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After Kevin Love was caught on the court during overtime of Game 1 of the NBA Finals as Tristan Thompson scuffled with Draymond Green following his ejection, there was some concern as to whether he would be suspended for Game 2.
Players aren’t allowed to be on the court during an altercation if they’re not checked into the game, though Love clearly wasn’t interested in inserting himself into the conflict.
With that said, it appears Love is off the hook.
Kevin Love won’t be suspended, per league source, nor was the league ever seriously contemplating it. It was obvious Love was already on the court and making no motion toward the scuffle. The internet is so silly sometimes
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) June 1, 2018
By the letter of the law, it appears that Love should have been suspended, but the Cavaliers are lucky that logical heads have prevailed. The spirit of the rule is to prevent players from causing larger altercations, but other teams haven’t been so lucky.
The 2007 Playoffs were marred by Robert Horry’s hipcheck on Steve Nash that resulted in the suspensions of Boris Diaw and Amar’e Stoudemire.
David Stern is no longer commissioner, though, and on this front, it appears that Adam Silver is willing to bend a little more on the issue.
Game 2 is on Sunday. We’ll see if the Cavaliers can make this a series after letting a winnable game slip out of their hands.