The Ironic Twists of History

Yeah you guys still talking about the suspensions on Stoudamire and Diaw of the Phoenix Suns. Was it right or unfair?

It would be good to read a historical perspective on the bench clearing rule and show the irony of it all years later.

"The tipping point for the rule probably occurred in March 1993 in, of all places, Phoenix. After a sprawling slugfest between the Suns and New York Knicks, the best teams in their respective conferences, a record 21 players and the two teams were fined a total of $160,500.

Most memorable in the melee was the injured Greg Anthony coming off the Knicks bench in street clothes to sucker-punch the Suns' Kevin Johnson. Knicks coach Pat Riley put a headlock on Johnson, and was subsequently knocked to the floor and had his pants torn."

Phoenix? But here is where it gets interesting.

"How nuts were those days? Three months before the Phoenix debacle, a Houston Rockets player was shoved into the Sonics bench during a game at the old Coliseum, where he tangled up with the Sonics 66-year-old assistant coach, Bob Kloppenburg. Getting up, the player shoved down Kloppenburg, causing the Sonics bench to explode in anger. After the game, the coach called the player "classless," and the player called the coach "senile." But no fouls or fines."

"The perpetrator of this elder skelter? Robert Horry."

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First Posted at Pinoyexchange