http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14269580p-15080632c.html
Marty Mac's world: NBA bigwigs could use a swift kick in the pants
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Columnist
Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, June 20, 2006
When Game 6 of the NBA Finals starts tonight in Dallas, Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki should be at home watching.
It's that simple.
At the end of Game 5 in Miami, Nowitzki kicked the ball into the stands. He might have had every reason -- and a box of chicken wings -- to be angry about what occurred late in the Heat's 101-100 victory Sunday.
He did not, however, have any reason other than loss of self-control to kick the ball into the stands. Certainly no reason more than did the Kings' Bonzi Wells to punch a ball into the tunnel March 26 against the Golden State Warriors at Arco Arena.
Wells was ejected late in the first quarter of that game and fined $5,000 the next day. The NBA apparently is hiding behind the fact that Nowitzki's loss of control came after the game.
Interesting was the wording of the release announcing Nowitzki's fine: "Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was issued the standard fine of $5,000 for kicking a basketball into the stands, it was announced (Monday) by Stu Jackson, NBA Senior Vice President Basketball Operations."
Take the word "standard" and make it the operative word of that sentence.
When Wells received an automatic ejection against the Warriors, the reasoning was it was because the ball went into the stands, even though the ball actually went into one of two tunnels that run underneath the stands.
That thought process includes the possibility the ball could have hit and injured a fan. That was the basis for an automatic ejection and "standard" fine.
Let me get this right! Is the NBA telling us it's somehow safer for fans to be walking with their back to the court on the way out of the arena, risking getting clocked in the coconut by Nowitzki's World Cup footwork, than it is to be in your seat watching the action and see the ball coming at them?
In a manner of speaking, yes, that's what the league is telling you, when you know darned skippy if you asked Slinging Stu or Dominating David Stern (your NBA commissioner) to share in which position they would feel more vulnerable, it would be at the end of the game walking on stairs.
There have been similar postgame scenarios, and the player was suspended for the following contest.
Now, I'm often stupid but rarely dumb. This was the easy way out. Take the hard line and suspend Nowitzki, and the likelihood of huge dollars being lost is incredible. The Mavericks, it can be argued, would have a difficult time winning Game 6 without him, and then Game 7 would be out the door. That's lost TV revenues and gate receipts, to name two.
To think the potential lost money didn't enter into the decision would be to believe everything the NBA tells us or, for that matter, everything we read, hear or see reported.
And all of that is before we get to whether Miami guard Dwyane Wade was fouled when he maneuvered through that double-teaming Dallas defense and got the whistle from Bennett Salvatore with 1.9 seconds left in overtime.
About the writer: The Bee's Martin McNeal can be reached at mmcneal@sacbee.com.
Marty Mac's world: NBA bigwigs could use a swift kick in the pants
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Columnist
Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, June 20, 2006
When Game 6 of the NBA Finals starts tonight in Dallas, Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki should be at home watching.
It's that simple.
At the end of Game 5 in Miami, Nowitzki kicked the ball into the stands. He might have had every reason -- and a box of chicken wings -- to be angry about what occurred late in the Heat's 101-100 victory Sunday.
He did not, however, have any reason other than loss of self-control to kick the ball into the stands. Certainly no reason more than did the Kings' Bonzi Wells to punch a ball into the tunnel March 26 against the Golden State Warriors at Arco Arena.
Wells was ejected late in the first quarter of that game and fined $5,000 the next day. The NBA apparently is hiding behind the fact that Nowitzki's loss of control came after the game.
Interesting was the wording of the release announcing Nowitzki's fine: "Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was issued the standard fine of $5,000 for kicking a basketball into the stands, it was announced (Monday) by Stu Jackson, NBA Senior Vice President Basketball Operations."
Take the word "standard" and make it the operative word of that sentence.
When Wells received an automatic ejection against the Warriors, the reasoning was it was because the ball went into the stands, even though the ball actually went into one of two tunnels that run underneath the stands.
That thought process includes the possibility the ball could have hit and injured a fan. That was the basis for an automatic ejection and "standard" fine.
Let me get this right! Is the NBA telling us it's somehow safer for fans to be walking with their back to the court on the way out of the arena, risking getting clocked in the coconut by Nowitzki's World Cup footwork, than it is to be in your seat watching the action and see the ball coming at them?
In a manner of speaking, yes, that's what the league is telling you, when you know darned skippy if you asked Slinging Stu or Dominating David Stern (your NBA commissioner) to share in which position they would feel more vulnerable, it would be at the end of the game walking on stairs.
There have been similar postgame scenarios, and the player was suspended for the following contest.
Now, I'm often stupid but rarely dumb. This was the easy way out. Take the hard line and suspend Nowitzki, and the likelihood of huge dollars being lost is incredible. The Mavericks, it can be argued, would have a difficult time winning Game 6 without him, and then Game 7 would be out the door. That's lost TV revenues and gate receipts, to name two.
To think the potential lost money didn't enter into the decision would be to believe everything the NBA tells us or, for that matter, everything we read, hear or see reported.
And all of that is before we get to whether Miami guard Dwyane Wade was fouled when he maneuvered through that double-teaming Dallas defense and got the whistle from Bennett Salvatore with 1.9 seconds left in overtime.
About the writer: The Bee's Martin McNeal can be reached at mmcneal@sacbee.com.
