As if the Mavs needed any more bad news at this point, Jerry Stackhouse has been suspended for Game 5 for his flagrant foul against Shaquille O’Neal in Game 4.
At the time, Stackhouse was called for a flagrant foul. But after reviewing the play and discussing the details with both players, league vice president Stu Jackson opted to upgrade the punishment to a suspension.
“The contact by Jerry Stackhouse was clearly excessive and warrants a suspension,” Jackson said in a release.
Stackhouse is Dallas’ top reserve. He’s averaging 13.8 points this postseason and 13.0 in the finals. He had 16 in Game 2, including 10 straight over the final 79 seconds of the first half that propelled the Mavericks to a victory.
Earlier Friday, Dallas coach Avery Johnson said he didn’t think such a penalty was warranted, noting that O’Neal wasn’t penalized for hitting Stackhouse hard enough in Game 1 that he opened a gash that required three stitches to close.
I think the flagrant foul was a fair call, but a suspension is overkill.
