Stern = hypocrite??

Shoving a ref is not a good thing. Even if they are all evil and plotting against Portland. Likewise, rules are rules. If it looked like a fight was about to break out, then yeah, they should be suspended.

However, in Garnett’s defense, if that ugly face got anywhere close to mine, I’d be shoving refs as well.

I don’t think anyone should be suspended although I wouldn’t mind fining KG for the elbow and shoving off the Ref.

Yes I think Stern is a hypocrite. Boston is a large market and that may be the difference. Who cares about holding the rules to phoenix and san antonio.

Last years playoffs just fed into the notion that the NBA hates them, now this inaction by Stern…

I’d rather not see anyone get suspended, but since they suspended the Suns dudes last year and possibly cost them the playoffs, I’d be fine with the players being suspended again this time. KG did shove a ref, and I heard he put out a cigarette on the ref’s neck after the game. He should be suspended. Plus, I’d love for the Hawks to steal another win… those two wins were awesome for a guy who watches the Hawks from afar and likes a few of their players like me, I can only imagine what it’d be like for that die hard LOOOOONG suffering Hawks fan (they gotta exist, right?).

No matter what, this series is going 6 games. That’s pretty sweet. The Hawks got a lot of talent, but they just don’t play as a team. Even though I watched them regularly I can’t say what the problem is aside from no leadership, but perhaps next season will see them building on this playoff performance. I would not be surprised if they did.

Mortimer

...and followed the letter of the law, KG, Perkins and Marvin Williams would all be suspended.

It’s one thing to not abide by the rules you uphold, but it’s another when said rules apply to some situations and not to others.

Yep. That’s hypocrisy.

and it looked intentional to me. Garnett is dirty.

Not only do i feel that Stern is being hypocritical in this case, but Stern and his regime have deemed hand gestures inappropriate. Paul Pierce was recently fined $25k for gesturing an “OK” sign during their loss in game 4 of their series with the Hawks.

You be the judge if what he did was obscene.

While there is often a fine line between something obscene and something appropriate for a sporting event. Given what Stern is dishing out, Kobe should have been fined for his “gunslinging” gestures during his 49 point outburst against Denver. Even Robert Horry crossed his arms back and forth after sinking a 3 in tonight’s game. Should that warrant a fine? Maybe not, but I certainly want to see whatever gang reference or obscenity that Pierce made during the game and I expect a better explanation out of Stern and Co.

Between this, the non-action against Boston for leaving the bench and the whole Seattle debacle I have little faith in Stern and his so called impartial viewpoint in the NBA.

however I believe that one is a lost cause. I am losing a lot of confidence in Stern, after Phoenix (last year) and all the Seattle stuff, Donhegy and now this. Nothing comes from the Boston/ATL confrontation but this junk results in a fine. uuuggg!

I don’t know what it is

I don’t think there is any consipiracy or large market bias going on here. After all Phoenix was screwed last year and they’re the fourth or fifth largest city in the USA (depending on which list you believe). I think this is a simple case of Stern being embarassed by the media’s and the fan’s reaction last year during the spurs-suns series. He didn’t want to make that same over reaction this year.

That said I still think the league would be better of if someone else replaced Stern. Someone who’ll put the empahsis on the team rather than the indivual star and will do something about the bad officiating in the NBA. I’m so sick of watching star players throw up bad shots only to be bailed out by the refs. Remember the time Kobe ran over Bibby in the final moments of a pivotal playoff game and they called the foul on Bibby who had been stationary the entire time. Also during the finals between the Heat and the Mavericks, if a Dallas player breathed on D-Wade it was called a foul. This type of officiating really detracts from the game. If Stern wants to boost the ratings in the playoffs he should get the refs to swallow the whislte more and have more accountabilty for badly blown calls.

Sorry for the rant but the way that the rules are not applied fairly in the NBA has always been a pet peeve of mine.

that is all.