5 significant playoff suspensions in NBA history
Discounted from the season's outset, the Memphis Grizzlies spent the past year defying expectations. Through the first five games of their opening-round series with heavyweight contenders Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies exemplified their underdog mantra, frustrating the Thunder en route to a 3-2 series lead.
But, with a chance to close out a title contender on their own floor, the Grizzlies put forth a "dismal" effort that culminated in a ruing moment for Zack Randolph, when he threw a punch at Steven Adams. Now, the already-shorthanded Grizzlies will be without their star power forward and leading scorer for Game 7.
Should Memphis continue to revel in their collective dismissal by shocking Oklahoma City in Game 7, they will have to overcome Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but not necessarily precedent.
Here are five significant playoff suspensions, and their subsequent outcomes:
1997 - New York Knicks
The 1997 Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks was one for the ages. After the Knicks burst out to a 3-1 series lead, momentum swung into Miami's favor when power forward P.J. Brown instigated a brawl on the court. New York's Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson, and John Starks left the bench with a collective knee-jerk reaction, which, by rule, carries a one-game suspension.
The league staggered the bans across Game 6 and 7 to allow the Knicks to field the adequate amount of players, which left them shorthanded for the series' final two games - both Miami wins.
2006 - Raja Bell
A virtual unknown before the Suns' meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers, Raja Bell entered the public consciousness by tormenting Kobe Bryant during their first-round match-up in the 2006 NBA Playoffs.
Late in Game 5, with the Suns primed to cut their series deficit to 3-2, Bell wrapped his forearm around the neck of a driving Bryant, violently spinning him to the floor.
Bell received a one-game suspension for the incident, but Phoenix did not suffer in his absence. They picked up their gritty defender with a win in Los Angeles in Game 6, before Bell re-entered the lineup in Game 7, playing over 40 minutes with a plus-25 rating in the blowout victory.
2007 - Amar'e Stoudemire, Boris Diaw, and Robert Horry
Once a reliable clutch shooter, Robert Horry was reduced to the bench in his final years in San Antonio, but he served a purpose in the 2007 Western Conference Semi Finals against Steve Nash's run-and-gun Phoenix Suns.
With the ball and three-point lead with under 20 seconds to play, Robert Horry delivered a flagrant foul on Nash, driving the point guard into the scorers table. The Suns's primitive reaction to defend their fallen superstar ultimately became their undoing, when Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the bench to engage in a skirmish, which earned the pair one-game suspensions.
The Suns were reduced to 85 points in a Game 5 loss at home without two of their starters, and were eliminated in six games.
2009 - Dwight Howard
In their first-round series in 2009, the Orlando Magic returned home in triumphant fashion, seizing a 3-2 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers - but it didn't come without a cost. Dwight Howard swung his elbow at the jaw of Samuel Dalembert, forcing the Magic to play without the NBA's top defensive player when Philadelphia hosted Game 6.
Fortunately for Orlando, they had another prominent NBA stopper waiting in the wings. Marcin Gortat checked in, notching 11 points and 15 rebounds with a team-high plus-29 rating to help Orlando clinch the series, and vindicate Howard.
2013 - Chris Andersen
The Miami Heat were left shorthanded in Game 6 of last season's Eastern Conference Final when Tyler Hansbrough baited Chris Andersen into a shove, and a subsequent suspension in Game 5.
While certainly not a member of Miami's "Big 3," Andersen was vital to the Heat's success in the post-season and it showed when he was forced to sit. They were reduced to 77-point output in Game 6, thrusting the defending champions into a Game 7 on their home floor.