| Getting Dirty: Why Amare and Diaw Deserved Suspensions Authored by Elliot Cole - May 18, 2007 - 12:28 am
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But the modern Bad Boys? Really?
We are talking about the boring, milk and cookies Spurs, right? The team that's best player is so ho-hum that his best nickname is the ever creative “The Big Fundamental”? The team with half a roster of foreign born players? A team that quietly ushers out all the knuckleheads that come their way (read: Dennis Rodman, Antonio Daniels, Stephen Jackson)?
It takes more than a kick to the shoe, a knee to the thigh, and a hip check foul to cement the Spurs as the Bad Boys. The difference in perception is a matter of media focus. Writers love to have a protagonist, and the Suns have become the darlings of the NBA (and why not? They are fun to watch and have recognizable faces). In the wake of front page suspensions after game 4, the Suns were able to parlay a “we were cheated” mentality into a near upset in game 5.
But let's get a few things straight. You want to know the “dirty” little secret of the suspensions? How about this…they were completely justified.
Robert Horry wasn't being rewarded for his hit on Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were being punished for ignoring a rule that his been in place since before they even came into the league. The rule was installed for a reason; it is difficult to control an altercation when 10 guys are running onto the court from each bench. Everyone knows this rule, so why didn't Amare and Diaw?
I know what you're thinking. “It's a gut reaction…totally a natural thing to rush out to protect your best player”. This has been the main argument for those fans who feel the NBA cheated the Suns, and it's completely wrong. It's not a natural reaction to rush out onto the court towards an altercation. With 7 bench players on each team along with a few trainers, coaches, and players in suits, only two guys decided to run onto the court. Two. Out of more than 20, we're talking less than 10% of the players had this “natural reaction” to an altercation. Why didn't Jalen Rose, Pat Burke, Marcus Banks, or any of the Spurs players have this reaction? Because it isn't natural. It's strange, awkward, and in obvious violation of a longstanding rule.
The general outcry of the public has centered on how the Suns were wrong, how David Stern and Stu Jackson had followed the letter of the law too strictly in their suspensions. Analysts are asking for wiggle room under the rule. However, as David Stern says, you can't judge intent. Did Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw run out onto the court to be peacemakers? Probably not, but we can't know that. Neither can the opposing team's bench. If one team is allowed to have players run to the court, the other team will do the same. All of the sudden 24 players on the court at the sight of any altercation…but no suspensions should be warranted because nothing was made worse and they needed some “wiggle room”. And all this bench activity will in no way will make an altercation worse.
Nope, not buying it.
You want someone to blame for the game 4 suspensions?
Blame the players that broke the rules. That simple.
And if you want to pigeonhole the San Antonio Spurs as the new bad guys on the NBA, do so at your own ignorance. Few teams have been more influential in the city, donated more to their community, and been more loyal to their fans. For years the Spurs have been dedicated to fighting for children's literacy, health advocacy, and at-risk youths through dozens of programs (many of which, you'd be surprised to know, are fronted by none other than Bruce Bowen). If that's dirty, let the NBA have their martyrdom of the Suns, and I'll take dirty any day of the week.
Elliot Cole can be reached at elliot.cole@yahoo.com |
