A Stern Ruling
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by user Bobman024
So the Suns road obviously isn’t going to be an easy one. That became painfully obvious last night with 18.4 seconds left in the game. Big Cheap Shot Bob managed to prove Amare and the Suns correct. David Stern managed to give the Spurs the momentum right back by punishing the Suns for the Spurs poor sportsmanship.
The toughest part about this entire situation is who to hate more, David Stern and Stu Jackson or Robert Horry? While Robert Horry showed that he plays dirty at times he at least did it in the heat of the moment and the act wasn’t premeditated. David Stern and Stu Jackson had a full day of reviewing and contemplating and still managed to screw the Suns, the fans and the NBA with their pants on.
The claim is made that the NBA had to follow the letter of the law and enforce the rule that is on the books but when the rule isn’t 100% clear how can you follow it?
- During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $50,000. The suspensions will commence prior to the start of their next game.
What constitutes the immediate vicinity of the bench? How can you strictly enforce a vague rule. For that matter what constitutes an altercation? How was what happened in the second quarter not considered an altercation when Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen left the bench and came on the court? If the NBA can’t define their own rule in terms that aren’t subject to interpretation then they can’t claim they are following the “letter of the law”.
The worst part in all of this is David Stern isn’t man enough to stand up for his decision. If he truly felt it was a fair and just ruling that was the appropriate choice then he wouldn’t have canceled his trip to Phoenix for Game 5 in favor of going to Cleveland. Honestly
In the end though Game 5 is yet another chance for the Phoenix Suns to prove to everyone that they are worthy and ready to win an NBA championship. It is yet another “back against the wall” situation for a team who excels when it’s all on the line. It’s a chance to stick it to Stern, the Spurs and Big Cheap Shot Bob.
The Suns signed guys like Marcus Banks, Jalen Rose and Jumaine Jones to have a deeper bench. Well it’s now time to use the bench. Sure they haven’t seen many minutes this year but Jalen Rose has major playoff experience and it’s no time to stick to “the rotation”. It’s time to rally the crew and go out and play with guts. It’s time to just put it on the line and prove that anything is possible. If that means having Jalen Rose or Pat Burke or anyone on the bench log minutes and step up then so be it.
While it is the players who will decide things on the court it is time for Suns fans to step up too. It is time to be loud and make an atmosphere that is so hostile that the Spurs, the refs and the NBA take notice. It is time for the fans in Phoenix to rival the noise in Golden State and Detroit. Fans should be on their feat for from tip off to final whistle. Their should be booing and chants anytime the spurs touch the ball or the refs make a questionable call. Their should be signs like “I thought we got rid oft he synthetic balls January, Grow a set Stern!” and “Stu-PID”. Be creative, be proud, be loud and most of all be-lieve.
http://azsportshub.com/a-stern-ruling/
