First things first, Bruce Bowen is a dirty player. Bowen undercuts players while shooting jumpers; just ask Steve Franchise, Jamal Crawford, and Ray Allen. Not only does he undercut he grabs and holds worse than Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals guarding Iverson. For more proof reference the 2005 NBA Finals when he had Richard Hamilton’s jersey in his hands more than he had the ball. Amare Stoudemire was absolutely right when he called the San Antonio Spur a dirty player. How many NBA players have to call Bowen dirty before it becomes common knowledge?

Now that my rant is out of the way, the Phoenix Suns’ Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw deserve to be suspended for leaving the bench during Game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

For those of you that live in a cave, Stoudamire and Diaw are suspended for Game 5 of their series with the San Antonio Spurs because they left the bench during an “altercation� between teammate Steve Nash and Spur Robert Horry. With only 18 seconds left in a pivotal playoff game, Robert Horry checked Steve Nash into the scorer’s table as if he was wearing a helmet and carrying a hockey stick. Big Shot Rob deserves the two game suspensions he received.

Amare and Boris left their bench to join the pushing match that had developed on the court, but Phoenix Suns’ assistant coaches quickly redirected their players back to the bench after the two had ventured twenty feet from the bench. NBA players are not allowed to leave the bench during altercations, so NBA executive vice president of basketball operations, Stu Jackson, suspended the two players for the pivotal Game 5 tonight in Phoenix.

As a result of the backlash from the fans and the media, commissioner David Stern cancelled his scheduled appearance during the 2-2 tie-breaking Game 5. Stu Jackson made the right decision to suspend the two players and should not have to face scrutiny for his decision. If fans and media are angered by the fact that Amare has to sit out the biggest game of his young career, they should blame Amare. If the 1st-team All-NBA center truly felt he did nothing wrong, why did he lie and say he was checking into the game? After hearing many excuses on why Amare and Boris should be allowed to play I am still convinced the right decision was made.

“Amare and Boris were not involved in the altercation, they never got near the action.�

This excuse is being used by the media saying the two players should be allowed to play in tonight’s game. Phoenix assistant coaches restrained Amare and Boris (mostly Amare) from entering the scrum. Without those coaches Amare would have been in the middle of the entire situation escalating the problem. If you watch the film, Amare had to be restrained past the actual bench as he attempted to maneuver around his coaches. That is called intent. The referees may not be doing their job keeping this series clean but they did an excellent job breaking up the melee in a timely manner.

If Amare entered the skirmish and caused the melee to continue, who is to say a cup from the stand might not have been thrown, causing an angry player to enter the stands? This scenario might be a stretch, but the point is that the referee’s job is to quell the problem quickly. The referee cannot succeed with players from the bench trying to push their coaches out of the way to enter the melee.

“Why isn’t Tim Duncan getting suspended for stepping on the court?�

Apples to apples, oranges to oranges. Was Tim Duncan headed out onto the court to enter a shoving match? No. Not even close. Was Tim Duncan trying to get around his coaches to charge onto the floor? No. Was there a fight or close to one at the time he stepped on the court? No. Tim Duncan’s intent was completely different than that of Amare’s at the end of the game, foolish argument.

“It’s not fair to the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs are the team who flagrantly fouled, why are the Suns getting the worst of it?�

Robert Horry is to blame for the entire situation, but rules are rules. Superstar Amare Stoudamire has to use common sense. In the NBA when you leave the bench you get suspended, the rule has been in place over a decade. Regardless of the fact that Amare was attempting to be a good teammate and come to the aid of his point guard, a better teammate and team leader would make sure that everyone stayed on the bench. Stoudamire is young and this will be a positive learning experience for him as his team gets sent home by the Spurs… yet again.

Tonight’s game was a must watch playoff contest. Dallas Mavericks/Golden State Warriors Game 6 big! What basketball fan wants to miss Duncan, Mr. Longoria (Tony Parker), and Ginobili take on Nash, Amare and ‘em after Phoenix finally wins in San Antonio during the playoffs. Do not blame David Stern and his anti-urban NBA dreams, do not blame vice president Stu Jackson, and do not even blame Robert Horry for his cheap shot on the former MVP. Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw should take responsibility for their actions, apologize to his teammates and pray they can outplay Tim Duncan in Game 6 and force a Game 7. Basketball is a physical game, but also a mental game and Amare just lost big time.