Spring Break
On 2nd Thought
Face hits not worth a foul?
State Hornet Staff
Issue date: 5/5/09 Section: Sports
Mitchell Wilson
Rajon Rondo should have been ejected twice in the epic series between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. The National Basketball Association's record on following its own rules regarding fouls is a joke.
Smacking Brad Miller in the face might have made some disgruntled Sacramento Kings fans happy, but it was clearly a flagrant foul that deserved a suspension. If Rondo ever hit LeBron James in the face like he did to Miller, he would have been suspended. Commissioner David Stern would have fined and criticized Rondo for the clear swipe at Miller.
Rondo also should have been tossed for pulling Kirk Hinrich into the scorers table. I understand Rondo is an emerging star and Hinrich isn't, but the NBA gives far too much leniency to marquee players. Does Rondo have to punch a player in the face a few times in order to merit a suspension?
Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic got suspended for a game due to a weak elbow to Samuel Dalembert's head. The Philadelphia 76ers center wasn't a bloody mess or provoked enough to want to fight back. Howard hurt his own teammate Courtney Lee harder by fracturing his sinus with an elbow than he did Dalembert.
Considering how strict the league is when it comes to players leaving the bench during a skirmish, its the erratic enforcement over fouls that doesn't make any sense. The bench-leaving rule itself is absurd and should be done away with.
There is a reason why the league is occasionally accused of being fixed and inconsistent treatment of players fuel those rumors.
Cheap shots and clearly intentional blows need to dealt with harshly and fairly. The Celtics vs. the Bulls was one of the greatest series in the history of basketball. It should be remembered for clutch shots and numerous overtimes, not for the league turning a blind eye to dirty tricks.
Andrew Hazard
The foul by Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo on Chicago Bulls center Brad Miller during game five of the Bulls-Celtics series should have been an automatic suspension.
If the referees had called a flagrant foul on Rondo - like they should have - Chicago could have had the opportunity to choose its best free-throw shooter to take the two shots, and the Bulls could have kept possession of the ball after the free throws.
As it turned out, the referees only called a personal foul on Rondo, not a flagrant.
Miller, who lost a tooth on the play, was clearly disoriented from the blow to the head. Rondo's foul on Miller was so hard there was no way Miller was going to make those free throws.
The Bulls were robbed of having an equal opportunity to win the game. Miller, who is a career 80 percent free-throw shooter, was not close to making either shot and the Celtics got the rebound and ran down the clock.
The NBA Rules Committee prides itself on the stability of the calls referees make, playoffs or not. In the 2007 Western Conference Finals, the Phoenix Suns were well on their way to winning a championship.
In the closing minute of game four, Spurs forward Robert Horry shoved Steve Nash into the press table. A little altercation broke out in which Phoenix players Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw briefly left the bench. Leaving the bench during play is an automatic suspension.
Both players were suspended for the next game and San Antonio won the series and eventually the championship.
Earlier in this year's playoffs, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was tangled up with Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert and he elbowed him.
There was no foul on the play and Howard injured his own player, Courtney Lee, more on the play than Dalembert. Still, throwing an elbow at or above a player's shoulders is an automatic suspension.
Thankfully for Orlando fans, Howard's suspension did not affect the series.
In game six of the Bulls-Celtics series, Rondo was involved in another questionable play when he threw Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich into the press table, similar to the Horry-Nash play.
But the NBA has announced there will be no repercussions for Rondo.
For some reason the NBA is not punishing Rondo while Diaw, Stoudemire and Howard were suspended for less egregious offenses.
Some people try to argue that playoff basketball is different than the regular season. The NBA disagrees. The referees are supposed to make calls strictly based off the rulebook, but they have not in Rondo's case.
If a player leaves the bench while the game is in play, the player will be suspended (like Diaw and Stoudemire). If a player takes a cheap shot below the belt or above the shoulders of another player, he will be suspended (like Horry and Howard).
It makes no sense why Rondo was given a free pass. There was a clear intent to foul Miller and Hinrich hard. Rondo undoubtedly deserved a suspension.
If Commissioner David Stern is so concerned with the league's referees being objective, then he blew two opportunities at objectivity for himself in not suspending Rondo.
Not suspending Rondo does not go along with Stern's policy of following the rulebook. The referees and Stern were not objective in Rondo's case.
It is not an equal opportunity game if the rules are not applied to every player. Rondo deserves a two-game suspension.
The sports staff can be reached at sports@statehornet.com
Rajon Rondo should have been ejected twice in the epic series between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. The National Basketball Association's record on following its own rules regarding fouls is a joke.
Smacking Brad Miller in the face might have made some disgruntled Sacramento Kings fans happy, but it was clearly a flagrant foul that deserved a suspension. If Rondo ever hit LeBron James in the face like he did to Miller, he would have been suspended. Commissioner David Stern would have fined and criticized Rondo for the clear swipe at Miller.
Rondo also should have been tossed for pulling Kirk Hinrich into the scorers table. I understand Rondo is an emerging star and Hinrich isn't, but the NBA gives far too much leniency to marquee players. Does Rondo have to punch a player in the face a few times in order to merit a suspension?
Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic got suspended for a game due to a weak elbow to Samuel Dalembert's head. The Philadelphia 76ers center wasn't a bloody mess or provoked enough to want to fight back. Howard hurt his own teammate Courtney Lee harder by fracturing his sinus with an elbow than he did Dalembert.
Considering how strict the league is when it comes to players leaving the bench during a skirmish, its the erratic enforcement over fouls that doesn't make any sense. The bench-leaving rule itself is absurd and should be done away with.
There is a reason why the league is occasionally accused of being fixed and inconsistent treatment of players fuel those rumors.
Cheap shots and clearly intentional blows need to dealt with harshly and fairly. The Celtics vs. the Bulls was one of the greatest series in the history of basketball. It should be remembered for clutch shots and numerous overtimes, not for the league turning a blind eye to dirty tricks.
Andrew Hazard
The foul by Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo on Chicago Bulls center Brad Miller during game five of the Bulls-Celtics series should have been an automatic suspension.
If the referees had called a flagrant foul on Rondo - like they should have - Chicago could have had the opportunity to choose its best free-throw shooter to take the two shots, and the Bulls could have kept possession of the ball after the free throws.
As it turned out, the referees only called a personal foul on Rondo, not a flagrant.
Miller, who lost a tooth on the play, was clearly disoriented from the blow to the head. Rondo's foul on Miller was so hard there was no way Miller was going to make those free throws.
The Bulls were robbed of having an equal opportunity to win the game. Miller, who is a career 80 percent free-throw shooter, was not close to making either shot and the Celtics got the rebound and ran down the clock.
The NBA Rules Committee prides itself on the stability of the calls referees make, playoffs or not. In the 2007 Western Conference Finals, the Phoenix Suns were well on their way to winning a championship.
In the closing minute of game four, Spurs forward Robert Horry shoved Steve Nash into the press table. A little altercation broke out in which Phoenix players Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw briefly left the bench. Leaving the bench during play is an automatic suspension.
Both players were suspended for the next game and San Antonio won the series and eventually the championship.
Earlier in this year's playoffs, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was tangled up with Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert and he elbowed him.
There was no foul on the play and Howard injured his own player, Courtney Lee, more on the play than Dalembert. Still, throwing an elbow at or above a player's shoulders is an automatic suspension.
Thankfully for Orlando fans, Howard's suspension did not affect the series.
In game six of the Bulls-Celtics series, Rondo was involved in another questionable play when he threw Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich into the press table, similar to the Horry-Nash play.
But the NBA has announced there will be no repercussions for Rondo.
For some reason the NBA is not punishing Rondo while Diaw, Stoudemire and Howard were suspended for less egregious offenses.
Some people try to argue that playoff basketball is different than the regular season. The NBA disagrees. The referees are supposed to make calls strictly based off the rulebook, but they have not in Rondo's case.
If a player leaves the bench while the game is in play, the player will be suspended (like Diaw and Stoudemire). If a player takes a cheap shot below the belt or above the shoulders of another player, he will be suspended (like Horry and Howard).
It makes no sense why Rondo was given a free pass. There was a clear intent to foul Miller and Hinrich hard. Rondo undoubtedly deserved a suspension.
If Commissioner David Stern is so concerned with the league's referees being objective, then he blew two opportunities at objectivity for himself in not suspending Rondo.
Not suspending Rondo does not go along with Stern's policy of following the rulebook. The referees and Stern were not objective in Rondo's case.
It is not an equal opportunity game if the rules are not applied to every player. Rondo deserves a two-game suspension.
The sports staff can be reached at sports@statehornet.com
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