The second round of the NBA play-offs are near completion in all but one of the four series. In the East,  Chicago might have swept out the defending champions in the first round, but the Detroit Pistons seem to be way too much for them as the Bulls are trailing 3-1 in their series.

The New Jersey Nets are unable to handle the front court of the Cleveland Cavaliers as they have dropped  into a 3-1 hole as well. Out West, the Utah Jazz are showing that the Golden State Warriors are easy to beat if you do have a legit low-post player (as opposed to a seven-foot tall jump-shooter). Utah lead their series 3-1.
In all of the cases above, the next game could be the last.

We are guaranteed, however, to have at least two more games in the battle between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns, as the Suns managed to win Game 4 in San Antonio. If we are lucky, this thing will go seven games, in which case we have three more games to look forward to in this sensational match-up which has lived up to all the hype surrounding it.

Every game has had its controversy, but none can be as series-altering as the events that unfolded in the last minute of Game 4. We did have the bleeding nose of Steve Nash in Game 1, the Bruce Bowen kick in Game 2, the Manu Ginobili shiner and the Bowen knee controversy in Game 3. All these were the most talked about topics in basketball. Yet none will have nearly as much impact as Robert Horry’s body-slam against Steve Nash in Game 4.

With San Antonio losing, and Horry clearly being frustrated, the Spurs forward body-slammed the Suns point guard into the advertisement boards behind the sideline as Nash was trying to blow by him. An unnecessary incident warranting a flagrant foul, which was rightfully given on the spot. What ensued, however, is something that might alter the outcome of the series.

The incident took place not far from the Phoenix bench, where Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudemire were already standing, getting ready to check into the game. As Nash got pummeled, both of them stepped onto the court, with neither getting involved in any kind of tangle - but they did head towards the incident.

The NBA’s rules adopted a no-tolerance policy for such behavior in the late 80s and early 90s because of the fights that broke out between teams once the benches were “cleared”. The rules specifically state that no player can leave the bench area, and if they do, they are to be suspended.

David Stern is facing a dilemma right now. Does he abide by the rules and suspend Amare and Diaw (two key players for the Suns), or does he try to bend the rules by acknowledging that neither player was about to engage in a fight? Both clearly stormed towards Nash as they seemed to be more concerned in seeing how their teammate was doing. There was no motion that would have had us thinking they would want retaliation.

It is no easy choice, and the circumstances make it even harder. Game 5 is in Phoenix, with Amare and Boris on the team.The Suns and Spurs are evenly matched, with Phoenix holding on to the slimmest lead of having home court advantage in a series tied at two games apiece. Take those two out of the game and you’ve pretty much given San Antonio a 3-2 lead with a decisive home court advantage.The Suns would not only face a hostile environment, but elimination as well.

They say if you break the law, you must pay the price. In this case, however, the law’s exact wording has been broken, but the principle behind the law has not. There clearly was no intent to harm; this seemed more like two players being concerned about a teammate than them storming the wrongdoer to seek revenge. And the issue gets even more compicated if you consider two other things:

a) If Stern is lenient this once, how can he uphold the law later on? I’m certain that players in future incidents would be pointing to this one if Amare and Boris are not punished this time.

b) If the two are to be suspended, the league will have a tough time proving that their decisions are coherent.

It is an argument that has previously reared its ugly head. Kobe Bryant received suspensions this season for allegedly throwing elbows after being fouled during shooting. Video replays have not been conclusive on whether the movement is just a result of the foul, or a directed elbowing. Video has been more against the Spurs’ Bruce Bowen, whose alleged dirty plays has been brought to the attention of the league many times. The league saw no reason to take measures against Bowen.

In this series, the Bowen question has been a hot one again. He allegedly kicked Stoudemire on purpose while he was attempting a dunk, then he aimed a kick at Steve Nash in the groin with his knee. The Bowen incidents were monitored and no action has been taken. Many believe that the league simply did not want to interfere with their prime series of the play-offs. Now, no matter what they decide to do, they will.

This rule concerning the bench players definitely has to be changed, or at least fine-tuned so we won’t have many more incidents like this one. Alas, the change will come too late now.

Rules are rules, so should Amare and Diaw be suspended? Add your comments below or write an article for Sportingo.