This time, he buried his shoulder into an unsuspecting Steve Nash.
And it turned out to be amply rewarding.
I certainly won't be the first or last person to blog about this.
Robert Horry (who average 3.9 points per game this season... note the dot. Not 39 points. 3 POINT 9) was suspended for two games for his blatant cheap shot. He was clearly frustrated and clearly intended to injure.
Boris Diaw (9.7 PPG), who was the closest player to the shot, charged after Horry. Amare Stoudemire (20.4 PPG) jumped off the bench in disgust and started walking briskly towards Horry, but he was held back.
ALL THREE OF THEM HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED.
This is one of the biggest shams I have ever seen in my entire life. I can not be professional about this. Every positive thing I have said about how David Stern runs his league, I take back. This is a complete and utter joke.
Diaw did exactly what anyone - ANYONE - would have done in that situation. If you have any sense of camaraderie or friendship, you can understand how you would respond if your team captain was maliciously slammed to the ground.
And Stoudemire didn't even get to Horry!
"This is a very unfortunate circumstance. 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," said NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson.
The rule, of course, refers to "leaving the immediate vicinity of the bench".
Lets recap.
A bench player (Horry) takes a ridiculous cheapshot (obviously called a flagrant foul) on the team's leader and MVP, Steve Nash, who has already had his nose cut open and been kneed in this series. A starter (Diaw) jumps in to defend his teammate. Another starter (Stoudemire, who happens to completely change the dynamics of a game when he is involved) reacts out of emotion and jumps up and heads towards the offender. Both starters are suspended.
San Antonio now has a very good chance to beat the depleted Suns in game 5, and go on to win the series.
The response from the league? Rules are rules, and no exceptions can be made.
This entire situation completely disgusts me. I've lost what little respect I had for basketball, and I can't even begin to imagine what Phoenix Suns fans must be feeling right now.
NOT MAKING AN EXCEPTION AND PENALIZING THE SUNS SENDS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: When you need a boost in a best of 7 series, send in your worst bench player; hell, even sign a thug off of the streets. Right in the key next to the opposing bench, take their best player by the shoulders and kick him squarely in the groin. When he keels over, punch him in the jaw and send him down to the floor, than turn to the opposing team, flick them off, and say "What are you
"A rule is a rule, and in the past handful of years since they put that in, there have been I think less than five, maybe less than three, but there have been a couple occasions where someone just put one foot on the floor and got suspended. So if you're going to have a hard and fast rule like that, I think you've got to abide by it, and you can't make any exceptions."
Basketball teams should start hiring enforcers like hockey has. Go ahead and attack the Kobes, LeBrons, and Nashs of the league. If anyone dares step up and defend them, they'll be suspended for it.
What a disgrace.
