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Horry, 2 Suns suspended
Fallout is from Game 4 incident
By Associated Press | May 16, 2007

The NBA announced yesterday the Spurs' Robert Horry was suspended two games for knocking Phoenix's Steve Nash into the scorer's table with 18 seconds remaining in the Suns' 104-98 playoff victory at San Antonio Monday night.

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Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire and teammate Boris Diaw were suspended one game for leaving the bench after Horry's flagrant foul on Nash in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal.

Phoenix's victory evened the series at 2-2. All three players will miss tonight's Game 5 in Phoenix of what has been an intense showdown. Horry also will miss Friday night's Game 6 in San Antonio.

Horry was suspended for flagrantly fouling Nash and striking Raja Bell about the shoulders with a forearm, NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson said in a statement. Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for leaving "the immediate vicinity of their bench" during the altercation.

During a conference call, Jackson said, "This is a very unfortunate circumstance. No one here at the league office wants to suspend players any game, much less a pivotal game in the second round of a playoff series. But the rule, however, is the rule, and we intend to apply it consistently."

"I feel it's terribly wrong," Suns owner Robert Sarver said. "I feel we've been unjustly penalized for the fact that we played a clean, hard game. I feel if any team should have been penalized in this series, it should be the Spurs and it shouldn't be us. I feel like I've just been punched in the gut."

NBA's Phoenix Suns Have Every Right to Cry Foul: Scott Soshnick

By Scott Soshnick

May 16 (Bloomberg) -- John Starks reacted instantly, as National Basketball Association crime and punishment seemed to be repeating itself a decade on.

``That's ridiculous,'' the former New York Knicks guard said. Now, it's Amare Stoudemire's turn to suffer in one-key-playoff- game-suspension silence. Boris Diaw, too.

Starks has instant recall when it comes to events like the one that took place in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns two nights ago, one that might decide one of the teams that plays for this season's NBA championship.

Having seen the video a million times, I can see the past unfolding as Starks speaks.

There goes Charlie Ward, flipped upside down, manhandled by an opponent, in this case P.J. Brown of the Miami Heat. A teammate was in trouble. Something had to be done. Starks had to help, right?

Fight or flight. No time for thought. No time for the contemplation of consequences.

``It's a natural reaction,'' said Starks, whispering into his mobile phone because his 6-year-old daughter is performing on stage at her elementary school. ``You're thinking about the safety of your teammates.''

Mark my words: The NBA will amend -- if not abolish -- its automatic-suspension rule. The guideline, which cost the Knicks then and the Suns now, states that any player who leaves the vicinity of the bench during a fight is automatically suspended for one game.

No Excuses

No excuses. No leniency. No wiggle room. No gray area. No appeal. No judgment.

No common sense.

``Everything we do here at the league office is always up for re-evaluation,'' the NBA's discipline czar, Stu Jackson, told reporters during a 10-minute conference call last night. ``If a change is warranted going forward, certainly we will take a look at perhaps tweaking the rule.''

The NBA should've learned from Knicks-Heat, 10 years ago.

Peacemakers should be immune from punishment. As Jackson repeatedly pointed out on the conference call, however, this is the rule.

``It's a bright line,'' he said. ``Historically, if you break it, you get suspended, regardless of what the circumstances are. This is a very unfortunate circumstance.''

Unfortunate. Also avoidable.

The NBA competition committee meets the Saturday of every All-Star break. Nobody saw this coming?

I'll say it again. By this time next season, this rule will no longer exist, not in its current form, anyway.

Last Chance

That is of little consolation to the Suns, who, after evening their best-of-seven series with San Antonio at 2-2 on the road, showed their championship material. It might have been their last chance.

A quick recap:

In the waning seconds of Game 4, the Spurs' Robert Horry, to borrow a hockey phrase, hip-checked Steve Nash, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, who crashed to the floor and into the courtside scorer's table.

In the ensuing pushing and shoving, Stoudemire and Diaw walked from the Phoenix bench toward the commotion before they were corralled by assistant coaches.

Twenty to 25 feet from the bench, was Jackson's estimate. A clear, yet, unfortunate violation of the rules, he said. Automatic suspensions

Starks isn't buying it.

`Leeway'

``You should have at least a little leeway,'' Starks said. ``They didn't go and get in the fracas. They didn't start anything.''

That doesn't matter in the NBA, where player discipline is a point of emphasis. Horry, a role player, was suspended for two games. No quarrel with that. Big-Shot Rob became Cheap-Shot Rob.

Ultimately, player punishments are determined by Commissioner David Stern, who has a no-nonsense track record, particularly in matters of fisticuffs or anything close.

There are no winners here, not even the Spurs, who face a shorthanded and significantly weakened opponent tonight in Phoenix in Game 5.

The Suns lose. Their fans lose. Basketball fans lose. The TV networks lose. The NBA loses.

Fans are denied the chance to see Stoudemire, a star, against Tim Duncan, a former Most Valuable Player, on a big stage.

Difference

Stoudemire is the difference between the Suns being an entertaining team and a legitimate contender.

Ten years ago, the Knicks held a 3-1 lead over the Heat when the fight broke out and New York lost the game -- and more.

Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston were suspended for Game 6, which the Knicks also lost. Larry Johnson and Starks sat out Game 7, which the Knicks lost, too.

``It's exactly what happened to us. It's a huge blow,'' Starks said. ``It's not fair to the Suns, not fair to the playoffs, not fair to the fans.''

Jackson was asked if he thought the Phoenix suspensions were fair.

He didn't answer.

Starks's reaction was best.

Ridiculous.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... GdJEtlqhBg

Robert Horry initiate the incident and the Spurs get rewarded with the suspension of 2 suns starting players?? Fuc.k thaaaat mayn !!

Suns have no chance of winning the series with Stoudemire or without 'em, The suns basically stole game four, man they got lucky in game four. Suns are one trick pony the screen and roll and thats it.