Crime and Punishment, David Stern Style

Let's get one thing clear, the San Antonio Spurs didn't win the series against the Phoenix Suns, David Stern gave it to them. This is not going to be some cry-fest from a bitter fan so don't worry. Today I'm using my soap box to shed light on the way David Stern has run the NBA and why teams like the Spurs get all the breaks(admit it folks, they do). The roots of all traces back years, long before Ron Artest went into the crowd and Carmelo Anthonys slap and run, and it all leads back to David Stern.

In the mid to late 90s basketball was at it's peak. Jordan and the Bulls were winning, Shaq was about to land in Los Angeles and a young Allen Iverson began his career with the 76ers. Of all that the latter would have the biggest impact on the NBAs giant marketing system, and Stern wouldn't miss that train.

Iverson brought a measure of street presence to the game. With his corn-row haircut, tattoos, hip-hop image and in your face attitude Iverson was the poster child for street ball in the NBA. This of course prompted a change in the way basketball was marketed. Commercials and in-game breaks became infused with rap music, entire clothing lines were created in the so-called "ghetto" image. Sneakers were modeled after the way rap stars wore them, as were ball caps, wrist and head bands.

Thing is, none of this was done to market the game or the merchandise to inner city youths. It was done to sell merchandise to the biggest target demographic in America, middle to upper class suburban white males age 16-35(the same type of people Ron Artest punched out at The Palace). David Stern couldn't care less about selling to African-American or Hispanic groups, he just needed their image to sell product to wealthy white kids who wanted to act like pimps and hustlers on the weekends.

And so it went, the NBA packaging a specific image to sell sneakers and jerseys. It was underhanded, but it made tens of millions for owners. Of course, this couldn't last forever. So it was on November 19 2004 during a game between the Pacers and the Pistons when an on-court altercation escaleted into a fight between players and fans. No sooner had the Pacers Ron Artest punched out a fan in the seats believing the man to be responsible for throwing beer on him then David Stern had a press conferance to announce he was going to start cleaning up the NBA. Suddenly there was s dress code, rules governing, of all things, the position of wrist bands. Rap music became associated with "thug life", a scary word to the soccer moms Stern had been fleecing for years to make little Johnny popular at school with his $200 Air Jordans and Kobe Bryant Jersey.

Of course, this was not the only thing that changed in the NBA. The on-court product had to be altered as well. No more could these bad-boys, who just months earlier been the face of the NBA, be allowed to sully the games image. No, Iverson and others with ink and "urban" haircuts could no longer be allowed to lead the NBA. It was time for a new image to be brought forth.

And so it goes with the Spurs. They, like the Dallas Mavericks, represent what Stern wants the NBA to look like now. Good clean cut players who don't argue, play as a team, are a collection of players from around the globe and most importantly play by the rules. Things is, as anyone whos been defended by Bruce Bowen will tell you, the latter simply isn't true. Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitski, Ginobli, Parker all commit fouls, they just don't get called on them as often as others.

Sure this comes off a whining, but look at just the last four games between San Antonio and Phoenix. In consecutive games Bruce Bowen tried to injure a Suns star player, be it a kick to Amare Stoudemires ankle while he was in mid-air or driving his knee into Steve Nashs groin a few nights later, yet all he drew was a flagrant foul on the Nash incident. The NBA did not even review the kick on Stoudemire despite video of the incident being widely circulated thanks to YouTube. A few nights later Bowen would grab Steve Nashs arm as he went for a lay up in clear view of every official on the court and get nothing.

Kurt Thomas, on the other hand, was given one foul after another while defending Tim Duncan. He would be given four in less then twenty minutes in game 6 to force him onto the bench early. In nearly twice as much floor time Bowen received only two while guarding Nash.

The penultimate example of just how skewed the league has become is of course how the Robert Horry foul was handled. Late in game four, with the Suns well ahead, Horry drove Steve Nash into the scorers table with a body check that would make Scott Stevens proud. The deliberate attempt to hurt the two-time MVP was not allowed to pass, with Stoudemire and Boris Diaw leaving the bench to come to the aid of the man who had brought them to that point of the season. Both were stopped by coaching staff before they could become involved, but they were both suspended one game. Horry received two, but what the hell did it matter? A marginal player had just taken the Suns most potent offensive weapon and a key role player out of the picture for a pivotal game five. Naturally though, this wasn't the only thing that went wrong.

As video has shown, Tim Duncan also left the bench when Jones accidentally undercut Elson after a dunk(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHyuPorlLiQ). He walked past the three point line talking and gesturing. Some would argue that he wasn't getting involved in any altercation. Maybe, but it sure as hell looked like he was getting ready to start one.

The most damning evidence of the Leagues bias comes directly from Stu Jackson. In a statement following the announcement of Diaw and Stoudemires suspension Jackson said "This isnt a fair decision, but it is the correct one." Just what in the hell is THAT supposed to mean?

Simple really, this is the decision that best works for the NBAs image. Duncan is, after all, a good boy who never causes trouble. The Spurs are the poster child team, international stars playing a team game, no off-court troubles to embarrass the League, no arm covering tattoos or rap albums(Tony Parkers doesn't count, most Americans don't speak French).

Some would say this is counter-productive to the NBA, since San Antonio doesn't get high ratings. Maybe, but so what? Most Finals in any sport tend to be regional audiences and all the League needs is one name player to get national attention. Even an event like the Superbowl takes second fiddle to the commercials and half-time show. Stern knows the League can't lose money regardless of whose playing in the Finals, it's already made millions from the previous rounds. What Stern cares about right now is pushing forth the image that the NBA has been cleaned up, that only the good, proper teams win and that teams with "inner-city" influence won't get anywhere. After all, you can't get guilt-trip parents into buying expensive clothes and shoes if the nightly news is calling basketball players thugs now can you?