ESPN Experts RIP the Dirty Spurs

[DarrinS]

They didn't rip the Spurs, they were ripping the NBA's decision on suspending Amare/Diaw.

[violentkitten]

it's funny how sun fan thinks the way to strike an internets blow to spurs fans is to point out that the media doesn't like them. sun fan is naive. spurs fans are immune to this and have been for a long time. i guess sun fan has to worry about whether or not their team is viewed favorably in the media when the franchise can't point to a real sign of achievement like a larry o'brien trophy...or 3.



oh, we're hated? ok.

[1SUNSFAN]

What? Spurs fans can't read??? Yes, they say the "rules are the rules". Everyone has heard that... they also point out that the Spurs got rewarded for playing dirty. this is unjust. Suns are the better team... on and on. That's why I bolded those parts for you! Since most Spurs fans can't read an article that long without getting a headache!

Series is tarnished like the Spurs "class act" reputation! Face it, SPURS GOT OWNED by all fans of basketball outside of San Antonio.

[violentkitten]

oh no. spurs got "owned" by a few talking heads. when are the 3 les taken away?

sun fan is just like a . worried about what others have to say about their favorite team. go pick up your latest copy of cosmo or us weekly.

[DarrinS]

What? Spurs fans can't read??? Yes, they say the "rules are the rules". Everyone has heard that... they also point out that the Spurs got rewarded for playing dirty. this is unjust. Suns are the better team... on and on. That's why I bolded those parts for you! Since most Spurs fans can't read an article that long without getting a headache!

Series is tarnished like the Spurs "class act" reputation! Face it, SPURS GOT OWNED by all fans of basketball outside of San Antonio.

I feel sorry for Nash. He's on a pussified team with a pussified fan base. You don't see Nash crying about it.

[gmanrulz]

Series is tarnished like the Spurs "class act" reputation! Face it, SPURS GOT OWNED by all fans of basketball outside of San Antonio.

So since the Spurs owned the suns i guess that means the suns got owned by all the fans outside of san antonio?

[Sec24Row7]

Rofl...

This guy is really weak...

Scoreboard Mother er.

[1SUNSFAN]

it's funny how sun fan thinks the way to strike an internets blow to spurs fans is to point out that the media doesn't like them. sun fan is naive. spurs fans are immune to this and have been for a long time. .

Immune or BLIND! Your team, city, coach, "star", and fans are a JOKE!

[Obstructed_View]

Oh no my team's bull reputation is tarnished. Oh no, another bull reputation from people that don't watch basketball anyway.

It's pathetic how desperate a team and their fanbase are just to win a second round series.

[gmanrulz]

Immune or BLIND! Your team, city, coach, "star", and fans are a JOKE!

and ur the BUTT of our joke

[mardigan]

What? Spurs fans can't read??? Yes, they say the "rules are the rules". Everyone has heard that... they also point out that the Spurs got rewarded for playing dirty. this is unjust. Suns are the better team... on and on. That's why I bolded those parts for you! Since most Spurs fans can't read an article that long without getting a headache!

Series is tarnished like the Spurs "class act" reputation! Face it, SPURS GOT OWNED by all fans of basketball outside of San Antonio.

Man, you should really get that surgery to have your balls reattached

[Leetonidas]

MORE LIKE The Experts are for the spurs. The suns have no leg to stand on!! Your team SUCKS!! DEPENDS WHAT U HIGHLIGHT MORON

Our experts answer five questions on the situation.

1. What is your opinion of the NBA's ruling?


Henry Abbott, TrueHoop: It's miserable, and entirely against what's best for basketball fans. But it's perfectly in keeping with how that rule has always been interpreted in the past.


AP Photo/Eric Gay

An ugly incident has grabbed the attention away from what has been a beautiful series.

Jon Barry, ESPN: They had to do it. The rule is clear-cut. You can't leave the bench during an altercation, which is what Amare did, and it was clear what he was doing. He had to be restrained by his coaches. Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen should not be suspended because there was no altercation on the court at the time. The interesting thing is that if James Jones had turned around and got in Francisco Elson's face or there was any brief incident, Duncan would be out too.

Ric Bucher, ESPN Mag: Heavy-handed and wrong-headed. Horry didn't deserve two games any more than Diaw and Stoudemire deserved one each. I was glad to see both Baron Davis and Jason Richardson play in Game 5, but how is what the San Antonio-Phoenix combatants did more egregious? Rules are meant to be broken when their application fails to execute their purpose. That's why we have judges. This was Exhibit A.

John Hollinger, ESPN.com: A mess. They interpreted it in such a way to cause maximum damage to the Suns, even though the Spurs started it. Yes, it's the letter of the law, but I thought they'd even things out by suspending Duncan and Bowen too. The joke's on them, though -- if San Antonio advances because of this ruling, the TV ratings will be far short of what Phoenix would have pulled in.

Tim Legler, ESPN: Based on the wording of the rule, the league office had no choice but to suspend Diaw and Stoudemire. However, it may be the most unbalanced ruling in history. Horry got what he deserved for an egregiously flagrant and inflammatory foul. So the Spurs lose their eighth man while the Suns lose a first-team All-NBA player and another starter. What a joke.




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2. Should the rule about leaving the bench be changed or eliminated?

Abbott: This rule has been a big part of the reason that the public doesn't think the NBA is a brawler's league anymore. If the public can stomach more fights -- like there used to be -- then sure, ditch the rule. But if everyone's going to stop buying tickets and moan about "thugs" whenever punches are thrown, they'll have to have this rule or something like it, because once everyone leaves the bench, things can get really ugly really fast.

Barry: It definitely should be changed, because the way it is now, oftentimes the crime doesn't fit the punishment. Just stepping off the bench should not warrant a suspension, especially in this setting of the playoffs. It is clear the rule should be changed to a suspension if you enter the fray. If you stay away from the altercation you should not be suspended.

Bucher: Doesn't matter. If the league can't do a better job of interpreting the spirit of their rules, they won't get it right no matter how the rules are written. I'm a "fairness" over "correctness" guy. As Stu Jackson made clear, he and Stern are not.

Hollinger: As with most things like this, it's the law of unintended consequences. The rule was put in as a response to a few incidents, most notably a Knicks player charging the court in a suit in Phoenix, but it doesn't cover every contingency and there's no nuance to it.

Here's one idea: Make the suspension be for only a quarter or a half if the player didn't have any meaningful participation in the fracas.

Legler: The wording needs to be changed. There has to be room for a split-second reaction from the players on the bench. As long as a player or coach recognizes his transgression and quickly gets off the court before engaging in any physical contact with an opposing player, a suspension should not be warranted.

The NBA office has a lot of smart guys. They should use some of their best judgment to avoid the most highly anticipated series of the year being impacted by great players not participating.




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3. What is your take on the behavior of the Spurs and the Suns in this series?

Abbott: I'd say this series went from about a 3 on the chippy scale to about a 6. The main thing that makes the passion so intense at this point is a good thing: the love so many people have for the Suns. Now that the Suns are the latest victims of that often harsh rule, the fury is off the charts.


AP Photo/Paul Connors

Tim Duncan's been unstoppable in the paint.
Barry: There is nothing wrong with playing physical. However, the Horry foul was a dirty play, the Bowen knee was a dirty play, and it was clear there was intent to injure. The thing that is interesting is the Suns were obviously quite upset over the knee. But they were not going to change their style to retaliate. I credit them for sticking to their plan and going out and winning Game 4.

Bucher: I love it. Two talented, passionate teams, doing whatever they can to win. We've become wwwaaaayyyyy too sensitive about every little skirmish.
Hollinger: What's been odd is that the Spurs have been the ones involved in all the chippy play -- in the past it's been other people doing it to them. I'm not up in arms over Bowen like all the Suns fans apparently are (judging by my in-box), but Horry's hit was out of line and out of character.

Legler: The series has been played at a highly physical level, at times bordering on dirty. This is the type of game the Spurs play. It's the ultimate battle of contrasting styles.The Spurs want to initiate contact both offensively and defensively while the Suns need freedom of movement to run their overpowering offensive style.


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Way to go gmanrulz. You just proved that the ESPN "experts" are more Spurs favor by bolding different parts. Sun Fan just got pwned.

[dimsah]

Series is tarnished like the Spurs "class act" reputation! Face it, SPURS GOT OWNED by all fans of basketball outside of San Antonio.

So...

[Strike]

so if the spurs trounce the suns with stoudemire in game 6 will these whiny ass threads continue to appear in here?

before i forget, i dont think anyone is that concerned about what nba legend tim legler has to say...

He's an NBA Legend like Jack Haley is an NBA Legend.

[easjer]

Oh, I'm sorry, I thought the games and final score determined the end result. I didn't realize it was ratings.

My bad.

Indeed, the Suns are the better team.

But clearly by that logic, LA should have beat them. What happened there?

[dbreiden83080]

The joke's on them, though -- if San Antonio advances because of this ruling, the TV ratings will be far short of what Phoenix would have pulled in.
[/B].

What is this crap about TV ratings and the Suns, Nash is not Lebron ok. Maybe the ratings would be a little better but the Suns do not have that one media darling on their team that the fans will eat up. A dream final TV ratings wise would have been something like Lakers and Cavs, everything else is going to pull about the same give or take.

[Extra Stout]

Immune or BLIND! Your team, city, coach, "star", and fans are a JOKE!

So, tell me, when is Phoenix having its 2007 ESPN NBA Analyst Sympathy championship parade? Is it before or after the Spurs win in the Finals?

[violentkitten]

Immune or BLIND! Your team, city, coach, "star", and fans are a JOKE!

a "joke" with 3 rings and perhaps later this year, 4.

oh no.

what do you get for being the overrated team with no rings?

[dbreiden83080]

Immune or BLIND! Your team, city, coach, "star", and fans are a JOKE!

Our star is a joke you say. Please tell me how a 3 time finals MVP, 2 time league MVP and the best PF that ever lived is a JOKE pal, i am all EARS!!

[DarrinS]

You know what really cracks me up about this whole "everyone hates the Spurs" crap?

Everyone has always hated the Spurs. They're "boring", they're "soft", ... and now, they're "dirty".

The Mavs and Suns can get sucked off by the media -- we'll just settle for the rings.

[1SUNSFAN]

a "joke" with 3 rings and perhaps later this year, 4.

oh no.

what do you get for being the overrated team with no rings?

Another LAME comeback... "look at me... I've got 3 rings... I'm the waterboy!"

Stupid ASS comeback. Come up with something new. I'm talking about this team, this year! You don't hear Suns fans saying, oh yeah? How many World Series does San Antonio have? That's right, you don't even have a team! We won it in 2001! Wow! D-BACK's rule!

Take your 3 rings and stick them in your ass.

[SAGambler]

LOL....Opinions are like assholes......Everybody has one.

Just because they are a so called expert, doesn't mean their asshole opinion carries any greater weight than anyone elses.

Why didn't they just come out and say the Suns can't seem to nut up with the Spurs when the going gets physical......Well, basically that's what they did say.

[violentkitten]

Another LAME comeback... "look at me... I've got 3 rings... I'm the waterboy!"

Stupid ASS comeback. Come up with something new. I'm talking about this team, this year! You don't hear Suns fans saying, oh yeah? How many World Series does San Antonio have? That's right, you don't even have a team! We won it in 2001! Wow! D-BACK's rule!

Take your 3 rings and stick them in your ass.

sun fan has to point to another sport when championships are discussed. sad.

before i forget, are you the suns' fluffer? if not, why are you here?

[DDS4]

Another LAME comeback... "look at me... I've got 3 rings... I'm the waterboy!"

Stupid ASS comeback. Come up with something new. I'm talking about this team, this year! You don't hear Suns fans saying, oh yeah? How many World Series does San Antonio have? That's right, you don't even have a team! We won it in 2001! Wow! D-BACK's rule!

Take your 3 rings and stick them in your ass.

Don't worry...by Friday night, this whole nightmare for you will be over.

[mardigan]

sun fan has to point to another sport when championships are discussed. sad.

before i forget, are you the suns' fluffer? if not, why are you here?

Served