The NBA made the right decision in suspending five Knicks for leaving the bench during an altercation, even if it may have cost New York its series with the Miami Heat, commissioner David Stern said Sunday.
"I think it is our job to set rules," Stern said after the NBA held its draft lottery at the NBA Entertainment Studios. "If you step on the baseline and it costs you the game because you are out of bounds, fans don't say they shouldn't take the ball away from us. These are just the rules we have."The NBA's rule for leaving the bench to enter a melee is an automatic suspension of at least one game. The Knicks found out how severe that penalty can be after the altercation near the end of Game 5 at Miami.
It cost New York the services of Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston, the team's two leading scorers, in Game 6, and John Starks and Larry Johnson in Game 7. Charlie Ward was also suspended for Game 6 after being involved in the incident with Miami forward P.J. Brown, who was given a two-game suspension. He was the only member of the Heat suspended as no other player left the bench area.