12News showed a blurb with Stern

[CardShark]

Someone asked if the Suns ejections have tainted the playoffs. He answered in one region of the country, Arizona. He said it was sad to that they couldn't see it as enforcing the rules, but it is what it is.

Well maybe it wouldn't be so hard to accept it if the rules were enforced against the Spurs as well. I'm not even talking about when Duncan and Bowen stepped onto the court. How about when they were hacking away at Nash and no fouls were being called? If they let the Spurs slide on breaking the rules then they need to let every team slide.

 

[azirish]

Someone asked if the Suns ejections have tainted the playoffs. He answered in one region of the country, Arizona. He said it was sad to that they couldn't see it as enforcing the rules, but it is what it is.

Well maybe it wouldn't be so hard to accept it if the rules were enforced against the Spurs as well. I'm not even talking about when Duncan and Bowen stepped onto the court. How about when they were hacking away at Nash and no fouls were being called? If they let the Spurs slide on breaking the rules then they need to let every team slide.

Perhaps the better question would be, why wasn't Horry suspended for the rest of the playoffs. He was the one who initiated contact with Bell, which was the altercation that led to the other suspensions. Since this "fight' (Bell never touched Horry, but it must have been a really terrible event that guys 30 feet away could be thrown out for it) was such a big deal to go along with an especially blatant foul - why was he not suspended for the duration?

 

[CardShark]

Perhaps the better question would be, why wasn't Horry suspended for the rest of the playoffs. He was the one who initiated contact with Bell, which was the altercation that led to the other suspensions. Since this "fight' (Bell never touched Horry, but it must have been a really terrible event that guys 30 feet away could be thrown out for it) was such a big deal to go along with an especially blatant foul - why was he not suspended for the duration?

I agree with you on that. Horry commited 2 offenses in that sequence of events. While what he did to Nash warranted a one game suspension, throwing the elbow at Bell should've had him out for the remainder of the playoffs. That's how Stern should've sent a message.

 

[Bufalay]

I agree with you on that. Horry commited 2 offenses in that sequence of events. While what he did to Nash warranted a one game suspension, throwing the elbow at Bell should've had him out for the remainder of the playoffs. That's how Stern should've sent a message.

I really see no difference between that elbow horry threw and an alonzo/kobe/carmelo punch

 

[elindholm]

Stern is in denial.

 

[justAndy]

I like how he wouldn't even come to AZ after his douchebag decision.
Why he and the rest of the NBA hierarchy continue to uphold cheapshot/clutch and grab/hack/flop basketball amazes me.
Basketball should be a beautiful game of speed, passing and shooting.
The mucking should be left to greatest minor league sport - hockey.

 

[azirish]

I like how he wouldn't even come to AZ after his douchebag decision.
Why he and the rest of the NBA hierarchy continue to uphold cheapshot/clutch and grab/hack/flop basketball amazes me.
Basketball should be a beautiful game of speed, passing and shooting.
The mucking should be left to greatest minor league sport - hockey.

Or Rugby.

 

[RedStorm]

I like how he wouldn't even come to AZ after his douchebag decision.
Why he and the rest of the NBA hierarchy continue to uphold cheapshot/clutch and grab/hack/flop basketball amazes me.
Basketball should be a beautiful game of speed, passing and shooting.
The mucking should be left to greatest minor league sport - hockey.

Right On!!

 

[BC867]

Why he and the rest of the NBA hierarchy continue to uphold cheapshot/clutch and grab/hack/flop basketball amazes me.
Basketball should be a beautiful game of speed, passing and shooting.
The mucking should be left to greatest minor league sport - hockey.

Yeah, as they say, "I went to a fight and a hockey match broke out."

 

[pokerface]

You guys need to stop this!!!!


The Spurs were just better....again. Lets take the higher road and not go down some pathetic ref bashing road...its lame. The Suns dont know how to play physical....thank D'Antoni for that and MOVE ON.

 

[arwillan]

You guys need to stop this!!!!


The Spurs were just better....again. Lets take the higher road and not go down some pathetic ref bashing road...its lame. The Suns dont know how to play physical....thank D'Antoni for that and MOVE ON.

i think the point most people are making is that basketball should be played as physically as the spurs play it. of course there will be bumps, shoves, tough fouls, and all that stuff with a contact sport but hand checking,body checking, and that kind of thing isnt what basketball is about at all yet the spurs are rewarded for doing so.

seems to be a very valid argument

 

[Charles V]

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[dodie53]

You must be registered for see images

funny

 

[pokerface]

i think the point most people are making is that basketball should be played as physically as the spurs play it. of course there will be bumps, shoves, tough fouls, and all that stuff with a contact sport but hand checking,body checking, and that kind of thing isnt what basketball is about at all yet the spurs are rewarded for doing so.

seems to be a very valid argument

The refs didnt give the Spurs the whole series...Besides, if the Spurs are playing a certain way and winning championships with it the Suns better wise up and emulate it instead of whining about it.


Amare didnt have to leave the bench either...that was LAME.

 

[dodie53]

horry cheap shotting nash was LAME too

 

[pokerface]

horry cheap shotting nash was LAME too

Not if you're a Spurs fan....For the price of Horry they got rid of Diaw and Amare for a game.

Lucky for the Spurs we got guys gullible enough to fall for that kind of thing

 

[Evil Ash]

The refs didnt give the Spurs the whole series...Besides, if the Spurs are playing a certain way and winning championships with it the Suns better wise up and emulate it instead of whining about it.

Well in certain ways we do. For example Amare complains to the refs all of the time and so does the entire spurs team. The difference is Amare was 2nd in technicals and the Spurs team rarely gets any called on them.

The officials let Tim Duncan do whatever the heck he wants and are now at a point of fear of calling him for anything. They've generally had an inconsistent set of rules for superstars and big men but what they let him get away with is insane.

The 500 lb elephant in the room that David Stern continues to ignore is the horrific officiating going on league wide. The officials have little control of any situation and generally are unfit for the job missing critical calls time and again. I'm not saying this as just a Suns fan saying that we were screwed on a couple of calls, I'm saying this as someone who has watched other NBA is concerned over the downward spiral that the league is going down.

Prior to the lockout, I was someone that couldn't get enough of the NBA. Now i can barely stand watching the product anymore. The ratings are going in the toilet and folks like Stern are simply ignoring the problems.

Amare didnt have to leave the bench either...that was LAME.

Neither did Tim Duncan or Bowen but the league let that go without a problem. Yeah I know James Jones didn't start an "altercation" (which they have yet to define BTW) but those two were on the court to be a part of a fight or incident if there was one.

The other "altercation" can only be considered an altercation because of Horry throwing an elbow. No other attempts to hit were made. Horry gets a slap on the wrist and the two players that had a momentary lapse in judgement at worst were given a worse punishment then a player who elbowed someone in the face (Baron Davis). That seem right to you, honestly?

The league was called out by just about everyone (that even included some Spurs fans that posted on this board. Unfortuantely all we get now are the Spurs fans that view trolling on a messageboard as a life accomplishment) for their inconsistencies as well as the iron clad enforcement of a vague rule and rightfully so. However Stern continues to run in fear and ignore the faults with the league which leaves us with a product that isn't entertaining and is on the quick decline.

I haven't watched a minute of the NBA playoffs since the Suns were eliminated and quite frankly I don't miss it one bit.

 

[Evil Ash]

Not if you're a Spurs fan....For the price of Horry they got rid of Diaw and Amare for a game.

Lucky for the Spurs we got guys gullible enough to fall for that kind of thing

Yup we should've had Burke take out Duncan's knees. The Spurs would just be gullible enough TO WANT TO PROTECT THEIR TEAMMATE (what an unthinkable concept) and be punished for it.

 

[CardShark]

Not if you're a Spurs fan....For the price of Horry they got rid of Diaw and Amare for a game.

Lucky for the Spurs we got guys gullible enough to fall for that kind of thing

 

[pokerface]

Well in certain ways we do. For example Amare complains to the refs all of the time and so does the entire spurs team. The difference is Amare was 2nd in technicals and the Spurs team rarely gets any called on them.

The officials let Tim Duncan do whatever the heck he wants and are now at a point of fear of calling him for anything. They've generally had an inconsistent set of rules for superstars and big men but what they let him get away with is insane..

Everyone shoots thier mouths off differently to the refs. Maybe Amare should watch Duncan and see how he gets away with it and learn something. I dont remember anything obvious to where Duncan was supposed to get a tech anyway.

Neither did Tim Duncan or Bowen but the league let that go without a problem. Yeah I know James Jones didn't start an "altercation" (which they have yet to define BTW) but those two were on the court to be a part of a fight or incident if there was one.

Why even bring that up? Thats a feeble copout statement grasping at straws that fans bring up all the time...You said yourself there was no altercation so its a moot point.

The other "altercation" can only be considered an altercation because of Horry throwing an elbow. No other attempts to hit were made. Horry gets a slap on the wrist and the two players that had a momentary lapse in judgement at worst were given a worse punishment then a player who elbowed someone in the face (Baron Davis). That seem right to you, honestly?.

It does seem right to me because the elbow, the way Nash came down and jumped up in a confrontational way, and other players coming over made it appear to be an altercation. Horry was suspended two games for it and it should have ended there not with our players clearing the bench to become some sort of half backed bodyguards/onlookers.

 

[pokerface]

Yup we should've had Burke take out Duncan's knees. The Spurs would just be gullible enough TO WANT TO PROTECT THEIR TEAMMATE (what an unthinkable concept) and be punished for it.

Protect thier teammate?? Thats the type of escalation the NBA is looking to avoid. Let the refs do their job! The refs jumped in between the players....they dont need Amare and Diaw to add to the confusion. They arn't protecting anybody they're just getting suspended!

Everytime one of our players gets pushed down we supposed to throw a chance at a championship out the window?? Thats not smart at all....

 

[Evil Ash]

Everyone shoots thier mouths off differently to the refs. Maybe Amare should watch Duncan and see how he gets away with it and learn something. I dont remember anything obvious to where Duncan was supposed to get a tech anyway.

But complaining is complaining and if the rules are to be enforced the way it is written in the rule book then he should be punished. They said that the suspensions of Amare and Diaw was due to enforcement of a rule.

So why do they pick and choose the rest of the rules that they enforce? It doesn't make any sense.

The Suns don't get calls because of the PERCEPTION that they are a soft team while the spurs get away with it due to their REPUTATION. Rules shouldn't be enforced based on reputation or perception but they are and that's a problem that the league needs to address.

Unfortunately, Stern has his head so far up his ass that he doesn't recognize the faults with the league and watches as it goes on a steady decline.

Why even bring that up? Thats a feeble copout statement grasping at straws that fans bring up all the time...You said yourself there was no altercation so its a moot point.

1) To further show that the league is getting to the point to promoting thuggery. Tim Duncan and Bowen were on the court with the intent of being involved in an altercation but because James Jones decided not to kick Elson's teeth in, they receive no punishment even though their intent was the same as Amare and Diaw's. Common sense would say that they should have been punished as well.

However this league has shown time and again they don't have common sense.

2) There is no definition for the rule they enforced. What is an altercation? What is the vicinity of the bench? Without the definitions, you can't have iron clad enforcement that would make any sense.

3) Give a demonstration of how scared the league is of Duncan. He was on the court during play yet he has yet to receive any punishment whatsoever. No T, No fine, no suspension. Absolutely nothing. Its an embarassing joke that shows the league definitely has favoritism with certain players and teams which is what leads to the poor perception of the league and the conspiracy theories.

Kinda hard to ignore how rules are enforced for some and not for others

It does seem right to me because the elbow, the way Nash came down and jumped up in a confrontational way, and other players coming over made it appear to be an altercation. Horry was suspended two games for it and it should have ended there not with our players clearing the bench to become some sort of half backed bodyguards/onlookers.

Again we're back to the definition thing. They don't have a definition for a rule that they are trying to strictly enforce.

You say it was an altercation, I disagree. There was no fight other then an elbow given by Horry. So why should a minor player be rewarded for two cheap shots?

Like many in the media and fans have pointed out, it doesn't make sense and the league will continue to go downhill if it keeps going where its going.

 

[Evil Ash]

Protect thier teammate?? Thats the type of escalation the NBA is looking to avoid. Let the refs do their job! The refs jumped in between the players....they dont need Amare and Diaw to add to the confusion. They arn't protecting anybody they're just getting suspended!

You're right and we don't need players on the court during play going for the intent of being involved in such an incident and therefore Duncan and Bowen should have been suspended as well.

If the rule is to truely make sure that fights don't break out then they should enforce it that no player should leave the vicinity of the bench at any time during a game or else they are to be suspended. However that involves common sense which the league lacks.

Everytime one of our players gets pushed down we supposed to throw a chance at a championship out the window?? Thats not smart at all....

What would be smart is to make definitions for a rule that they want to so strongly enforce.

Another smart thing to do would be to strongly punish players who commit cheap shots and attempt to injure players or try to start fights (2 games isn't enough).

Another smart thing the refs could do is to enforce the rules for all teams the same way and not make it look like they have favortism with certain teams.

Another smart thing the refs could do is try to calm the situation down before it gets to the point where a cheap shot or fight out of anger is committed.

The league has shown time and again they prefer to let the league go on the decline rather than doing the smart thing. It would be nice if that changed so I can start watching basketball again and be entertained with regulatity again.

 

[pokerface]

Tim Duncan and Bowen were on the court with the intent of being involved in an altercation but because James Jones decided not to kick Elson's teeth in, they receive no punishment even though their intent was the same as Amare and Diaw's. Common sense would say that they should have been punished as well..

Common sense would say you dont attempt to read minds and you go on players actions instead. There was no altercation so there was no suspendable offense. Now if you wanted to go down the road that they could have been hit with a tech for delay of game or whatever thats different...But then again there is always some player or coach on the fringes of the court so that would require a major crackdown.

There is no definition for the rule they enforced. What is an altercation? What is the vicinity of the bench? Without the definitions, you can't have iron clad enforcement that would make any sense..

They could do more to clarify things but that doesnt mean the rules are unenforcable. I havn't seen mass suspensions or abuse of the rule. For Amare and Diaw to be 20+ feet from the bench anyone would say thats not the vicinity of the bench so why argue the rule over that?

Give a demonstration of how scared the league is of Duncan. He was on the court during play yet he has yet to receive any punishment whatsoever. No T, No fine, no suspension. Absolutely nothing. Its an embarassing joke that shows the league definitely has favoritism with certain players and teams which is what leads to the poor perception of the league and the conspiracy theories.

As stated before players and coaches are venturing out all the time on the court. If there arn't altercations involved the league doesnt seem to have a big problem with it.

You say it was an altercation, I disagree. There was no fight other then an elbow given by Horry. So why should a minor player be rewarded for two cheap shots?

If you dont think there was an altercation then why after it happened did the announcers start discussing if Amare and Diaw might be suspended for leaving the bench? Why did D'Antoni and Amare try to come up with a defense after the game and try to excuse leaving the bench? Not only that but why hasn't ANYONE come out publicly and say the Horry incident wasnt an altercation? That doesnt even seem to be up for dispute....its a given except to you.

 

[pokerface]

In the end of ends its easier and smarter for the Suns to change their tactics and learn from the Spurs then to rewrite the NBA rule book and try to change the customs and traditions of the league.

Dont try to change the world...change yourselves.