Bell officially suspended

[Isaiah]

Bell suspended one game for takedown of BryantAssociated Press



Bell
PHOENIX -- The NBA suspended Phoenix guard Raja Bell for one game on Wednesday for throwing Kobe Bryant to the floor in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers.


That means the Suns will be without Bell, the principal defender against Bryant, for Game 6 Thursday night in Los Angeles.


Phoenix beat the Lakers 114-97 in Game 5 but Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and can eliminate the Suns with a victory. In a brief news release, the NBA said Bell was suspended for "excessive and unnecessary contact."


"I have no respect for him. I think he's a pompous, arrogant individual."
Raja Bell, about Kobe Bryant

The suspension had yet to be announced when the Suns practiced earlier Wednesday before leaving for Los Angeles. After the workout, Bell repeated that throwing Bryant down was wrong but explained what led to the foul and made clear his dislike for the Lakers' star.


"I have no respect for him," Bell said. "I think he's a pompous, arrogant individual."


Bell said he had been repeatedly hit in the face by Bryant during the game.


"I got a bruised cheek here and I can barely open my jaw on this side," he said, indicating the left side of his face, "and that didn't come from nowhere, and I felt like I'd had enough of that."


Bell said it went from a game to a personal insult.


"When I get hit in the face multiple times, you've stepped across the line with me," he said. "It's not basketball anymore. It was basketball for four games, then when he hit me in the face, that was the last straw last night. It still doesn't excuse me, but that's just the way I felt about it."


At the other end of the court just before Bell threw Bryant down, the Suns guard said he complained to referee Greg Willard about getting hit in the face, and Lakers coach Phil Jackson hollered out that Bell "deserved it," adding a profanity to emphasize the point.


That's why Bell pointed to the Lakers' bench yelling "That's your foul!" after he threw Bryant down.


Bell and Bryant received a double-technicals in the second quarter. A few minutes after Bell was tossed, Bryant was thrown out of the game for his second technical for complaining about James Jones' hard foul on Kwame Brown.


The latest incident is part of a season-long series of expressions of mutual contempt between Bell and Bryant.


After Tuesday night's game, Bryant said he hoped Bell wouldn't be suspended but added that players can't afford to lose their temper in games.


"I'm not trying to go out there and elbow somebody, that's not the way I play," Bryant said. "If you get elbowed, you still have to keep your cool. I get elbowed all the time."


Bell called Bryant's comments "hypocritical."


Bell's teammate Steve Nash said the Lakers have gotten the best of the officiating in the series.


"We're playing a very heated battle and people on the outside are constantly telling guys that we've got to be more physical," Nash said. "It's tough, and he's faced a lot this series. He's done a great job on Kobe, and Kobe gets away with whatever he wants. That's kind of frustrating."

from http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2 ... id=2431979

[Matthew]

Hard to see how his actions warrent the same punishment as Artests.. But at least the NBA didn't ignore it like they did with Reggie Evans.

"When I get hit in the face multiple times, you've stepped across the line with me," he said. "It's not basketball anymore. It was basketball for four games, then when he hit me in the face, that was the last straw last night. It still doesn't excuse me, but that's just the way I felt about it."

In other words, when Kobe hit the game winner on him in game 4, that was it .

But seriously, who cares about Raja Bell? He's a douche who think's he's on kobe's level. he's not even on Byron Russell's level.

[dada]

Phoenix guys whining like bitches again. So what if Kobe is arrogant? Is he the only arrogant NBA player in the league? Raja trying to justify his action that way is just pitiful. Shame on him. Early in the series when Phoenix was struggling a bit on the offensive end I remember guys on the team saying they'll figure it out cuz they are the best offense in the league...that can be interpreted as arrogance. I see no difference between that and Kobe saying he got bigger fish to fry. Guys on that team are just being embarassed and dont know how to handle. They were winning a game and didnt know how to act.

[Ruff Ryder]

Hard to see how his actions warrent the same punishment as Artests.. But at least the NBA didn't ignore it like they did with Reggie Evans.

Well James Posey and Udonis Haslem both shared the same punishment. Posey's I don't think was worse than Bell's.

[Isaiah]

"We're playing a very heated battle and people on the outside are constantly telling guys that we've got to be more physical," Nash said. "It's tough, and he's faced a lot this series. He's done a great job on Kobe, and Kobe gets away with whatever he wants. That's kind of frustrating."

plus Nash just showed what kind of a puss he is with his statements, especially this one..

Raja Bell says hes been hit in the face, when Kobe has been hit in almost every part of his body the entire season! not to mention he was hit in the head during Game1, which should have been won by LA.

[Matthew]

Haha "shame on you". Its Bill Platske right here on NLSC. But of course there's hypocrsy, thats why Raja Bell and Suns fans (most of whom are 14 year old bandwagonners) get no respect from veteran fans.

And the funny thing is most of these casual douche fans is they say "well Raja gets under kobes skin" hmm.. judging by his actions I'd say that Kobe has gotten under the suns skin. They are at wits end trying to contain him.

[DB]

And the funny thing is most of these casual douche fans is they say "well Raja gets under kobes skin" hmm.. judging by his actions I'd say that Kobe has gotten under the suns skin. They are at wits end trying to contain him.

Exactly! I find it funny how Bell came into the series trying to get into Kobe's head, but it turned out the other way around.

[dada]

Posey's I don't think was worse than Bell's.[/b]

I surely agree there because Raja made it known his intention of trying to hold down Kobe for the series yet Kobe has been performing well and Phoenix couldnt play their game. Posey was just feeling shitty for losing badly and decided to take it out on whomever. Raja's team wasnt even losing (they were up double digits) and you could see it in his face that he had no intention of making a play on the ball but instead was out to hurt the guy. Not only the clotheline but the throw to the floor. Bryantwas mugged.

[Matthew]

Hard to see how his actions warrent the same punishment as Artests.. But at least the NBA didn't ignore it like they did with Reggie Evans.

Well James Posey and Udonis Haslem both shared the same punishment. Posey's I don't think was worse than Bell's.

Posey's was also worse than what Artest did. Much worse. If anyone in the playoffs has a right to complain its sacramento fans.

[magius]

i think its all so stupid, but fun to watch. Last night looked like a frickin wwf fight, both players were ridiculous - bell with the hit, and kobe with the primping. i think bell has gotten under bryant's skin, but kobe's way of getting under his is to pretend he doesn't. its so high school.

Raja Bell says hes been hit in the face, when Kobe has been hit in almost every part of his body the entire season! not to mention he was hit in the head during Game1, which should have been won by LA.

the difference is kobe likes being hit. kinky bastard. i wonder if him and kwame were roommates....

anyway good and easy suspension to make by stu. I almost feel as if the suns got the advantage of it though considering next game is at la. phoenix should be fired up. Even though I don't really give a shit about either team, this is by far the most interesting series of the first round. Should be a fun finish whichever way it goes.

[Colin]

There is absolutely nothing that is more pathetic than people bitching about someone else bitching. Go ahead and complain about Raja's play, it was dirty. But don't go around calling the kettle black when someone brings up the poor officiating in game 4, or if Raja says something about Kobe hitting him. He's just saying that Kobe wasn't exactly playing clean. And he wasn't. Either way, I'm not exactly happy that Raja is suspended. But he did a stupid thing and his getting his due. And just because Kobe's giving him a bunch of little hits that are 2/10, doesn't mean he should go out and give him an 8. Just do to him what he does to you.

edit: A little quote from today's Daily Dime.

Kobe and Phil, in fact, stunned observers here by making a co-plea to commissioner Stern to spare Bell from suspension.

"We want him out there," Jackson said. "We want their full team out there to play. It's the only way to do it. You have to earn what you win."

It came across as a noble stance, especially given Jackson's well-chronicled status as a pioneer in the art of calculated quotes at the post-game dais to work the refs for the next game. If you're looking for the ulterior side of it, maybe Jackson wants to make sure the home crowd has a target. Maybe he just wants to make sure Kobe's at his edgiest. Bryant, after all, also says he's rooting against a suspension, insisting that Tuesday's escalation in his season-long tiff with Bell "actually excites me."

[magius]

Just do to him what he does to you.

or grab his balls.

[Matthew]

Nobody is complaining about Raja's cheap shot. They're just pointint out that it was cheap, surely you cant deny that?

[magius]

Nobody is complaining about Raja's cheap shot. They're just pointint out that it was cheap, surely you cant deny that?

um, distinction without a difference, eh?

[Matthew]

Absolutely. When we judge actions we shouldn't, as fans, put our own bias into trying to validate actions. Thats just being a homer.

[The_Flying_Tomato]

they just want LA into the next round because Kobe's one of the biggest/most marketable icons. Also, I love your stupidity, Isaiah

[Colin]

Nobody is complaining about Raja's cheap shot. They're just pointint out that it was cheap, surely you cant deny that?

Go ahead and complain about Raja's play, it was dirty
...
he did a stupid thing

I guess I got too specific there, I was referring more to the whole situation involving the hit.

"Raja trying to justify his action that way is just pitiful. Shame on him."
He never said he was justified. He himself said "it still doesn't excuse me."
"I see no difference between that and Kobe saying he got bigger fish to fry."
So why is Raja a bitch for saying something so similar to what Kobe said?
"Raja Bell says hes been hit in the face, when Kobe has been hit in almost every part of his body the entire season!"
Excuses just like any comment about missed calls and bias throughout the series.

If anyone wants to go around with blinders on saying that stuff, don't bitch when a Suns fan says something about officiating or makes some other excuse. Lots of people are taking out some frustration here, so let each other talk about things that went wrong. I'm not saying don't argue about it. Go ahead and argue and debate. Just don't say it's a stupid thing to do when others are doing the same thing.

edit: To the Suns-fans' very own version of the Lakers fan I'm talking about who posted above me. There are NO conspiracies against the Suns. I'd like to hear why what Raja did doesn't deserve a suspension. Learn to get mad at the team for things more instead of outside sources. There were some bad calls that happened in the Suns' loss, but way more times they did a crappy job boxing out, or missed open shots. And you better believe I was just as pissed then.

[dada]

they just want LA into the next round because Kobe's one of the biggest/most marketable icons.

So your saying Raja did nothing to warrant a suspension? Its just a tap so we should all get over it?

The NBA just gave Nash the "MVP" and Boris the MIP. Why would they want the run and gun team, who everybody was raving over, out in the first round?

I still cant get over how all of a sudden Kobe is one of their most marketable icons.

[The_Flying_Tomato]

because of kobe's scoring. everybody knows kobe bryant. obviously it warrants a suspension, but there have been other calls, and in other series, that the NBA and these refs are ignoring.

[dada]

"I see no difference between that and Kobe saying he got bigger fish to fry."
So why is Raja a bitch for saying something so similar to what Kobe said?

I'm not following what exactly your trying to get at.

[Dro]

because of kobe's scoring. everybody knows kobe bryant. obviously it warrants a suspension, but there have been other calls, and in other series, that the NBA and these refs are ignoring.

I think in my few weeks of posting I've surpassed your post count in terms of quality posts. Seriously, you're an embarrassment.

Two things you can do:

1. Pick up Mavis Beacon
2. Ask your teacher for a reading list
3. Take a trip to the library

Order doesn't matter for the most part...but you might want to do 2 before 3.

[The_Flying_Tomato]

Thanks, I'll do that.

[Dro]

because of kobe's scoring. everybody knows kobe bryant. obviously it warrants a suspension, but there have been other calls, and in other series, that the NBA and these refs are ignoring.

I think in my few weeks of posting I've surpassed your post count in terms of quality posts. Seriously, you're an embarrassment.

Two things you can do:

1. Pick up Mavis Beacon
2. Ask your teacher for a reading list
3. Take a trip to the library

Order doesn't matter for the most part...but you might want to do 2 before 3.

LMAO, I can't count...I said two things, and I listed 3.

Ah well...

[Colin]

Alright I'll run through it a little slower.

I'm just saying that why do you give Kobe a pass for saying something about 'having bigger fish to fry', yet label the Suns as bitches for something so similar?

[dada]

because of kobe's scoring. everybody knows kobe bryant. obviously it warrants a suspension, but there have been other calls, and in other series, that the NBA and these refs are ignoring.

I dont believe the the NBA is 'ignoring' those plays. Either way you have to do something if someone tries to take out another team's BEST PLAYER. Furthermore we all know Raja hates him and the move was contemplated.