Last year the postseason was almost single handily ruined by the stiffness of NBA Commissioner David Stern and his insistence on following the NBA rules. Instead of watching the video below and thinking to himself "Well technically they broke the rule, but really they just left the bench, were stopped by their coaching staff and were never in a position to escalate the situation. I should let it go and let them play in the biggest series of the year." Instead of having common sense to adapt the rules in the postseason Stern lived by the book and eliminated all drama in the only thrilling matchup he had.In stark contrast, Gary Bettman acted quickly in changing the rules. With a two man advantage Ranger Sean Avery, probably the biggest punk in the NHL if not all of sports, decided that he was going to stand in front of Martin Brodeur and wave his hands in his face to try to block his view and generally annoy him. It didn't work on that possession but the following one Avery put away a solid pass to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Well, one day later Bettman and his rules committee reacted and said no more. If Avery or anyone else for that matter pulls the same bush league move they will receive a 2-minute minor penalty.
See David, you don't need uniform rules for the entire season and post season. Sometimes common sense can actually be used in bending or changing the rules on the fly for the betterment of the league. It's not that hard.
Sean Avery's Douchery
Nash Hip Check and Bench 'Clearing'
Comments