![]() ![]() While the stands technically begin at the first row of seating, Ishbia was standing up and had taken a step forward onto the court. Jokic did not technically go into the stands. There was some engagement, so I deemed the technical foul the appropriate penalty." While he did not say this explicitly, Brothers hints at another possible reason Jokic was not ejected. "I just deemed the technical foul the appropriate penalty for what happened over there," Brothers said. Crew chief Tony Brothers felt a technical foul was sufficient, as he explained to a pool reporter after the game. ![]() ![]() Obviously, Jokic was not ejected from the game. Ishbia did prevent the ball from being promptly put into play, so he technically committed a violation. The NBA does include delay of game penalties, and they are enforced in the following manner: "A delay-of-game shall be called for preventing the ball from being promptly put into play, interfering with the ball after a successful field goal or free throw or failing to immediately pass the ball to the nearest official when a personal foul or violation is assessed." These rules are meant to apply to players, however. This was not a live ball, and possession was not in dispute, so fan interference was not called. See this play, for example: In 2011, Nash attempted to save a ball that was going out of bounds, but a fan interfered with it. The NBA does account for fan interference on live balls. Ishbia, technically a spectator, interfered with his ability to do so. However, he did enter the stands for basketball reasons. Doing so would mean chasing a live ball as it went out of bounds. Jokic did not enter the stands as a continuation of play. ![]() Already, we have a murky situation to dissect. NBA Rule 12A, Section Vl4 states that "a player, coach, trainer, or other team bench person must be ejected for deliberately entering the stands other than as a continuance of play." The stands, for the purposes of this rule, are defined as the first row of seating. What rule did Jokic violate? What about Mat Ishbia? So let's go through this piece by piece and attempt to figure out what the league will do about Sunday's sideshow. Many now expect Jokic to be held to the same standard, and are calling for a suspension in Game 5. The Nuggets lost.īut Suns fans haven't forgotten that fateful night in 2007, when the team's best chance at its first championship was taken by a quirk in the rulebook. He then put his hand on Jokic's hip, and Jokic responded with a shove. After a brief struggle for the ball, Ishbia knocked it away from Jokic. The ball happened to be in the hands of Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who refused to give it to Jokic. A two-time MVP playing for the other side, Nikola Jokic, attempted to quickly grab a ball that had gone out of bounds to initiate a fast break. This time, it was against the Denver Nuggets. On Sunday, those same Suns played Game 4 of a second-round series. Now, 16 years later, the NBA faces an eerily similar situation. San Antonio won, eventually knocked Phoenix out in six, and went on to win the championship with their most dangerous opponent eliminated on a technicality. NBA rules expressly forbid this, though, and Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for Game 5. Not only did his teammates on the floor rush to Nash's defense, but key Suns players Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the bench area and attempted to make their way toward Horry. At the end of Game 4 of the second-round series between the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns, Spurs big man Robert Horry gave two-time MVP Steve Nash a dirty hip-check into the scorer's table. It's rarely discussed nowadays, but in 2007, NBA discipline effectively decided the championship. ![]()
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