No suspensions for Celtics, Hawks

My only problem with this whole thing is that that idiot got away with head butting
Garnett. He should have been thrown out of the game immediately. It was obvious what he was trying to do, get Garnett to take a swing at him so that he would be thrown out and then suspended. Garnett is hot headed, but he used his
head in walking away from that jerk!!!! They let that get them out of their game and now they have to really work! However, they will prevail!!!

I don't want any Celtics suspended. I want the Celtics whole squad to catch the Game 5 beat-down the Hawks are about to dish out!!!

Can't stand Pachulia. He flops like a soccer player every time down the court. He often gets away with it during his first shift on court, then when the refs realize they're being made fools of, he doesn't get any calls later in the game. Real players must really hate him.

you know nothing about basketball and your just a celtics homer

it's more obvious that Garnett used violence against a ref. Obviously Stern wants Boston to be in the finals. This league is rigged.

Screw this crap. I personally dont think they should get suspended either, but you follow up last years judgment call with THIS ONE? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! IS THERE NO JUSTICE?!?!

Suns got hosed last year and this is definitive proof of that.

David Stern is an absolute jackass.

Rosalie...I was at the game and he did not head-butt him. He did make KG out to be what he is and that's as "soft as drugstore cotton".
Fact...they were out-hustled and clutch all night! The C's had a 10 pt. lead and BLEW it! I'm not trying to sell you and your city on the idea that we knew the Hawks had this ability....we'd be lying. One thing that is clearly evident is that youth is being served! So sit back, open wide and take a big 'ol spoonful! J.J. can't be guarded (thanks by the way) and J-Smoove's energy can't be matched (not even by KG). KG WAS SCARED TO COME INTO THE PAINT AFTER HE WAS REJECTED EARLY IN THE GAME!
GO HAWKS!

Garnett is a joke and ZaZa proved it......he is all mouth and that's it.. He tried to intimidate the young guys and that didn't work..he needs 2 be suspended just for that alone.... .. he helped us win by firing us up THANKS!!!!!!so who really is the jerk!!!!

im with u man, Garnett and the rest of the boys have their eyes on the bigger prize, rookie stupid young mistakes, thats why Atlanta will fail, and can u believe that BS?!? 25 thousand dollar fine for Pierce for the blood sweat and tears sign?!?!!? HE HAS BEEN DOING THAT ALL YEAR
gotta be kidding me..
wutever, go Celtics its our year finally

Hey Rosalie,

Why is the the Hawks player "an Idiot" for reacting to Garnett's forearm into his chest that shoved him 5 feet in the air? Why isn't Garnett an IDIOT for starting the whole ruckus to begin with???????
Get some balls Rosalie! Thats what meN do...we fight back when someone trys to take our head off! We react and get in their face. So SHUT UP!!

The problem I have with this is that I am a huge Suns fan and I guarantee if Garnett was on the Suns he would be out and so would Perkins and Williams. This is a very similar instant to what happened to us last year which took away any chances we had at winning the series agains San Antonio last year. Didn't Stu Jackson say last year that the rules are not up for debate or change. Last time I checked pushing a referee is a suspension, so is stepping on the court during a skirmish. This is the same double standard bs that makes people wonder if the NBA is rigged...and not just by cheating officials.

Zaza pulls KG down while in the act of rebounding, flops when KG swings Zaza's arm off his shoulder, fakes indignation, charges KG, head-butts KG, a double technical is called, and then KG faces a possible suspension. Al Horford gestures menacingly at Paul Pierce while standing over him, taunting him at the top of his lungs (doesn't even get a technical foul, mind you), and Paul Pierce gets fined $25,000 for walking in the general direction of the Hawks' bench and signaling "Blood, sweat, and tears," a sign of team unity and perseverance. Somebody pulls a free-hanging wire from one of the shot clocks, nobody knows what's going on, and the national-TV people are so impatient to keep the game going they pressure the referees into having the Hawks' PA announcer call out the time remaining on the shot clocks. I am staggered by the NBA's incompetence in these matters-- truly staggered. David Stern is right about the NBA having the best basketball players in the world; he's idiotic for not recognizing that such a pitiful display of refereeing, game management , and league-office policing as seen in the Hawks/Celtics series kills the game of basketball, which should be way more important to him than any individual player!

Just make sure you Atlanta fans show up on this site after the next 2 games.

Head Butt?!? did you even watch the game or just listen to some celtics homer explain what happened. Sure, Zaza got in KG's face - which he should have done after getting elbowed - but to say head butt just costs you all credibility...

and if the Celtics DON'T beat the hawks on wednesday that's the story, thinking that you can justify laying an egg in Atlanta with a win at home in game 5 is hilarious. Remember, the Celts were 66-16; the Hawks were 37-45.

Garnet is soft. Everyone out west knows this and the Celtic fans are learning it now. ZaZa is not a beast by any means; but he is a player who never backs down. With the way Holford punked Garnett and Peirce in game three everyone on the planet expected a "war" from the Celtics. Instead the Celtics were the exact same soft tired team in game four as well.

Not to say they are not talented. If this game was played just on talent and experience, this series would already be over. But since heart and intensity play a huge part, the series is tied instead.

Garnett not getting suspended for pushing a ref not once but twice should not be a suprise; this is the same league that had a referee fixing games right under the commish's nose isn't it?

"...forearm into his chest that shoved him 5 feet in the air?"
Seriously? Have you watched Pachulia at all?? Frank's post was spot on, the guy is a joke. How is KG the one starting the ruckus when Pachulia walks over to him and gets in his face and head butts him?

It all started with a foul that wasn't called. Pachulia held garnet down as he was reaching for the rebound. So you have to take that into consideration. then garnett gave him a little elbow shove to say "get off my elbow son" then Pachulia got all up in Garnett's grill. then it's a "You don't intimidate me" battle. then everyone gets involved because they want respect. I dont blame anyone cause it's the playoff's everyone is supposed to get amped, hyped and frustraded. Personally if it wasn't, i would be watching it. Im just glad everyone is eligible to play. GO CELTICS !

has anyone really even looked at this tape again? gimme a break. garnett was hacked by zaza who then looks to grab at or hold onto onto his hand or wrist to keep him from getting to the ball. garnett rips his arm away from zaza and slaps his wrist in the direction of the ref to show that he was held onto. he backed away from the fray at that point...and then zaza CAME BACK at Garnett and head butted him. the ref immediately comes in between them. if you want to throw out any suspensions you should actually look at cassel, who runs in late.
zaza was trying to get KG tossed out of the game, smart move actually, even though its kinda bush league.
its the playoffs folks. its chippy, get over it.

Hey Eric,
Watch the film again. Garnett shoves the Hawks player five feet in the air... I don't think so. I suppose it was also OK that the Hawks got away with body checking Rondo to the floor too... The NBA officials in these past two games have been terrible!!! They MUST be Hawks fans, but it won't make any difference... The BIG 3 will see to that, referees or not!
Celtics in 6!

The word "skirmish" is hardly appropriate, given the lack of action. Suspending either Williams or Perkins would have been unfortunate - the rule exists to keep players on the bench during an actual fight, not to keep people from putting one foot on the court when players are posturing.

Guys reading meaning into the fourth quarter comeback shouldn't be so focused on questions of machismo, toughness or posturing, but should perhaps be wondering why Doc Rivers had Ray Allen guarding Joe Johnson down the stretch. The other question to ask is why the Cs only score 5 points is roughly the first 8 minutes of the 4th quarter. Neither answer has anything to do with toughness.

The Hawks and Atlanta will get the smackdown they are due.

It was priceless to see how "SHOOK" KG was after the melee. It reminded me of his Peeler shake-up. Don't come to A-town with that fraudulent attitude. This is going to be a bigger upset than the mavs last year. Sheer poetry

I always get a kick out of watching all your sillings comments back and forth =bottom line -the Celts got their a%^ handed to them the last two games...but will they loose the series -I doubt it.The have 2 home games left -so all you pumped up ATL fans -start soliciting the major to bring back the FreakNic (now that was fun) and start looking forward to the draft -cause the Celtics will not loose 2 out of the next 3 games to an 8TH SEED -which is why we play the regular season.The Hawks will be a solid team next year - might win 50 games abrring any major injuries -they need home court in the playoffs -so I suggest they start by winning more than 37 games next year and then the Celts may have to go into ATL and win 2 out of 3...CELTICS IN 6 and I am a homebuy ATL..but I am a longtime bball fan and I know how much home court matters in the playoffs -

Let me start by saying that I am not a Celtic's fan.... Garnett will take this intensity and turn in a performance on Wednesday that will have the youngsters from Atlanta begging for mercy. I would bet that the Hawks score in the low 70's for the game. Well done Birdies, for making it a series... if anything is rigged it is the NBA for stretching out these kind of matchups in order to make more money.

i'm sorry, but no matter what team you root for, you have to view this decision as the smoking gun that THE NBA IS FIXED!!!! Its unfathomable that Phoenix Suns players werer suspended last year for one game in a playoff series that meant WAY more than this series(come on, 1 vs 8) and key important players (Amare & Diaw) were still suspended!!???

NO way Stern can give excuses for this blantant example of fixing.

Way to go Stern...you JackA**

i'm sorry, but no matter what team you root for, you have to view this decision as the smoking gun that THE NBA IS FIXED!!!! Its unfathomable that Phoenix Suns players werer suspended last year for one game in a playoff series that meant WAY more than this series(come on, 1 vs 8) and key important players (Amare & Diaw) were still suspended!!???

NO way Stern can give excuses for this blantant example of fixing.

Way to go Stern...you JackA**

U' all are too young to remember Sherman's March. Probably never learned about it in school, either.
The North is going to conquer the south (small case intended) once again. Celtic Pride is going to blow away atlanta's upstart punks. Good luck next year.

No suspensions was the right decision. Let these guys play! Unfortunate for the Suns last year, but the right decision in this situation. Hawks are going down in flames. They will implode, they ALWAYS do. They have made it a great series, but the Celtics are not the Mav's and the Hawks are not Golden State. It may go to 7 but the Celtics will advance. The big three will not lay down and die. Joe Johnson is so inconsistant with his play, he may get 10 points tonight.

Regarding "band wagon fans", I tried to sell an autographed Hawks ball (all starters) at a charity auction last year here in Atlanta and not only did it not sell, I tried to give it away and no one wanted it.

"Fair-weather fans if you ask me."- Mike Bibby.
Well i guess David Stern and the NBA has teamed up with ESPN pro-Boston biased homers. They dont want to suspend Garnett and Perkins because they know theres a big chance that the Hawks will steal the series from Boston. They want to see them face LAL in the finals. If they make the finals that is. The NBA is only making itself look worse by not taking action in all of this. This league is rigged, there needs to be some changes!

Truly Unbelievable.
Even as a Celts fan, I rooted for Phoenix last year.

I pose this question: How can this not be considered a double standard?

How can the "letter of the rule" that "leaves no room for interpretation," be interpreted today?

We should count our lucky stars that Stern is on our side.

Here's the bottom line :
Celtics is in disbelief that they were beaten by the no. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks.
They are so desperate to save their faces that is why they are playing the way they are. They thought they'll be able to sweep Atlanta in 4 games.
Also, David Stern and the league wants to revive one the best years of the NBA - Celtics vs Lakers . That is the reason why there will never be a suspension of Garnett et al. in spite of Garnett's shoving a referee.
Double Standard? You bet !!!. Shame, Shame, Shame.
Celtics is very fortunate that the big guy ( Stern ) is on their side ( and some refs too! ) and will dictate who's going to the finals to boost NBA's rating.
GGGGGOOOOLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAKKKKKKKEEEEEEERRRRRRRSSSSSSS!!!!

lets just put it all on the table. im a life long suns fan, and im here to say we just got beat up by the spurs. not by the refs. not by the league. by the spurs. last year, maybe we got ripped off, maybe we didnt. however you felt at the time about that ruling, it's done. no excuses. the suns lost 2 games after the ruling. what the league did, they did.
- BUT -
stern and jackson held so tightly to the "the rule is black and white," in defense of their decision, that they have now exposed themselves to conspiracy theories.
do yourselves a favor.
you tube the suns clip
you tube the celtics clip
explain to me the difference, and why the rule wasnt so black and white this time.

Man, Oh man this series is definately rigged by bush and his croonies...
No Doubt!

get over it. there is no crying in (base)basketball. someone will win, someone will lose. the hope is that both do it with style, respect and a little class.

go celtics