Update: The league has spoken - no suspension is forthcoming. (Video highlight of Rondo's foul has been removed due to a copyright claim by the NBA.)
There's a fine line between hard-nosed playoff basketball fouls and downright dirty play, and Rajon Rondo seems to enjoy testing the boundaries. Striking Brad Miller across the face near the end of Game 5? Whether you think Rondo meant to hurt Miller or not likely depends on whether you prefer to wear red or green. But slinging Kirk Hinrich into the scorer's table in a play away from the ball? I've watched the replay a dozen times and I still can't figure out a way to justify it.
Neither could the officials; after the play was reviewed, Rondo was charged with a flagrant 1. A flagrant 2, mind you, would have earned him an automatic ejection.
As an NBA fan who's been absolutely mesmerized by this series, I'm glad Rondo wasn't given the hook. If he left in the second quarter, would we have been treated to one of the most exciting playoff games in NBA history? Probably not.
But now that the game is over, for the sake of fairness I'm hoping the league takes a close look at the play. I appreciate intensity and hard fouls, but Rondo is growing increasingly reckless, especially considering this took place away from the ball.
More importantly, players have been penalized more for less in the past; as Jay Mariotti notes, Robert Horry was docked two games for hip-checking Steve Nash in 2007 in a collision that, in hindsight, doesn't look nearly as deliberate as what Rondo did:
Will the NBA follow their own example? Only time will tell. Unlike when Horry was suspended, Rondo isn't just a role player, and there aren't players from the opposing team who also merit punishment (like Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw) to help balance things out.
No, if Rondo gets suspended for Game 7, it'd be a virtual death sentence for the already undermanned Celtics, one of the most controversial decisions the NBA has ever made. In a perfect world, the incredibly awkward timing (an elimination game featuring the reigning world champs on their own home floor) shouldn't affect the league's decision, but you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to suspect it will.
Will Rajon Rondo Finally Be Suspended?
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5/01/2009 4:30 AM ET By Matt Watson
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- Matt Watson
- Matt Watson is FanHouse's NBA Editor
Read More: Bulls Celtics Playoffs NBA Videos Kirk+Hinrich, KirkHinrich, Rajon+Rondo, RajonRondo
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Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Hinrich started this scrum. Did you notice that he was "boxing out" Rondo well after Chicago had secured possession? It was at this point, Rondo had to grab Hinrich to get him off his hip. Why no one sees this is beyond me. Wait, I get it. Its called blatant bias against the defending world champs.
BigMck, I am not a Celtic fan, but I saw exacly what you did. That was the only way Rondo could get by Heinrich, not a dirty plat at all. I am hoping the C's win this series as I feel they are the ONLY team with any chance to beat the Lakers. Labron and his cast of nobodies have no shot.
If Rondo was boxed out then he should go around the box out. You don't push the guy into scorers table this is not football. The Punk should sit for a game but the NBA does not have balls to do it. They will let him do it again. As long as the NBA allows it they supply the other team helmets and face masks.
BigMick~ I completely agree with you! And why was Hinrich given a measley "technical" for charging after Rondo trying to get into a physical altercation with him? Why was Brad Miller not given a flagrant for the shove and forearm to the chin of Big Baby in game 5? If officials were more consistent with their calls, some of the frustration the players on both teams are feeling (on top of an already intense playoff series)may be diffused.
LMAO are yall serious??? first of all it looks to me like he was losing balance and falling backwards into rondo, second of all even if he was doing what you guys said, which wouldn't make any since anyway, do you guys actually feel that Rondo flinging him into the scoring table was in any way not flagrant or acceptable play in the NBA, I was able to give him a small benefit of the doubt the first two seemingly dirty plays but this should be the last draw
This is just a domb article. There is a better chance that Israel and Palestine declare peace in the next two days than Rondo getting suspended for that.
Rondo is pushing his luck..someone needs to lay a hard foul on him..He pushed Kobe in a game earlier this year..He needs to be careful..The Celtics are finished anyway..they wont win it all this year..GO LAKERS
All of the Celtics are frustrated b/c they realize that their time is up! King James and his court bring home the title!
rondo should be done. that foul was at least as bad as robert horry's on steve nash and that is being extremely generous.
The NBA will not have the guts to suspend him, though he SHOULD be. The other comments on here that Heinrich was "boxing out" Rondo are from girls. A "box out" IS part of the game.And Heirrich was doing it on the INBOUNDS play, you know, a guard trying to deny another guard the ball. It happens on almost every play in the playoffs. His hitting Miller and dislodging teeth with it, VERY obvious he was ONLY going for his head is one thing. The very next game he does this??? Maybe he is just a sissy black man who doesn't like white players, or, just a little sissy boy that knows he can get away with it on the court. Whatever reason, he should sit for the next game, regardless what # game in a series it is. Besides your the defending champs, it should be no big deal against a team like the Bulls. As the girl posts reflect, the Celtics are the only team with a chance to beat the Lakers,,,,,lol,,,what are you 11 year old kids with comments? Your going to be so worn out from this series, and, with Howard rested, your done Celtics, you got so lucky that last year you were at home and that Bynum was out, or you would have won nothing. Besides you BOUGHT a title, just like your cousins the Yankees have to do.
The fact that you resort to name calling tells me a lot about YOUR maturity. I have probobly seen, played, and coached more basketball than most of the commenters on this. My observation is that it will take a physical team to beat L.A. Neither Cleveland or Orlando have the ability to play that type of physical game. Boston seems to have the horses to do this. Chicago certainly does not. I'm sure as a Laker fan you would want no part of physical play, hence your desire to be rid of the Celtics. As for Rondo, he is pushing it a bit, I agree, but do we really want a "girlee" league.
Yea, I am sure you will say the same thing about a "girlie league" if Kobe ever gets decked and is seriously injured....
Mike, what an ass you are to bring race into this discussion. You're a coward hiding behind your internet anonymity. I'd love to see you look Rondo in the eye and call him a sissy to his face. You'd be missing a few teeth in no time, you sissy.
Matt (and Mike), If you've watched the replay a dozen times, you should be ashamed of yourself for ignoring how Hinrich was blatantly shoving Rondo up the court. It went way beyond a box out. Hinrich wrapped Rondo up and shoved his ass into him like a dog in heat -- and then started pushing him backwards like he was trying to push a car up a hill. Hinrich was clearly trying to instigate the situation and it was a dirty play by Hinrich. Talk about a moving pick? This one takes the cake. Hinrich was baiting him. Rondo's mistake was that he should have just fallen down instead of pulling Hinrich's other arm to break free. If Rondo would have simply fell down, and the two bodies went crashing, people would be looking at the replay and be arguing that it should be a flagrant foul on Hinrich.
BULLS ARE NOT MY TEAM. BUT NOTHING MAKES ME MORE HAPPY THAN TO SEE THOSE DAMN DIRTY CELTIC RATZ LOOSE. IT WAS AN AWESOME GAME! YEAH BULLS!!! "CELTICS YOU AINT SH**"
The NBA should suspend Rondildo for this as it was far worse than what Horry did. Will they? No. The NBA has never been consistent.
As far as I am concerned, this is the NBA finals between these two teams. A great series.
Was Hinrich playing rough up to that point? Yes, but playing rough is the Celtic's M.O. That is simply how the game is played by Boston under Doc Rivers. There is a vast difference between playing rough with potential light fouls and what Rondo did.
You simply can't GRAB and then TOSS another player like that. Rondo could have just as easily, and much more justifiably, shoved Hinrich back. Instead, Rondo reacted in a malice manner like he did on Miller. If Dwight Howard can be suspended for a game for his elbow, or Horry for the hip check... then there is no doubt that Rondo should also be suspended.
But he won't and for the league it will be a short term game. The viewer count is certainly going to be much larger on Game 7 with a Rondo in action. But, in the long run it is this type of biased (towards short term gain, NOT a certain team) officiating is what has been slowly bleeding the NBA of fans. People are simply tired of the non-stop dirty play that never gets called out of fear of upsetting a small dedicated fan base.
If the NBA does NOT suspend Rhondo, what message is that sending to the rest of the league. There are guys that have done far less and been suspended! For the guy's talking about the hip check and Rhondo had no choice, you are definately Celtics fans!! Rhondo had no choice but to try to throw Hienrich over the scorers table? You don't even foul like that in street ball unless you want your ass kicked, which is what Rhondo deserved!! He's a dirty player and a hack. Too bad something like this over shadows what he could be!!!!!
He's earned the suspension back to back games now, but I hope the league doesn't suspend him. I can't take Boston using that for an excuse to why they lost game 7 at home to a 7 seed. The Bulls kind of deserved that anyhow for not laying him out on his first drive into the lane. Let me rewind a second. Last night Rondo takes your head off at the end of a game you lost and the NBA's response to a should be suspension was:
If two players are running full speed and the defender gets out of postion. It is fine for him to reach in, never get within a foot of the ball, and decapitate a player under two conditions. One there must be no wind up. Two there must be no follow through. Is that not the definition of a WWF clothesline we watched as kids? So with that new info and precedent set in that very series, how could a Bulls player not have gone Hulk Hogan on Rondo in the first minute of the game?