The NBA Has A Tough Decision To Make When It Comes To Potentially Having To Suspend Michael Porter Jr For Game 5
AAron Ontiveroz. Getty Images.The Clippers and Nuggets had themselves quite an eventful Game 4. It was a game that really gave you everything you could possibly want in a playoff game. A great crowd, high stakes, a fight, a massive comeback, haymaker shot making in the final minutes, and to cap it all off, one of the most incredible game winners you'll ever see. It was great, and how I hope every single one of the remaining 3 games is just as good.
But, there's also a bit of a sticky situation for the NBA and the League Office to figure out, and the conclusion they come to could very well impact this entire series.
During that first half skirmish between Aaron Gordon/Jokic/Harden/Zubac etc, take a look at what happens by the basket
Look at where MPJ starts, walks to, and then what immediately happens. Look at the assistant coaches bust ass out there to save him from taking another step. Why? Because technically, according to the letter of the law, any player who leaves the bench during an altercation can be suspended for a game.
Here's the problem and what makes this a sticky situation. It's clear what MPJ's intention was in that moment. He was ready to get in on the action. It's not like he was going over there to calm things down. I imagine the NBA cares about intent in a situation like this. Then, of course, there's the whole by the letter of the law part of this equation. Here is the wording of the rule
During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be subject to suspension, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $50,000.
OK, so what do we think? Would anyone logically say that where MPJ is standing at this moment is "in the vicinity of" his bench?
Nearly in the middle of the paint, I'm going to have to say no, MPJ is not in the vicinity of his bench. As you can see, there is clearly an altercation taking place. You can also see he is wearing his jersey, which tells you he is an active player who was just subbed out of the game at that moment. Said another way, he was not an active participant in the current gameplay.
Now go read the rule again.
So what would you do? By the letter of the law, this is about as textbook a suspension as you can get. It checks every box. Intent, leaving the bench, wasn't in the game etc. If you don't suspend MPJ despite him checking all those boxes, what good is even having the rule?
There's also the precedent aspect to all this as well. Try telling any Suns fan right now that MPJ shouldn't be suspended and see how they react, given what they've lived through.
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It almost makes you wonder if the league's hands are tied in this situation. Common sense says who cares he wasn't anywhere close and the series is tied 2-2, just fine him and be done with it. Even if you could make the case that having MPJ on the floor might actually do more harm than good, suspending him would still alter the series which you never really want to see. As fans we want to see two teams as healthy as possible with everyone available, battle it out to see who wins. The Nuggets' depth is already short enough, losing any MPJ minutes definitely changes things.
While I'm sure it would trigger certain fanbases that maybe were on the other side of that ruling, I personally hope he's not suspended. I am just not a real fan of something like this impacting the potential outcome of a game, especially a swing Game 5. If he got in a fight and earned a suspension, fine. But just walking into the paint and immediately being turned around? Eh, who cares.
At the same time, if the league decides to go by the letter of the law, I get that too. As a player, you have to be aware of that stuff. It's not like this is a new rule. I get wanting to be there for your teammates, but you can also do that by not doing something stupid like going onto the court during a fight when you know that can result in a suspension. If you're suspended, it's kind of hard to be there for your teammates, ya know? Something tells me they'd understand why maybe you stayed on the bench during a brawl, seeing as how everyone knows the rule. So when you look at it like that, actions have consequences. Not making mental mistakes is part of winning playoff basketball games and winning series. If you fuck that up, I don't think you should necessarily be let off the hook for it.