Diaw/Amare suspended 1 game, Horry suspended 2 games

[.Alex.]

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How so? I think people have been blowing up the Duncan thing big time. The rule explicitly says within the vicinity. Duncan was 5 feet in front of the bench.

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Define vicinity. This is the incosistency that Aces pointed out earlier and my biggest problem with the decision. I agree that emotional argument that the Suns are being punished for the Spurs' aggressiveness isn't really valid. But there are still two ways of getting out of this if you think that the ruling would be unfair, as Stern claimed.

a) Rule that Amare was trying to check into the game on the play.
b) Suspend Duncan for stepping on the court.

Why is it okay to enforce an unfair rule on a technicality, but then laugh at the excuse which was not the intent, but technically acceptable? Stern cannot say that he had his hands tied behind his back by the owners' rule because he had two solutions which would have literally upheld the rule while still maintaining fairness.

[Ralph Wiggum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0qe7PGCQvI&eurl=

Just saw a couple comments saying Amare is taking off his warm ups. Any chance he wasn't lying about trying to check in? Would it even matter?

[CharlieDontSurf]

Dan Patrick told Mike D that the Suns organization should put seatbelts on all the bench chairs for tonights game ahaha

that would be so awesome.

[Aces McGee]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0qe7PGCQvI&eurl=

Just saw a couple comments saying Amare is taking off his warm ups. Any chance he wasn't lying about trying to check in? Would it even matter?

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There is no chance at all Amare was checking into the game. You can tell this by looking at the clip, but regardless, he's completely abandoned that argument:

"I am disappointed that the NBA looked at the letter of the rule and not the spirit of the rule. I admit I stepped on the court, and that I should have had some more restraint..."

-Stoudemire, in an ESPN.com article .

[tuq]

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The league this playoffs has once made another decision in a matter like this that got no discussion but I thought was even worse. Jason Richardson got fined 35K for inappropriate interactions with a Dallas fan. Now, I have no idea what happened there. I have no idea if Richardson should have been fined, suspended or nothing, but according to the letter of the rules, IF the league is going to say that something, anything happened between Richardson and a fan, Richardson must be suspended.

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Not only am I unfamiliar with this rule, you're showing your Mavs homerism by making an argument that nobody else is.

If you were able to show me that "anything that happens between a player and a fan" is an automatic suspension (which makes no sense BTW) then I'd believe you. When I heard the story my first thought was "here's some drunk a-hole trying to make himself part of the story by picking a fight with a Warriors player".

The league can't do that because players have a reasonable right to protect themselves in a hostile environment. That would mean I could affect the series tonight by provoking Duncan into a fight and he would be forced to not fight back. What was that story about a Knicks player charging up into the stands in Chicago or wherever to defend his wife? Didn't he get suspended for that? Ridiculous.

What saves the NBA's ass from player-fan confrontation now is that all the fans within reach of the court have paid through the nose to sit there and are usually fairly successful, mature individuals. The Palace Brawl was a perfect storm because you had a heated rivalry, a few drunk bad apples who came down from the rafters and upgraded their seats when the suits went home, and Ron Artest. Not likely those three things are going to collide again in our lifetimes.

[D-FENS]

Here is Bill Simmons' reaction.

He nails it on the head, imo.

[SBR]

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Here is Bill Simmons' reaction.

He nails it on the head, imo.

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Just came here to post that, his best article in a long time.

[.Alex.]

Woody Paige making some good points on ATH for maybe the third time ever.

[CharlieDontSurf]

Simmons sums it up well

No sense it debating the did they didn't they etc.

Whats done is done.

Now the Suns just have to somehow will this team to a game 5 win. Marion needs to have a huge huge game: 35+ points

[EricW]

When the Suns lose tonight (there's no way they can win without 2 of their main players when the Spurs are at full strength) I will NEVER watch another NBA game again.

I hate Stern. He's a piece of [censored]. Any guy who appoints Stu Jackson to such a high position is clearly incompetent. Does anyone remember Jackson single handedly ruining the Vancouver Grizzlies' franchise? I do.