Taking it too far

Last week I wrote about the hard fouls committed by Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo in their playoff games and defended the players.  Today I will be writing about more players and more whistles blown against them.  Today will be different though, because this time I'm on the other side.

Derek Fisher and Rafer Alston both received suspensions for fouls they committed in last night's NBA playoff games.  Alston hit Celtics guard Eddie House on the back of the head after House hit a three as part of his big 31 point night.  After making the shot, House was jawing at Alston and at the Celtics crowd because he was fired up.  Alston tried to claim that House threw an elbow at him as he was running back from hitting the three.  Watch the replay.  It didn't happen.  What did happen was Alston losing his cool because he was being outplayed by a Celtics bench player.

In the late night game, Rockets-Lakers game 2, Luis Scola was coming up to set a pick on Derek Fisher.  Fisher saw it coming, so instead of worrying about playing defense, he just waited for Scola to get there and then he threw his shoulder into him pretty much as hard as he was capable.  This hit was as good as any you would see in a hockey game, and that's just the problem:  we're playing basketball.  I know that the NBA is physical and the playoffs are even more rough, but not like that.

Last time I was defending the players and criticizing the league for suspending Dwight Howard.  This time I fully support both players being suspended, and I'm even okay with it being for more than one game.  These plays were that bad.  The Fisher play was the dirtiest play I have seen in a long, long time.  Last time, Rondo and Howard were still playing basketball.  This time, Alston and Fisher were simply being thugs.  They are paying the price and their teams just might pay the price as well.