There is a lot of buzz about whether Kevin Garnett should be suspended after an altercation last night with the Hawks’ Zaza Pachulia that appeared to involve an elbow from Garnett connecting with the chest of referee Eddie T. Rush. Commissioner David Stern and executive VP of basketball operations Stu Jackson were in attendance, so you can bet no matter what the league decides, the annual postseason conspiracy theories will be spinning out of control.
TNT didn’t show Garnett getting tangled up with Rush during the telecast last night, but the incident is all over YouTube. There’s a still photo showing Garnett’s elbow in Rush’s chest that is fueling speculation – particularly among Hawks fans in Atlanta, not surprisingly – that Garnett should be suspended for Game 5 in Boston tomorrow night. The feisty Hawks tied the series 2-2 with a 97-92 victory.
First of all, I used to live in Atlanta, and I wasn’t aware there were any Hawks fans there. Secondly, let me give you some sober reasoning as to why Garnett’s actions do not warrant a suspension – and my theory as to why Stern will not suspend him.
Garnett got tangled up under the basket with Pachulia while going for an offensive rebound. Frustrated that Pachulia had grabbed his arm, he threw an elbow at him and then motioned to the officials that he was being held.
Instead of accepting the technical on Garnett and walking away, Pachulia chose to saunter over to Garnett and stick his nose in KG’s face. That’s called “escalating the conflict” in the parlance of Stern.
Garnett was wrong, too. After being separated from Pachulia, he tried to go after him again – running his mouth the whole time. At this point – and this is important – Rush grabbed Garnett to keep him out of the fray. The way I see the video, Garnett didn’t shove or elbow Rush. Instead, he pulled away demonstratively in an effort to break free of Rush’s grasp. This should cost Garnett a fine, but not a suspension. Knowing how Stern views such things, I believe he will agree.
Still photos can be deceiving. This one, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, clearly shows Garnett’s elbow in Rush’s chest.
But if you didn’t look at the video, you wouldn’t know that Garnett was pulling away from Rush, not elbowing him.
If there are any suspensions, they will involve Boston's Kendrick Perkins and Atlanta's Marvin Williams, who both appeared to barely venture onto the court from the bench during the altercation.
If Garnett isn’t suspended, the conspiracy theorists will be in full froth, jumping to conclusions that the league wants the Celtics in the Finals and that Garnett is only the latest superstar to get the superstar treatment from Stern.
Relax. Garnett’s actions don’t rise to the level of a suspension. And the Hawks should want to knock off the best team in the league AND its best player, anyway.
Comments (1)
Based on other situations around the NBA. Garnett should be suspended for initiating such an incident and continueing to fuel the fire. At that time 2 other Celtics names should come up for crossing the out of bounds line onto the court during an altercation. I believe the Phoenix Suns where held true to the mistake and payed for it with a championship. If the commissioner does not uphold this rule in this situation it speaks to the validity of the NBA.