No Suspension Probable for Celtics’ Rondo
After the controversial ending to game 5 of the Bulls-Celtics series, Celtics supporters and NBA officials rushed to the defense of the referees by claiming that Rajon Rondo’s foul was a “basketball move.” On the Dan Patrick Show, SI.com writer Chris Mannix made the observation that Rondo frequently uses pokes and jabs at the ball, making the proposed “basketball move” not out of character. While this is a keen observation, the video and picture evidence show that Rondo’s hand was nowhere near the ball.
While this play is worthy of a flagrant 1 foul, the NBA made the right move by not suspending him for game 6. Even if the flagrant 1 had been called at the time of the foul, the Celtics had the momentum and likely would have won the game in a second OT. Rose was a foul away from taking a seat on the bench, and Gordon couldn’t hit a shot all night. However, the NBA should have corrected their mistake. David Stern needs to gain back some confidence with a fan base where even the most naive have been sporting tinfoil hats since the Heat-Mavs Finals 3 years ago.
Only a day after the media questioned NBA officials for not throwing Dwight Howard for taking a swing at 76ers center Samuel Dalembert, Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich and Rondo participated in some extracurricular activity during the first quarter of game 6. NBA officials managed to break up the two but not before Rondo threw a relatilation for Hinrich’s push.
Considering that Dwight Howard was suspended for one game for throwing an elbow, the picture evidence clearly shows that Rondo threw an elbow during the altercation in last night’s game 6. , meaning that he should be suspended for game 7 on Saturday. However, given the circumstances of a single elimination game, I highly doubt the NBA will take away the Celtics star point guard, who is averaging an impressive triple double throughout the series. With almost no credibility left and a (recent) history of favoritism towards large market teams, the NBA has nothing to lose by keeping Rondo active for this highly anticipated game. After all, the NBA is a business, and like the constant coverage of New York teams on Sportscenter, the NBA feels the need to cater towards the large-market teams. Anyways, the lack of a suspension will do little to deter the excitement basketball fans feel towards this series. So really, why should the NBA suspend Rondo?
