Stern Warning to Jeff Van Gundy

David Stern understands full well that the referees in his league are not infallible. Some are better than others, and many of them have days of work when they are not in top form, just like the rest of us. But by claiming knowledge of a plan to focus exclusively on a particular player, a plan that could play a big part in determining the outcome of the series, Jeff Van Gundy stepped over a line that the NBA commissioner will not tolerate being crossed. The Rockets and Mavericks may have been playing basketball for 48 minutes at a time, but David Stern did not hesitate to play hardball 24/7. He's been rather cranky this entire season, though certainly not without justification. He probably did not appreciate the candid opinion recently given by Jermaine O'Neal about Stern's proposal to raise the age of entry for players [ http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/spor... ] . The team of players who dually represented the NBA and U.S.A. in Athens did not exactly make him beam with pride by merely earning a bronze medal in the Olympics when gold was supposed to be a foregone conclusion. Ron Artest did not bring the most positive publicity to the league by jumping into the stands to do battle with Detroit Pistons fans. Kobe Bryant did not endear himself to the commissioner by just about single-handedly dismantling a championship dynasty in Los Angeles, not to mention getting himself accused of rape in Colorado. The uncivilized antics of players such as Artest and Bryant probably has David Stern looking back nostalgically on the kinder, gentler days of bad boys such as Dennis Rodman.

Fines and suspensions have typically been sufficient punishment to control the occasional outbreaks of emotionally charged players, coaches and owners. The fines are mere pocket change to these millionaires, but player suspensions that result in games being lost continues to be an effective disciplinary tool. David Stern has repeatedly shown a willingness to forgive wife beaters, drug and alcohol abusers, and perpetrators of various other indiscretions on and off the court. But when Van Gundy angrily claimed conspiracy, he in essence questioned the integrity of the game. Everybody makes mistakes, but the Rockets coach did not fume over a physical or mental error. What he basically did was accuse the NBA of having a hidden agenda. To David Stern, this is one step short of stating that the fix is

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