity.

[Spurs rock]

I hate to say this but...Amare should NOT get suspended. The Suns shouldn't suffer for Horry's stupidity.

[Xylus]

I could go for that, but it could set precedents that would make the league more violent. it, they're getting millions of dollars

I don't think Stoudemire's actions could be seen as potentially violent. It didn't look like Stoudemire intended to enter the fight. In one of those pictures, it looks like he realizes, "Oh , this is against the rules," steps off the court and heads back to the bench. He didn't have a level head because a brawl broke out on the court, and because he's not the smartest guy in the world, but he might have just wanted to separate the players involved.

[ponky]

Hey, if we want to watch this like the WWE - I'm all for it. Let's turn this into a combo of boxing and Roman Gladiators - see who's really the toughest and the most skilled.

oh well, enough talk for me, we'll see how it all pans out, should be interesting

[Kori Ellis]

I hate to say this but...Amare should NOT get suspended. The Suns shouldn't suffer for Horry's stupidity.

I agree. But it depends on how hard the league wants to be about this kind of thing. If they get suspended, I'm sure they'll look at tape of the Spurs bench to see if anyone came on the court too.

[Trainwreck2100]

Plus who steps onto the court to check in,

[Obstructed_View]

I hate to say this but...Amare should NOT get suspended. The Suns shouldn't suffer for Horry's stupidity.

Just to play devil's advocate, every player in the NBA knows the rules. Amare's developed this persecution complex about how unfair he and his teammates have been treated. He made the decision to get up and go.

[Purple & Gold]

Blame Nash's flopping for these suspensions if they go down.

[Trainwreck2100]

I don't think Stoudemire's actions could be seen as potentially violent. It didn't look like Stoudemire intended to enter the fight. In one of those pictures, it looks like he realizes, "Oh , this is against the rules," steps off the court and heads back to the bench. He didn't have a level head because a brawl broke out on the court, and because he's not the smartest guy in the world, but he might have just wanted to separate the players involved.

If you watch it again, which its already on youtub, the assistant forces him to the sidelines.

[Kobulingam]

I agree. But it depends on how hard the league wants to be about this kind of thing. If they get suspended, I'm sure they'll look at tape of the Spurs bench to see if anyone came on the court too.

Good because it has to be one of our dumb s. Elson fits that description and we don't need him against the pathetic Suns lineup for Game 5.

[bobbyjoe]

To all those who think Amare is "dumb" he did a great job of selling his BS in the interview about why he left the bench. I mean it was obviously a lie but he held up well and sold it.

[Obstructed_View]

I don't think Stoudemire's actions could be seen as potentially violent. It didn't look like Stoudemire intended to enter the fight. In one of those pictures, it looks like he realizes, "Oh , this is against the rules," steps off the court and heads back to the bench. He didn't have a level head because a brawl broke out on the court, and because he's not the smartest guy in the world, but he might have just wanted to separate the players involved.

Unfortunately, peacemakers get suspended too. That's why they came up with the rule.

[Kevin Blackistone]

I don't think Stoudemire's actions could be seen as potentially violent. It didn't look like Stoudemire intended to enter the fight. In one of those pictures, it looks like he realizes, "Oh , this is against the rules," steps off the court and heads back to the bench. He didn't have a level head because a brawl broke out on the court, and because he's not the smartest guy in the world, but he might have just wanted to separate the players involved.

Stoudemire's actions aren't violent, but throwing out the rules and just saying "play on" in this case makes it very difficult for the league to justify a suspension or punishment if anyone else gets into the cheap shotting contests in the future.

[UV Ray]

I could go for that, but it could set precedents that would make the league more violent. it, they're getting millions of dollars

Dude, you are such a weasel. Grow a spine. Your posts consistently take opposite positions. Your posts are a complete waste of time.

[Trainwreck2100]

To all those who think Amare is "dumb" he did a great job of selling his BS in the interview about why he left the bench. I mean it was obviously a lie but he held up well and sold it.

Yeah, cept nobody steps onto the court to check in, cause that tends to lead to technicals.

[ponky]

Unfortunately, peacemakers get suspended too. That's why they came up with the rule.

Yup, didn't Najera get suspended even though he was already on the court but was obviously trying to break up the fight?

[Kevin Blackistone]

I hate to say this but...Amare should NOT get suspended. The Suns shouldn't suffer for Horry's stupidity.

They won't suffer for Horry's stupidity, they'll suffer for Amare, Diaw, and Bell's stupidity. Nobody forced them into their actions, they did it to themselves.

[kps0001]

It certainly isn't an automatic suspension. There is some gray area.

Our rule regarding an automatic suspension for players leaving the bench was not intended to apply in a highly unusual situation like this one, where an altercation occurs in an access tunnel or hallway,'' NBA vice president Stu Jackson said. "In this cir stance, our judgment was that the players who left the bench were attempting to break up the fight and did not escalate the altercation.''

http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2002/1028/1452258.html

[Obstructed_View]

Blame Nash's flopping for these suspensions if they go down.

That's part of it, but the officials have been letting minor contact go when teams are trying to intentionally foul. It sets the stage for exactly what we saw. Nash is in playoff mode and is reflexively going to sell the contact. If they'd just called Manu for the first one (I don't think he completely whiffed on him) the whole situation could have been prevented.

[monosylab1k]

To all those who think Amare is "dumb" he did a great job of selling his BS in the interview about why he left the bench. I mean it was obviously a lie but he held up well and sold it.

I'm sure his coaches told him his story many times, reviewed it with flash cards, and made him copy his statements 100 times in a manilla notepad with a #2 pencil before releasing him to the media.

[lefty]

It certainly isn't an automatic suspension. There is some gray area.



http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2002/1028/1452258.html

Yes, but it was just a preseason game

The 1997 Heat-Knicks series prove otherwise