Jamal Murray NOT suspended!!

[Q-is-here]

I'm not saying I support the decision to not suspend, but I think I know what is going on here. Referees rule differently depending on whether it's playoffs or not, and whether it involves a star or not. In this case it's Murray in the playoffs, so I was fairly certain there would be no suspension. But in other scenarios:

1) If Braun had thrown the heat pad, he would have been suspended. Not a star.

2) If Murray had done this in the regular season, he would have been suspended.

3) The most likely T-Wolf to do something like this might be Jaden. He hasn't reached star status (yet) so he would be suspended...playoffs of not.

4) But if Rudy had done this in the playoffs, he would not have been suspended.

Again, not saying this is right (I'm 100% on the fence on this one)...just saying it is what it is.

I'm 100% not on the fence. This is what's wrong with the NBA to a lot of more casual observers that aren't as tied and loyal to a team like we are. No other professional league that I can think of has such a blatant two-tiered system of justice and the meting out of punishment - whether it be common fouls or severe disciplinary actions - than the NBA. It's just plain wrong as a matter of principle.

And the two tiers isn't just about star versus non-star, but it's franchise-based as well. While I don't think there is a calculated conspiracy, it's sort of just an unspoken practice that has embedded itself into how the game is governed.

The good news is that the Wolves finally have a player and team that can rise above all of this and stay super competitive.

[FNG]

I'm not saying I support the decision to not suspend, but I think I know what is going on here. Referees rule differently depending on whether it's playoffs or not, and whether it involves a star or not. In this case it's Murray in the playoffs, so I was fairly certain there would be no suspension. But in other scenarios:

1) If Braun had thrown the heat pad, he would have been suspended. Not a star.

2) If Murray had done this in the regular season, he would have been suspended.

3) The most likely T-Wolf to do something like this might be Jaden. He hasn't reached star status (yet) so he would be suspended...playoffs of not.

4) But if Rudy had done this in the playoffs, he would not have been suspended.

Again, not saying this is right (I'm 100% on the fence on this one)...just saying it is what it is.

I'm 100% not on the fence. This is what's wrong with the NBA to a lot of more casual observers that aren't as tied and loyal to a team like we are. No other professional league that I can think of has such a blatant two-tiered system of justice and the meting out of punishment - whether it be common fouls or severe disciplinary actions - than the NBA. It's just plain wrong as a matter of principle.

And the two tiers isn't just about star versus non-star, but it's franchise-based as well. While I don't think there is a calculated conspiracy, it's sort of just an unspoken practice that has embedded itself into how the game is governed.

The good news is that the Wolves finally have a player and team that can rise above all of this and stay super competitive.

I have a 50 minute drive back home from baseball 3 days a week down here in Tucson, Q, and even though I find Kamla annoying, I listen to NBA Radio on my drive. They had a great discussion on this topic yesterday, with AD solidly on your side of suspending and Kamla on the non suspension side.

Personally I want to see the star players play in the playoffs (and I'm not alone here). We got cheated by not being able to see Giannis in the playoffs, and I held my breath yesterday when marvelous Brunson got hurt. So even though it (arguably) hurts the Wolves, I and the typical NBA fan want to see Murray on the court Friday night. Like it or not, the NBA is a multi billion dollar business, and we are in the middle of a huge TV contract discussion...viewing numbers in the playoffs will have a big part in the size of the TV contract, and not having the drama of "Jamal against the defense from hell" would have significantly reduced the viewing numbers. And let's not lose sight that selfishly the bigger the TV contract, the better for our Wolves...there are rumors of a huge TV contract increase which could even make the Wolves' second apron problem go away. I would argue that Jamal playing Friday night has some impact on us keeping the band together!

Now, I have my limits. If Jamal had actually hurt someone, he would have needed to be suspended...likely for multiple games. But in some ways I see "Heating Pad Gate" as a reflection of our times...I feel like it's being blown out of proportion like so many things are these days. It's a heating pad for God's sake, and nobody was harmed. Stupid? Sure. But playoff suspension worthy, I think probably not. But I can certainly see both sides.

[Q-is-here]

My point FNG is that it's this star treatment that actually prevents more fans from watching the NBA. I know a number of friends and acquaintances that don't follow the game because they think the NBA is either a) too politicized in one direction and/or b) corrupt in that the deck is stacked against smaller/middle market teams. I bet there are a hell of a lot of Indianapolis Colts fans, for example, that would watch more Pacers basketball if wasn't for this perception.

My issue is less about Jamal Murray and how this impacts the series, but more about the precedent it sets. How do you not suspend someone one game for those antics - the towel, the heating pad, and the money sign - in the absence of any in-game disciplinary action at the time of the infractions? And yes, had someone actually slipped on the heating pad and gotten hurt, now you are talking about a much longer suspension. One game isn't even all that much in the context of a 7-game series.

It is what it is, but it brings back my love/hate relationship with the league.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

If Ant had done what Murray had done, what would we want to happen? That's the question we should ask ourselves.

It's basically the same question Murray was failing to ask himself when he threw his tantrum. How would he feel if the uniforms were reversed on all those calls? Would he still think the refs were blowing those calls/non-calls? In his case, and in the cases of so many other guys complaining about calls these days, it feels like people are getting so caught up in their feelings that they're seeing everything as if it is going against them. Murray, Embiid, Carlisle. In the heat of the moment, ok. There ARE bad calls out there. And I DO actually think Murray should have been suspended. Plus, it's natural to be biased towards yourself (though I do think Ant and KAT should keep reducing their whining about calls). But some of this outraged hand-wringing after the moment is overdone and just seems to be a failure to really imagine if the situation were reversed.

Whatever we think about Murray's punishment, or about any call/non-call in a game, we should ask ourselves honestly what would we want to happen if the jerseys were reversed. We can still think Murray should have been suspended, and we can still complain about bad calls that go against us. I just think we need to make sure we are honest and fair in how we draw those conclusions and that we'd hold those same standards if the calls were going the other way, which is clearly something Murray and a lot of other guys have been failing to do recently.

[mjs34]

My point FNG is that it's this star treatment that actually prevents more fans from watching the NBA. I know a number of friends and acquaintances that don't follow the game because they think the NBA is either a) too politicized in one direction and/or b) corrupt in that the deck is stacked against smaller/middle market teams. I bet there are a hell of a lot of Indianapolis Colts fans, for example, that would watch more Pacers basketball if wasn't for this perception.

My issue is less about Jamal Murray and how this impacts the series, but more about the precedent it sets. How do you not suspend someone one game for those antics - the towel, the heating pad, and the money sign - in the absence of any in-game disciplinary action at the time of the infractions? And yes, had someone actually slipped on the heating pad and gotten hurt, now you are talking about a much longer suspension. One game isn't even all that much in the context of a 7-game series.

It is what it is, but it brings back my love/hate relationship with the league.

Well put Q!

You don't suspend Murray because he threw the towel or heat pack. You suspend him to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Imagine a player throwing something onto the court Friday night, and Jokic or Ant or KAT step on it and tear their Achilles possibly ending their career, and surely their current run for a title. Would anybody give a shit what suspension was handed out to the player doing the throwing? Suspensions aren't meant to compensate the affected team. If it was, the suspensions would occur the next time the teams played each other. The suspensions are to make sure it doesn't happen again. Who thinks a player making 35 mil/yr is worried about a 100k fine. I believe Abe calculated it out to under 300 for an average guy.

[KiwiMatt]

It is what it is. Focus on game 3 and make it 3 - 0.

[Wolvesfan21]

My point FNG is that it's this star treatment that actually prevents more fans from watching the NBA. I know a number of friends and acquaintances that don't follow the game because they think the NBA is either a) too politicized in one direction and/or b) corrupt in that the deck is stacked against smaller/middle market teams. I bet there are a hell of a lot of Indianapolis Colts fans, for example, that would watch more Pacers basketball if wasn't for this perception.

My issue is less about Jamal Murray and how this impacts the series, but more about the precedent it sets. How do you not suspend someone one game for those antics - the towel, the heating pad, and the money sign - in the absence of any in-game disciplinary action at the time of the infractions? And yes, had someone actually slipped on the heating pad and gotten hurt, now you are talking about a much longer suspension. One game isn't even all that much in the context of a 7-game series.

It is what it is, but it brings back my love/hate relationship with the league.

Preferential treatment is the way the world works which I think most people disagree with. For instance, if you are rich enough you can get away with murder (OJ). However a poor person can go to jail for a very minor offense (no injured parties) and have to plead guilty because they cannot afford to defend themselves well enough.

[Q-is-here]

My point FNG is that it's this star treatment that actually prevents more fans from watching the NBA. I know a number of friends and acquaintances that don't follow the game because they think the NBA is either a) too politicized in one direction and/or b) corrupt in that the deck is stacked against smaller/middle market teams. I bet there are a hell of a lot of Indianapolis Colts fans, for example, that would watch more Pacers basketball if wasn't for this perception.

My issue is less about Jamal Murray and how this impacts the series, but more about the precedent it sets. How do you not suspend someone one game for those antics - the towel, the heating pad, and the money sign - in the absence of any in-game disciplinary action at the time of the infractions? And yes, had someone actually slipped on the heating pad and gotten hurt, now you are talking about a much longer suspension. One game isn't even all that much in the context of a 7-game series.

It is what it is, but it brings back my love/hate relationship with the league.

Preferential treatment is the way the world works which I think most people disagree with. For instance, if you are rich enough you can get away with murder (OJ). However a poor person can go to jail for a very minor offense (no injured parties) and have to plead guilty because they cannot afford to defend themselves well enough.

I don't disagree that preferential treatment happens in a lot of different facets of life. However, in the context of U.S. sports, I believe the degree to which it occurs in the NBA is far greater than any of the other major sports. And that turns off a lot of would-be fans from the NBA.

[TheGrey08]

Seriously what a bad precedent here. I feel like if Denver was up 2 games to zero they would have suspended him. It's an absolute joke that Silver is letting him get away with this.

100%

This was such an egregious act and even more egregious decision not to suspend a player who threw TWO object towards a ref, one being a heating pack that ended up among the feet of players in the paint and could have ended in a major injury if someone stepped/slipped on it. I just don't get these leagues that try to act like player safety is important and then they let garbage like this go unpunished.

Guarantee if it was a nobody who threw it and not a star player, they would have suspended them. It's beyond ridiculous.

[Wolvesfan21]

Jamal Murray is a great basketball player but at the same time seriously pathetic loser as a human. I've been listening to a few different Denver podcasts and they don't like his childish acts either.