Jerry Stackhouse And Common Sense Have Been Suspended

Jerry Stackhouse was found to be in violation of the NBA's strict "Do Not Touch Shaquille O'Neal" policy yesterday, as the league announced that it was suspending him for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Stackhouse committed a hard foul on Shaq as the big man was driving for a lay-up. Have a look:

The foul was originally classified as a Flagrant 1, meaning that the penalty was two shots and possession for the Heat. It's been upgraded to a Flagrant Two, which means Stackhouse gets suspended for a game. The NBA rulebook is quite vague on the guidelines. Here's the definition of a Flagrant 2:

If contact committed against a player, with or without the ball, is interpreted to be unnecessary and excessive, a flagrant foul—penalty (2) will be assessed.

I guess you could argue that it was unnecessary and excessive, but at the same time, there did appear to be an attempt on the ball. It wasn't just a random Reggie Evans scrotal assault. The man was going to the basket, Stackhouse hit him, and Shaq went down. Perhaps it was judged a bit more harshly because it looks worse when such a huge man lands awkwardly. Rick Mahorn's gotta be rolling over in his grave.

Even Shaq said it was just a hard foul and not a big deal. He said that his daughters tackle him harder, and they just might. Shaq's daughters are probably pretty husky girls.

Stackhouse suspended for Game 5 for hard foul on Shaq [Star-Telegram.com]