Friday, November 19, 2004
BAD NIGHT FOR THE NBA For choking his coach, Latrell Sprewell was suspended for 68 games. Pacers players who slipped into the stands tonight and threw punches should be out longer.
You wouldn't know it from listening to the post-incident analysis from the ESPN anchors, but there is no excuse for going after a fan.
UPDATE: Toronto coach Sam Mitchell gets it right:
"It's bad. As players we're told regardless of what happens on the court you can't go into the stands. You just can't do it. Do I think the fans should share some of the blame? Yeah. But as professionals, as NBA players, you cannot go into the stands."But Vince Carter seems not to have gotten the memo:
"You can't blame a player for reacting that way. You can't blame anybody. ... He was protecting himself. Nobody wants to be disrespected like that. You can say what you want as long as you don't put your hands on somebody else or touch him. You can't blame him."
