In Defense of the NBA Suspending Darius Songaila
The reason that I feel like writing about this at all is that as the media cycle has come around on this Cavs vs. Wizards first-round matchup, and the prevailing opinion that Darius Songaila should not have been suspended for game 6 has now become an unarguable fact in the media. I heard Steve Czaban talk about it this morning on Fox Sports Radio. I heard commentators talk about it during the Cavs’ game 6. I heard commentators talk about it during the Celtics vs. Hawks game 6. It seems that everyone talking about this suspension is now referring to it as a great travesty - an injustice of epic proportions - the proof that the NBA is at worst fixed, and at best in favor of protecting their meal-ticket LeBron James to whatever lengths to ensure that he succeeds.
I have heard quite enough of this.
Yes, the NBA has a vested interest to protect LeBron James. As a fan of the Cleveland Cavs, I would argue that they didn’t do a good job at all. All series long the Wizards talked about hitting LeBron when he drove through the lane. And the proof was there that the Wizards were no longer looking to play basketball. Instead they decided to commit fouls and try to physically intimidate one of the game’s best players by hitting him rather than playing tough defense and double-teaming him.
What is the NBA supposed to do when a team like the Wizards is so blatant and unapologetic about their tactics? They don’t have a right to beat up one of the game’s best players and tell the world that they plan on doing it without some reaction from the NBA executive office. It isn’t in the league’s best interest to let any of this stuff happen. Ever since the Ron Artest fight in the stands, the NBA has been quite proactive about keeping fights under control and the Wizards basically said that they were going to push the limits of this series by hitting LeBron James when he came into the lane.
And this is where the Darius Songaila situation unfolds. The reason that the NBA suspended Darius Songaila was because in their view he threw a punch at another player after the whistle. This is the NBA’s definition of fighting. And just look at the replay. Songaila’s hand comes up and hits LeBron James in the face after the play. They were tangled a bit, but his hand flies up and hits LeBron.
Now, whether it was intentional or not is up for debate by you, me and everyone else. Stu Jackson from the NBA has the final verdict and he determined that it was intentional by Songaila. I don’t know if it was truly intentional or not. It could go either way from my viewpoint looking at the video in a completely unbiased manner. The thing is that nobody should view it in an unbiased manner. This series was defined by the trash talking of the Washington Wizards. It was backed up by 5 games worth of hard hits and hard fouls to LeBron James including a push while he was in the air, two shots to the head, and finally Songaila’s “punch.”
So, please, someone tell me why the Washington Wizards and Darius Songaila should have been given the benefit of the doubt by Stu Jackson and the NBA? In a world where it is in the NBA’s best interest to keep fights out of their games and protect all players from harm, why shouldn’t they send a message after five straight games of premeditated rough play and fouling?
If anything the Wizards were lucky that Brendan Haywood wasn’t suspended for his push of LeBron early on in the series. To a lesser extent they should have felt lucky that they didn’t lose DeShawn Stevenson after his hard foul to LeBron’s head in another game. How many times do the Washington Wizards think they deserve the benefit of the doubt when they talked all series long, basically calling their shots against LeBron before they even occurred?
According to Stu Jackson and the NBA they didn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt any longer. I don’t understand how anyone else could disagree either.
Granted there were worse fouls in the series. There were worse fouls in other series. None of that matters. With the consistent evidence provided by the Washington Wizards to the NBA of how they were going to play this series they finally put the NBA to a decision with something that looked like a punch after the whistle. And that hints of fighting. The NBA can roll with the punches (pun intended) on hard plays if they feel like it, but they will not roll with it when it looks anything like a fight.
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Unintentional? Puh-leez. I’ve got nothing invested in either team. Flagrant shot to the kisser. Boot him. BTW, what did you think of Marvin Williams’ takedown on Rajon Rondo yesterday?
I felt badly for both players. I don’t feel like Marvin Williams is a dirty player, but he made a really bad play on Rondo. He left the refs no choice but to toss him out of that game. No choice at all.
Hopefully all the rough stuff is out of the way now. The fighting really doesn’t benefit the game any, if you ask me.
Don’t get me wrong. I get that visceral, excited reaction when I see a fight, but overall I would rather go crazy for a three point bomb than risk guys getting hurt and/or tossed out of games and suspended.
Interesting perspective.
However, you’ve made it seem as though it was a one-sided affair. Admittedly, the ESPN re-caps and highlights showed nothing but LeBron James getting fouled. But come on, it’s playoff basketball.
The series was physical from Game 1’s tip. Both teams have some animosity for the other.
And let’s not pretend like the trash-talking was purely the Wizards. Did you see last year’s playoff series? If you want to see unnecessary play Gilbert Arenas’ free throw and watch what LeBron does.
Back to the physicality. When a player that gets away with at least two charging fouls on each of his drives comes into the lane, why wouldn’t you be physical?
It sends a message in the same way that dunking sends a message. Why lay it up softly if you can slam it through the net? If you’re going up for a foul, why not put an extra “umph” into it?
The Wizards were playing within the rules of the game. And I’m not endorsing Bad Boys basketball but on the other hand, basketball isn’t ballet.
LeBron plays physical on drives to the basket, and admittedly it is possible for someone to get hurt. But let’s be honest. People get hurt when they are leaving themselves open as they go to the hole. LeBron doesn’t hack people on the way to the bucket on the defensive side of the ball. He is always trying to make a play on the ball and not on the man. Playing the man is against the rules and that is why Haywood got tossed from the one game.
The Wizards claimed they were going to foul the man and then they didn’t make basketball plays to try and play the ball. That isn’t “within the rules of the game” and they voided any benefit of the doubt they might have received.
It was one-sided. I watched every second of every game and while LeBron plays physical, he never once “wrapped” someone up on their way to the basket or made a play on an opposing player when they were driving that didn’t involve him going for the basketball.
The Wizards shouldn’t be given the benefit of the doubt. Who’s calling for that? Obviously, no doubt was needed on the Songaila play. They got tangled up. Excessive movement. Bam. Toss him.
But even on that play, it wasn’t nearly as one-sided as people paint it to be. You clearly see LeBron hooking his off-hand on Darius’ arm. If someone does that to you in a physical series, you’ll yank the thing out of there.
The Wizards didn’t make enough basketball plays to win, that much is certain. However, you need to make some semblance of a basketball play in order to play the game. The play where DeShawn Stevenson caught LeBron with a fist was still a basketball play.
There’s a big difference between physical intimidation and a malicious intent to injure. Have you ever played with someone that drives like LeBron? You know the type — the kind of guy that closes his eyes, lowers his shoulders and throws himself into the paint. What does a defender do in order to dissuade this type of play — which is a blatant attempt to force the issue of a foul? You rough him up next time down. It’s basketball. From a young age, coaches will tell you to protect the rim.