it's a big FU to Stern just by the fact that the game was great with the players Poppovich played. the fact that Stern thinks he has the authority to dictate what players a coach plays by threat of sanctions is beyond asinine. Fuck David Stern. I have always hated that SOB.
Stern controlled the media. He probaby got people to watch and even got people to talk about a game that originally lost its luster. He would rather coaches lie and make up injuries than outright gove them rest.
let's dissect David Stern's logic. the Spurs should get punished for resting players for a regular season game because it hurts the fans who deserve to see those players, but dumb fuck Stern will suspend key players in the playoffs and directly affect the outcome of those series with no regard for the fans. go fuck yourself David Stern, and the Spurs owner should tell him just that if he attempts to levy any sanctions, because by doing so he is asserting that he has the authority to dictate what players play, and that is clearly beyond any scope of his authority.
He fined the lakers in the 90s for resting starters. It'll probably be really cheap to the spurs. Stern just wants them to at least pretend the players are injured for media reasons. It's just to make the nba look better.
If you are a fan paying or waiting for this national TV game, injury is much more acceptable (even if not true) than players just resting. Injury makes you feel better about it. Pop is just gonna get list fake injuries while stern looks the other way
The whole thing is absurd. Poppovich has been doing this for years. Stern all of a sudden decides he doesn't like it? Where has he been? Pop did it three times last season, and two were national TV games.
Has he done all 3 before? And maybe TNT pushed back finally. Although they had their backup announcing crew with Reggie and chuck
that's crazy. I am shocked any team would allow him to do so. at the risk of sounding like a 7 year old girl, you would think the Spurs could easily sue the league if they tried to dictate what players they played.
That's what I was referring to. It's always all three. When he decides to rest guys he does it all at once. I don't recall him at any point during the last few seasons resting one and not the others (assuming no injury). http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2012/11/29/spurs-will-face-heat-without-big-three-green/ That was just last season but he's had one or two every season going back 3 or 4 years. I remember the Portland one well. Pretty pathetic for the Heat. Even accounting for the difference in games like this (better team doesn't play quite as hard, team without its star(s) steps up), there's no way the Heat should've been in the position they were in. I think they were down 5 with 2 to play, which is over a 90% win probability for the team leading.
The commissioner is beyond legal sanction, unless of course he's grabbing Denis Rodman's balls and for some reason Rodman complains Stern is a fucking tool and it's going to end badly for him. He promised severe sanctions, and there's no way he can away with something actually severe. So it'll be something light which will still be bullshit but at the same not what he said when he was grandstanding. He's going to lose big time on this and pop is the sympathetic character with his team being screwed on the schedule and him being one of the winningest NBA coaches in history who obviously knows what he's doing
I'd rather see them openly rest starters and play hungrier subs than play tired starters that are just going through the motions. We see this alot in hockey - A tuesday night home game following a West Coast road trip and they are just gracefully floating around the ice for 3 periods, you might as well watch figure skating. This happens on a lesser extent in baseball too, with the field players anyway. As a fan there's nothing worse than players going through the motions. I'd rather see a bunch of nobodies out there giving it their all like the Spurs last night than a bunch of tired "stars" that aren't giving a shit for the night because they are tired.
On top of that, I would rather the coach make up injuries to humor me than just say they're resting. If Stern wants to really stop this, don't schedule tough schedules ending in a primetime game. Make the game off a rest. I don't see any news, Stern hasn't said anything?
"Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans." but Stren didn't do a disservice to the league and the fans by suspending the Knicks in the playoffs or Amare Stoudemire for taking one step off the bench? go fuck yourself, David Stern.
Whoa. Twitter reaction: Ethan Strauss @SherwoodStrauss Stern's message is probably, "Don't put your finger in our national broadcaster's eye during TV rights talks." Tanking is another issue Chris Mannix @ChrisMannixSI Now, whenever the NBA suspects a team is tanking, they have to fine them. Have to. Tanking is worse than what Pop did. darren rovell @darrenrovell FACT: There are 10 NBA teams right now who night in and night out give fans a worse show than the Spurs did last night. Bill Simmons @BillSimmons Disservices DJS didn't mention: 16-game lockout; N.O. getting #1 pick, all "4 road games in 5 nights" trips; 1st CP3 trade; Sonics; Donaghy. Bill Barnwell @billbarnwell Per David Stern's fine structure, benching your stars is 2.5 times worse than calling someone a homophobic epithet on national TV. J.A. Adande @jadande Thing is, Spurs already faced "sanctions" of own doing. What if they don't have a Game 7 at home because of this? Punishment enough. Howard Beck @HowardBeckNYT This. RT @JMcDonald_SAEN Honest question: Next time a coach wants to rest players, what is the protocol that would satisfy NBA?
Stern's reputation was built in the 80's and then piggy backed Michael Jordan in the 90's. but this completely asinine fine is his lasting legacy IMO.
Not the lockout shortened season? Not NO getting the #1 pick after losing Chris Paul? Not vetoing the first CP3 trade becuase of "basketball reasons"? This is bad, I think those 3 are gonna worse in the long run
