This is not 'Nam, there are Rules

The Spurs-Suns game was fantastic.

The Suns came out with a ton of energy and pushed their crowd as far as they could. Stave Nash is a true baller and leader. No doubt about it. Dagger threes, perfect dishes, even strong defensive plays.

The reffing was still questionable for a game in Phoenix with a couple of odd calls going the way of the Spurs (like that unconscionable foul on the Barbosa handoff-- just play on and stop rewarding the flopper). It isn't necessarily that the refs are intentionally doing this sort of thing, but the tendency to reward the flopping player is killing me and the game. I hated it when I played soccer, and I still can't stand it now. Players should be encouraged to play through contact, not to drop like Glass Joe in Mike Tyson's Punchout. Yeah, refs get fooled, but they're professionals.

Why take the toughness out of the game? Similarly, this "suspend someone for one game for crossing the line" smacks of a certain Sobchakian logic: "You're over the line!" What sort of example does this sort of precedent set? There are no gray areas in life? You should not ever take a step toward someone you know to help/defend them if they are attacked?

Charles Barkley said it best (close parahprase): "I had a rule when I was playing too. If I got knocked on my ass and you didn't come out on the court, I was gonna kick your ass later." You're goddamned right, Chuck. Your teammates are your family. You're supposed to jump to their defense. I'm way more concerned if you're not stepping up to my defense than if you are.

In this situation, the players involved (Diaw and Stoudemire) didn't even get to the fracas. They thought better of it/were restrained. They had no effect on what was going on. None. And now they're out? One of them is a "cheese-eatin' surrender-monkey" for crissakes!

Anyway, I'm excited for Game 6 on Friday to see if Amare can bring the one-handed thunder. The Bulls will get demolished on Thursday, btw. Someone made the mistake of waking the Pistons. Also, could someone please send the memo to LeBron that if he goes to the rim that he can foul out the entire Nets team? He'll get every single call so long as the throws himself at the basket. He's got to work on his alpha-dog status.
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Workout Total:
Leg Circuit (18 min)
15 minute grip workout
15 min core
10 minute wobble board