I can't believe how the league is showing such favoritism to the Spurs. At first I just was angry about how the Spurs have been rewarded for their cheap shots that finally drew a rise out of the Suns. They've beaten up Steve Nash relentlessly and with such OBVIOUS INTENTIONS to injure the Suns players.... Stern should be fired. The guy is an absolute moron and this only goes to show that he in fact is showing favoritism to the Spurs. When a guy intentionally kicks another player and doesn't even get a fine that says something. When the same guy goes out there and intentionally knees Steve Nash in the balls, the dirtiest play in all of sports, he doesn't even get a fine. When the Spurs send Robert Horry out on the court and drills Steve Nash into the table, a dirty hit out of frustration that could have absolutely injured Steve Nash's shoulder seriously, they reward the Suns by absolutely having to go by the books on this one.
Here's the kicker... my favorite part which shows absolutely without a doubt that the Spurs are to the NBA as the Pats are to the NFL in terms of officiating and special treatment:
QUOTE
The Suns, meanwhile, have lost two-thirds of the trio they use to guard Spurs star Tim Duncan after the NBA rejected their claims that the scuffling seen late Monday wasn't a full-blown fight and that Stoudemire and Diaw never got close to it anyway.
QUOTE
The Suns countered by saying that Duncan and Bruce Bowen were guilty of a similar leaving-the-bench offense in Game 4's first half when San Antonio's Francisco Elson fell on the Suns' James Jones after a dunk. That play was also reviewed, but Jackson -- while conceding that Duncan "should not have been on the playing court" -- said that the league determined there was "no cause for the suspension rule" to be applied because the Elson-Jones tangle was not deemed to be an altercation.
Does that not seem to be favoritism to anyone else? In the Suns case, nothing is open for interpretation. In the Spurs case... "Yeah they broke the rules but we're not gonna consider that an altercation so there's no need to suspend the other teams best players. The rule was open to interpretation." Just laughable!
It's just absolutely disgusting that the leauge chose to take the high road with Bowen and his outright attempts to injure the Suns players, not even giving him a fine, and then this happens. Now the Spurs have been rewarded for being cheap and dirty and the Suns are being penalized because they were worried about the safety of their MVP and leader. Cheap. Dirty. Series marred. If anything, Horry shouldn't be allowed to play for the rest of the playoffs due to the bigger picture. Stern wonders why the NBA fanbase is shrinking... it's because of bullshit like this. Injustice amounts. Thugism is rewarded. Chivalry is penalized. I'm not really even a fan of the NBA and this causes outrage in me. I know the Sports World is calling this at face value: "Stu Jackson's decision to suspend Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for leaving the bench during the fracas at the end of Game 4 is utterly, profoundly, alarmingly, unreasonably ridiculous." That's the general consensus.
Remember when this happend to the Knicks? Series over and Miami was rewarded for initiating the fight.