The NBA suspended and fined six players following their
roles in Wednesday's altercation near the end of Game Five
of the Knicks-Heat series. The Heat's P.J. Brown was fined
$10,000 and suspended without pay for two games while the
Knicks' Charlie Ward was fined $6,000 and suspended for one
game. Four Knicks players -- Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston,
Larry Johnson and John Starks -- have been suspended for one
game without pay and fined $2,500 for leaving the team's
bench during the melee. Since NBA rules require teams to
have at least nine players available for a playoff game, the
suspensions of Ewing, Houston, Johnson and Starks will be
served in alphabetical order. Ewing, Houston and Ward will
miss Game Six tonight at MSG, while Starks and Johnson will
not play in Sunday's game (NBA). USA TODAY's Roscoe Nance
writes in an above-the-fold, front-page piece, that the
league "handed out the stiffest punishment in playoff
history" (USA TODAY, 5/16).
WHAT APPEAL? In N.Y., Mike Wise writes on the front-
page of today's TIMES that NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter said
that the league acted improperly "in suspending those
players who left the bench to act as peacemakers." Jeffrey
Kessler, attorney for the players union, said he would go to
court today to seek a temporary restraining order that would
delay suspensions. The NBA has no appeal process for
penalties imposed (N.Y. TIMES, 5/16).
PRO: Among a sampling of those who backed the league's
move: In Philadelphia, John Smallwood: "It's just more proof
of why NBA commissioner David Stern is the best in sports.
Stern doesn't fiddle around. He doesn't allow appeals"
(PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 5/16). In Boston, Peter May:
"This was, essentially, a no-brainer for the NBA, because
its rules, instituted in October 1994 after a brawl-filled
playoffs ... call for an automatic one-game suspension for
leaving the bench area" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/16). ESPN's David
Aldridge said the league "stuck to the letter of the law ...
[and] should get, I think, some kudos for sticking up for
its rules" ("SportsCenter," 5/15). A HOUSTON CHRONICLE
editorial: "While Stern's move will be questioned, debated
and derided ... it draws the line on bad behavior by
millionaire players who operate as if they're above the
rules. ... All the more worthy of note is Stern's
disciplinary decision because it comes amid the high-stakes
heat of the playoffs" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/16). In Ft.
Lauderdale, David Hyde: "Stern got the tough job done
fairly, wisely, swiftly. He showed why he is sport's best
leader. He stared down a no-win problem and won one for the
game. ... He gets high marks for a solution long on purity
and short on politics" (SUN-SENTINEL, 5/16). NEWSDAY's
Steve Zipay: "The NBA responded with one clear message"
(NEWSDAY, 5/16). In Chicago, Rick Telander, under the
header "NBA Must Put A Stop To Fighting," writes that "There
is always a lot of criticism of NBA enforcer Rod Thorn ...
Critics, bite your tongues" (SUN-TIMES, 5/16). In N.Y.,
Mike Wise writes the moves "send a signal that the league is
willing to deal decisively with the type of ugly brawling
that stains games in the most glamourous part of the season"
(N.Y. TIMES, 5/16). In Tampa, David Whitley: "The NBA has
rules, and it stuck by them Thursday" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 5/16).
CON: In L.A., Mark Heisler writes under the header,
"Real Crime Is What Stern Did To Knicks." Heisler: "This
wasn't a case of the punishment fitting the crime. In this
case, the devastating punishment dwarfed the puny crime. ...
Flattening a franchise at a key point in the postseason is a
bit much" (L.A. TIMES, 5/16). In N.Y., both George Willis
and Mike Lupica were critical of the one-game ban for
Patrick Ewing, whom they label as a bystander in the fracas.
Willis: "The NBA opted to ignore common sense and penalize
the Knicks by the letter of their law" (N.Y. POST, 5/16).
Lupica writes that if Stern "had real nerve on this one, he
would have suspended P.J. Brown and Charlie Ward. ... and
then explained that the rule wasn't written so that Patrick
Ewing would someday miss the most important game of his
season for the crime of wandering around on the scene of a
basketball accident" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/16).
