Marc Stein weighs in

[Jimcs50]

Horry needs a rest anyway...he is getting up there in years you know.

[Spurminator]

The leaving the bench rule is bull anyway. There's a natural instinct that draws you towards the action in situations like that.

The only person that should be suspended is Horry. And hopefully only for one game.... but if Stoudemire and Diaw get suspended for leaving the bench then Horry's has to be more severe.

[nkdlunch]

I agree, is Stoudamire and Diaw get suspended, Horry will get at least 2 game suspension

ing horry, that was unnecessary

[wildbill2u]

We lost our poise and control of a game we had won. If we coulda, woulda , shoulda done this or that or if the refs had made different calls, blah blah blah....is the crying of losers.

To with that. Lets win the next two.

[LilMissSPURfect]

I don't know why Horry should be suspended. He received a flagrant 2 for what he did in the course of the game. It was not a blow to the head. It was not a hit on a player in the air who could have come down and been injured. A flagrant 2 seems exactly appropriate to me. Isn't this similar to the Jason Richardson situation?

late to the seen, but IMO I feel same way...it was a foul, he got called for it.? why would roho be suspended? did he break a rule? (the don't foul the guys in purple rule coz the cry) why should horry b suspended? And I haven't seen close up video or images but didn't nash retaliate and swing at horry as well? (again isnt that a violation?)

[sammy]

Rules are rules! If Stoudemire and Diaw don't get suspended that's like telling everyone in the league that you can run out on the floor when there is fight! They had better enforce it! They sure as will probably suspend Horry, but these assholes have been given a pass so far with their dirty plays (Game 1 Bell Elbows Manu in the head, Game 2 Diaw/Barbosa undercutting Parker and Game 3 Marion raking his hand across Manu's eye)!

[stretch]

Why not a suspension for JRich then on the Okur open field tackle? Same type of play as context as Rob's foul, no?

Open field tackle? Are you stupid?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ1jlcGbaac

[stretch]

Why don't people remember Horry hitting Robinson in the family jewels?

Or biting Stackhouse's arm?

[Amare_32]

I say let them play. Horry got the flagrant 2 and ejection thats enough. I don't think Amare and Diaw will be suspended.

[Spurs Brazil]

I say let them play. Horry got the flagrant 2 and ejection thats enough. I don't think Amare and Diaw will be suspended.

I agree

[tmtcsc]

What the ?!??! Horry hip checked Nash and Nash flopped and overplayed it. He needed to foul Nash and he did. Phoenix wants to make a big deal out of this. It wasn't. It was hard foul, he got ejected and that's it. He threw his elbow in self defense at Bell. No one needs to be suspended.

I'm just as disappointed as everyone else at Pop's decision to leave Tim on the bench the extra 1 or 2 minutes and that no one on the Spurs answered the call. Tony forced that last shot and it created a Fast Break opp.

Manu is playing like too. If he doesn't play better, we will lose. End of story. He's been a big part of our success but Bell is getting the best of him. This isn't about him playing tougher. He needs to find a way to respond to the aggressive 'Show' on the pick and roll.

He needs to slash to the basket w/o the ball and go for layups or shots off of picks. Phoenix has done a good job of taking away his favorite isolation and p/r plays.

[BillsCarnage]

What the ?!??! Horry hip checked Nash and Nash flopped and overplayed it. He needed to foul Nash and he did. Phoenix wants to make a big deal out of this. It wasn't. It was hard foul, he got ejected and that's it. He threw his elbow in self defense at Bell. No one needs to be suspended.

Phoenix has done a good job of taking away his favorite isolation and p/r plays.

I said this last night, what cost Horry was the raising of the elbow to Nash's shoulder. Had he left the elbow down it would have just been a hard foul or F1. The raised elbow is what got him the F2 and ejection. It was a stupid move by Horry to raise the elbow.

I'm surprised there hasn't been any mention form the league about Jrich's F2 either.

[Strike]

The point is, it would be better for the league if these two weren't suspended, so the league won't suspend them.

It would be better if the rules were followed the the prescribed punishment is carried out. Otherwise it gives every other player reason to break every rule on the books. "If he didn't get punished for that, why should I?"

I don't care one way or the other if Amare and Diaw get axed for game 5. But if the rules say leaving the bench during an altercation gets you a one game suspension, then that's what should happen.

Rules are rules. If they broke the rules, they should be suspended. Simple as that.

[Amare_32]

I said this last night, what cost Horry was the raising of the elbow to Nash's shoulder. Had he left the elbow down it would have just been a hard foul or F1. The raised elbow is what got him the F2 and ejection. It was a stupid move by Horry to raise the elbow.

I'm surprised there hasn't been any mention form the league about Jrich's F2 either.

The League said no further action was necessary I think.

[ManuMagic]

Robert Horry is my personal hero - he has goaded the idiots on the Suns and now has the league with their bull leadership in Stern and Stu ing Jackson in a no win situation. It's wonderful. Stern and his merry band of biased refs. Jackson and his wishy washy rules. I hope the ratings continue to fall until the whole thing gets shut down.

If they do the right thing and suspend Diaw and Amare Stoudemire like they have others in the past then the Suns will and moan for a ing year. If they weasel out from behind their own rules then they will be the spineless worms who can't even enforce their own laws. them.

[Trainwreck2100]

\
I'm surprised there hasn't been any mention form the league about Jrich's F2 either.

Rich is off the hook Davis was still being looked at.

[texasqb2]

Artest got suspended for nothing last year. I think it's pretty obvious that Horry's not going to be in America West Wednesday. Sucks, because Elson can't replace what Rob can do for this team.

I highly doubt we will see much of Elson as we should see much more of Matt Bonner.

[texasqb2]

I agree, is Stoudamire and Diaw get suspended, Horry will get at least 2 game suspension

ing horry, that was unnecessary

I am a realist in the since that Bob is a very smart player...He knew the game was over, but hey it looks like he took out both Diaw and Stoudamire and for that, he is clutch city once again. He rattled the Suns once again and I believe he has given us the edge for the rest of the way. I believe Booner can replace him, but who can replace Phoenix's 2 of their best 6 guys?

[Obstructed_View]

Artest got suspended for nothing last year.

Okay, that's just stupid. The quality of your takes is dropping as this series progresses.

[Cry Havoc]

Only those obsessed with the NBA are going to be concerned about the legitimacy of some small pinpoint of a rule.

Xylus, Commissioner Stern. Commissioner Stern, Xylus.

The point is, it would be better for the league if these two weren't suspended, so the league won't suspend them. The rule violation was minor enough to give them a pass. It's not like Amare ran out onto the court and decked Tony Parker. He took a few steps outside of the restricted area, was restrained before getting close to the altercation, and then, by his own will, avoided entering the fray.

Many, many suspensions have been handed out for players doing a of a lot less than Amare did. Barkley took one step on the court during an altercation, restrained HIMSELF, and still got the boot. If you allow players to hop off the bench and head towards a fray, you stand the risk of instigating a number of large bench clearing brawls in the future. Players run off the bench thinking, "Ok I'm not going to get in this, I'm just protecting my guys" and suddenly are in the middle of a mass of fists and feet, and there isn't a player alive outside of a certain 7-foot German who will refrain from throwing down in that situation. Tempers are already hot, and that's when players and even fans can get hurt.

That "altercation" last night was seconds away from becoming a much bigger nightmare for the NBA. It was this close to a massive fight that would have seen stars from both teams ejected. If this happens in the future, more star players might get ejected because they were allowed to leave the bench and got caught up in the pitch of the moment. So instead of deterring them, you actually encourage them to get close to a fight, and not even the most ardent "let them play" fan will excuse punching and fighting. That's probably a series-long suspension, and we could have very well had that happen last night with several players.

If the league felt that this violation was hurting the league's image, that it fed into the stereotype that it's a dirty league full of thugs, then Amare would absolutely receive a suspension. But Amare--arguably--could have been trying to act as peacemaker, which David Stern would approve of.

Ah, I see you do know who's running the league. However, you obviously missed the look on Amare's face. He was ready to rumble. RUNNING towards a situation that's near ignition is never, ever a way to be a peacemaker.

There are so many outlets that Jackson and Stern can take in order to justify not suspending Amare and Diaw. If they decide that suspending these two would do more harm than good, then they won't do it.

No, there aren't. There are too many precedents here set by earlier incidents, by NBA players who were bigger and brighter than even Amare Stoudamire, and they were booted for much less than this. The only exception is an extreme case in which the players thought their teammates' very life could be at risk. There was none of that here.

And make no mistake. I would like to see both squads at full strength for Game 5.

But 4 years down the road, I don't want to see a devastating injury to a fan or a player because the NBA tried to save the ratings of this series. The NBA cannot afford another Detroit-Indiana. Someone could have easily DIED that night, with chair-throwing and players all over the place. Letting players come off the bench during an "altercation" is just asking for more problems in the future. What happens the next time a player leaves the bench and points to this instance? The league will have no choice but to let him off too, which basically nullifies the rule, or to say, "Sorry kid, but that was the biggest series of the playoffs and we couldn't let our profit margin lapse. So while they got off, enjoy your one game suspension."




I ing hate this entire situation.

you, Horry. And you Diaw and Amare for putting the ENTIRE LEAGUE under the crosshairs about what to do here because you couldn't keep your testosterone in check for 5 seconds to cool down.

This is a no ing win for the NBA. Either the Spurs have an asterisk or the Suns will go down as the team that violated the untouchable rule and got favored by the League. Damn it. Damn it all to .