Stephen A. Smith called the NBA to see if they’d suspend Russell Westbrook for ‘inexcusable’ play

time dallas mavericks host the LA Clippers For the 4th game Russell Westbrook will suit up for the Clips in the first round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday, but ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith isn’t sure if he should.

For those who missed it, a little background: Towards the end of Game 3, Westbrook seemed to lose his cool as his team was getting beat, and he picked up a hard foul on Mavs star Luka Doncic. , swinging him around and shoving him as Luka takes the take. It’s an exception to that.

Doncic’s teammate P.J. Washington then tried to intervene by shoving Westbrook, but Westbrook shoved him. Elevating Washington to Mavericks folk hero status And an internet meme with his totally disgusting reaction to it:

Westbrook and Washington kicked outBut Smith appeared on ESPN on Sunday and said he’s not convinced that’s enough.In the abusive language on Sunday’s broadcast knicks–sixersSmith acknowledged that he called the league office to ask for an explanation why Westbrook was not suspended.

Details of that clip (highlighting mine):

“It’s inexcusable, that’s what I saw, and to be honest, I don’t know why this isn’t talked about enough. I thought Russell Westbrook deserved a suspension for today’s game. That’s how terrible his game was… I want him to go back and do what he did in the last game and that happened in Game 3. Look at this foul here. You pushed the man’s head away. Sitting there and going down on Luka Doncic in the back, that play could have separated his shoulder. Then you push his chest, then you go after PJ — even though PJ pushes you from your back — and you ignore the referee. I felt so seriously about these guys that I called the league office and said, “I need an explanation.” Please tell me why Russell Westbrook wasn’t suspended. ”

This last part is what led some Clippers fans. online laststan account Smith accused Westbrook of trying to get him suspended, but even if that interpretation is understandable, that doesn’t mean it actually happened. Apparently Stephen A. went back to his pre-Takeman journalistic roots to get a comment from the league explaining why Westbrook wasn’t suspended.

What is the answer from the league? Essentially, this is the playoffs, and he fell below the suspension threshold even though he would have met that standard in the regular season.

Details from Mr. Smith (again, emphasis mine):

“I have heard that the officials have filed a report and all the written instructions they have provided say that we have addressed this issue. He has been technical several times and further He was sent off for one flagrant attack, but no one was injured. We took all of that into consideration and that’s why we didn’t suspend him. ” And I got up from my seat and said, “Of course, I’m glad.” But they also said, “If it had been during the regular season, we probably would have made a different decision.” but! You can’t take it lightly because it’s the playoffs and it’s so important. ”

The NBA’s admission that the criteria for suspensions in the playoffs are different than in the regular season is certainly not new to anyone who has watched the postseason before, but it clearly admits it out loud. What happened is, in a sense, surprising.

But the funniest part of the story is the footage of Smith, appalled by Westbrook’s actions, calling an NBA spokesperson and demanding an explanation as to why he would not be suspended.

Is this common? How often does Stephen A. call NBA media members and ask for clarification on hard fouls? He says Joel Embiid will be out for Game 4 after some fumbles. I wonder if they looked into why they were allowed to do that… let’s To tell controversial…Who will be in charge in Game 3 between the Knicks and Sixers? Did Stephen A. designate a helpline to check on the status of his suspension? Does his office have a big red phone that can call Joe Dumars directly like the Mayor of Gotham? Adam West’s Batman? The people need to know.

It remains to be seen whether anything else will come of this, but if Westbrook finds out, perhaps my colleagues in the secret base will start talking about the “Russell Westbrook vs. Stephen A. Smith” beef. You will get historical materials. But for now, “the fact that he’s in a statistical category that he only shares with Kendrick Perkins” should be punishment enough for the Clippers guard.

And really, isn’t that enough?