Oh, the controversy

Before the last 30 seconds or so of Monday nights game 4, this Spurs / Suns series had shaped up as one of the all time classics. Being a spurs fan for the last 18 years or so, I have seen a lot of great playoff games and these I consider to be near the top. On one side of the ball, you have the explosive, high octane offense of the Phoenix Suns. On the other side, you have the methodical, fundamental, swarming, wear you out defense of the San Anotnio Spurs. Game 1 set the tone of the series with the deciding basket coming down to the end of the game. No team led by more then 8 points. The excitement continued in Games 3 and 4, that is until the last 30 seconds.

The 3rd quarter of game 4 was probably the best quarter of basketball I have ever seen the Spurs play. They were unstoppable, scoring 35 points! Duncan was banking shots 4 feet off the glass while double teamed. Finley and Barry were hitting 3's from well beyond the key. Tony Parker's teardrop layups were unblockable. The defense was swarming and confusing Steve Nash, creating turnovers. At the end of the quater, it looked like the Spurs were a sure thing to head back to Phoenix up 3 games to 1. Well, as they say folks, "Thats why they play 4."The frustration of the 4th Quarter was about as much as I could take as the Spurs went completely cold. The Suns offense exploded, scoring 32 points to San Antonio's 18, taking the lead for good in the final 18 seconds. The Spurs couldn't hit a shot to save their lives. You could tell the players were upset and frustrated. I was upset and frustrated. It took me several hours to finally calm down and go to sleep. Robert Horry, in his frustration, gave a forearm to the chest of Steve Nash. It wasn't premeditated. He wasn't sent in by Popovich to "take him out". It was nothing more then a stupid, bush league move, done out of frustration by Horry. He deserved to be suspended. After the forearm, two of the players from the Suns rushed off the bench over to the site of the mele. The next day, the league suspended both players (Amari Stoudemire and Boris Diaw).

The real controversy stems from whether or not Stoudemire and Diaw should have been suspended. It is as clear as day to anyone who follows the NBA that if you leave the bench during an altercation, you will be suspended for a game. David Stern has enforced that rule for 10 years. The players know it, the assistance coaches know it, the refs know, and the ball boys know it. Is it fair that the Suns were penalized for what Horry did? No, but they knew the consequences of he rule. Did I want to see Amari out for game 5? Absolutely not. This series has been amazing and he has played a big reason for that, but it is not Robert Horry's fault or David Sterns fault that Stoudemire was suspended for game 5. The fault lies clearly on the head of Amari. This is the golden rule of the NBA and Amari broke it. Remember last years playoffs when James Posey took out Kirk Hindrick with a clear closearm to the neck? That play was much worse then what Robert Horry did to Steve Nash. Did the Bulls players storm the court? No, because they knew the rule. Is their a conspiracy against the Suns by the NBA? No, that's just stupid. The last thing the NBA wants is for the Spurs to beat the Suns. The Suns translate into a much better product for television ratings. David Stern would probably have a corinary over another Spurs / Pistons series like the one 2 years ago.

It's sad that this series will always be remembered for the stupidity of one guy. As much as I look forward to watching game 6 and possibly game 7, I am ready for the Spurs to move on and face the Jazz. In the end, the rule probably needs to be looked at, but it is not the fault of the Spurs or of Robert Horry that the Suns didn't have one of their Stars in game 5 (which ultimately translated to a loss). David Stern just did what he has always, enforce the rule.