Robert Horry hits 2 time MVP Steve Nash with a vicious tackle with 20 seconds left to go in Game 4 of the 2007 Western conference semifinal series with the Suns up 100-97. My opinion is that while the Spurs needed to foul to get the ball back, Horry didn’t merely attempt to grab Nash for the foul. Yep, Bigshot Rob indeed tackled the 2 time MVP and sent him sprawling over the scorer’s table. Now Horry and 2 other Suns are suspended (Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw for leaving the bench) for 2 and 1 games respectively. Watch the Suns-Spurs Game 4 2007 Playoffs recap via this video.
Call Horry a cheapshot all you want, but Nash isn’t as clean as people say he is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yggh9efD-M
So let’s just pretend Horry’s elbow didn’t meet Nash’s face, mmkay? :P
i dont think i said Nash was “clean” either so….m00t!
There goes the NBA again. Can’t say I’m happy with the way they handle these suspensions. Calls are made on one end, then totally ignored in the other. Amare and Boris’ suspension is indeed a blow to the Suns cause, those two being Phoenix’s #1 and #2 post options. Horry’s 2-game absence won’t matter much. The league makes dubious decisions all the time and it’s up to the (former) MVP to rally his team and steal Game 5.
Can’t agree that calls are ignored in the Suns’ end, if that’s what you’re saying. I’d say the officiating is just about right.
In the defense of the refs, you can’t really have a perfect game (i.e. when each violation is whistled correctly). If this were the case, then fans would complain that refs are trying to take too much camera time.
The refs make the calls as they see it. Yes, they ignore many calls, but this is the playoffs. Fouls are harder, there is more urgency in the way teams play.
Despite the many calls (and non-calls) against the Spurs, the team has never complained that the other team is getting away with the calls. If you say that it’s because the officiating is going the Spurs’ way, then you’re mistaken. I can enumerate many occasions where the whistles were wrong, and they were in the Suns’ favor.
As basketball fans, we will always notice the calls made against the team we’re rooting for. The truth about calls is that if you’re neutral, you’ll notice that whistles are usually even in the course of a game.
As for Horry’s absence not having an impact on the Spurs, it will matter. Let’s not forget that Horry is the veteran that San Antonio turns to during clutch situations. His absence will really be felt on the Spurs bench.
I would also have to disagree that the league’s decision is “dubious.” Why? Because they’re just enforcing the rules. The rules say that when an altercation is happening on the court, bench players are NOT allowed to step inside the court. Doing so will result in an automatic suspension.
If you argue that Bowen and/or Duncan should be suspended because they did the same thing earlier during game 4, you’re mistaken again. :) There was no altercation when Duncan and Bowen stepped in the court during the same game.
I’m not trying to make light of the monumentally stupid thing that Horry did. Make no mistake, Horry’s actions were retarded. But this doesn’t excuse Diaw and Amare from stepping in the court during the fight. These rules serve a purpose: to prevent the escalation of an on-court fight.
Amare reasoned that he was going to the scorer’s table to get in the game. This was a lie because he had 5 fouls, and the possession after Nash’s fastbreak (and eventual collision with Horry’s hip :P) would result in Spurs ball–meaning Amare would have to defend. In addition, D’Antoni never instructed Amare to enter the game during this period because he was livid of the “hip-check†in question and was giving the referee a piece of his mind.
Bottom line: the decision was fair because the NBA is just enforcing its own rules. Horry committed a stupid foul, but the San Antonio bench was smart enough to stay away from the court and Diaw and Amare were not.
The physical play between the two teams is natural with the title on the line, but we’re not in a position to say which team is dirty because both clubs are guilty of doing these tactics at some point during these playoffs.
Let’s just relax and enjoy the show. :)
Note to James Jones:
“if James Jones had noticed that Duncan and Bowen had wandered on the court in the second quarter, he should have immediately decked Francisco Elson. There’s your altercation. Mr. Commissioner! Presumably Jones, Duncan, and Bowen would have all been suspended for Game 5 — a big win for Phoenix.” via Truehoop.