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Perkins off hook; Artest foul flagrant-1
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By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com
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Orlando, Fla. -- Kendrick Perkins and the Boston Celtics received some good news Saturday from the NBA, learning that Perkins will not be suspended for Game 4 of the Boston-Orlando series for hitting Orlando's Mickael Pietrus in the throat with an elbow.

Perkins
Perkins

An NBA spokesman said the Perkins play "stands as called," meaning Perkins will still be charged with one flagrant foul point (players are suspended a game when they reach four flagrant foul points) but will not have to sit out Sunday's game.

NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson was not immediately available for comment, and both the Magic and Celtics had concluded practice by the time the decision was announced.

Also, the NBA downgraded Ron Artest's flagrant foul against Pau Gasol in Friday night's Lakers-Rockets game from a flagrant-2 to a flagrant-1, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.

Artest
Artest

Perkins elbowed Pietrus early in the fourth quarter of Boston's 117-96 defeat.

"I was just trying to fight through a screen. It wasn't like I was trying to hurt him or elbow him in his mouth or nothing like that, I was just trying to fight through the screen and ended up hitting him," Perkins said.

NBA rules call for the automatic ejection of a player who strikes an opponent above the shoulders with an elbow or a punch, but Perkins was not tossed from the game and the play was not reviewed because it did not involve a flagrant-2 foul.

The NBA cited the elbow-above-the-shoulders rule in suspending Orlando's Dwight Howard for Game 6 of the Orlando-Philadelphia series after he struck Samuel Dalembert of the Sixers, and Kobe Bryant was retroactively assessed a flagrant-one foul for elbowing Artest of Houston in the upper chest in Game 2 of the Los Angeles-Houston series.

It was unclear why the same standard was not being applied in the Perkins case.

"Certainly in this case had he made contact in the head area, we'd be evaluating it on a different level," Jackson said Thursday in explaining why Bryant was not being suspended.

The downgrading of Artest's foul means he will carry only one flagrant foul point into Game 4 of the Rockets-Lakers series. Perkins, Rajon Rondo of Boston and Derek Fisher of Los Angeles are the only players currently carrying two flagrant foul points. Artest, Bryant, Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin of Denver and Jason Terry of Dallas each are carrying one flagrant foul point.

Good to hear!

Nice, it would've been ridiculous to suspend him since he didn't "Derek Fisher" Pietrus. If Perk wanted to hurt him, he would have. It really looked more like an overreaction than anything else and the flagrant 1 was assessed, which isn't really a problem other than it **** up our momentum at the time. But we folded down the stretch anyway so it can't be viewed as the reason we lost.

Sorry to cross over as a Magic fan, and i'll leave after this post. But if any of you think, that Dwight Howard wouldn't have been suspended if he had done that then your wrong. There is a double standard in the NBA in regards to large market teams vs. small market teams. It's getting ridiculous and I for one am tired of it. I recognize it's not any of your fault that Sterns a crook. But it's still annoying given the fact the Magic have already had two players suspended this post season.

Happyfoosball wrote:Sorry to cross over as a Magic fan, and i'll leave after this post. But if any of you think, that Dwight Howard wouldn't have been suspended if he had done that then your wrong. There is a double standard in the NBA in regards to large market teams vs. small market teams. It's getting ridiculous and I for one am tired of it. I recognize it's not any of your fault that Sterns a crook. But it's still annoying given the fact the Magic have already had two players suspended this post season.

You're 100 percent wrong. Perkins was carrying a screen. Dwight elbowed a guy in the face after a play. Huge difference.

Banks2Pierce wrote:

Happyfoosball wrote:Sorry to cross over as a Magic fan, and i'll leave after this post. But if any of you think, that Dwight Howard wouldn't have been suspended if he had done that then your wrong. There is a double standard in the NBA in regards to large market teams vs. small market teams. It's getting ridiculous and I for one am tired of it. I recognize it's not any of your fault that Sterns a crook. But it's still annoying given the fact the Magic have already had two players suspended this post season.

You're 100 percent wrong. Perkins was carrying a screen. Dwight elbowed a guy in the face after a play. Huge difference.

No, Perk was just kidding when he threw that elbow. Of course he doesn't deserve a suspension. He's a saint! Every player on the Celtics is a saint!

Banks2Pierce wrote:

Happyfoosball wrote:Sorry to cross over as a Magic fan, and i'll leave after this post. But if any of you think, that Dwight Howard wouldn't have been suspended if he had done that then your wrong. There is a double standard in the NBA in regards to large market teams vs. small market teams. It's getting ridiculous and I for one am tired of it. I recognize it's not any of your fault that Sterns a crook. But it's still annoying given the fact the Magic have already had two players suspended this post season.

You're 100 percent wrong. Perkins was carrying a screen. Dwight elbowed a guy in the face after a play. Huge difference.

I'm not here to argue or to troll. Thats just what I and a lot of other people honestly believe. GL the rest of the series. Later.

Doesn't matter, good luck game 4

That's good to hear. And it's sad that we needed to hear that.

I thought Derek Fisher's suspension was ridiculous, even if it didn't really hurt the Lakers

Whatever fellas. This league obviously has severe issues with fairness and favoritism. Good luck the rest of the way.

like ive said Kendrick Perkins is a Celtic, therefore he can do whatever he wants.

The fact that this is even an issue is so sad.

The Perk play was just a high forearm. In what world is that a suspension??? Let the players play.

In Howard's case? It was a fast swinging elbow that could have knocked someone unconscious, very different (watch the tape) and still... call me crazy but I think you should just fine the guy and get it over with. You can't have players missing playoff games for the kind of stuff that happens in the heat of the moment, unless it has malicious intent of course.

yeah but Alston slaps someone in the heat of the moment and gets suspended. House acted like it was punch, lmao. anyone with balls and manhood would slap someone who acts like a 5 yr old and runs into you down the court. please.

Why would he be suspended? It is not like he elbowed a guy on purpose after the play like Howard...

Bulls and Magic fans don't need rain to fill rivers; their tears do the job just fine.

Good call by the league.

DelMonte West wrote:Bulls and Magic fans don't need rain to fill rivers; their tears do the job just fine.

Tell me about it. I thought raptors fans are the biggest whiners on real GM but ORL fans are right up there...it really is pathetic...I don`t have a problem with what they say on other boards that is their business but I don`t want to read about it here...they are like little kids who lack attention so they have to come to our board and whine and troll to feel important...

To quote Tommy, suspending Perk would have been BOGUSSSS!!!!!.

In actuality, most of these suspensions are bogus.

Just let 'em play ball Stern.

thebirdman wrote:

DelMonte West wrote:Bulls and Magic fans don't need rain to fill rivers; their tears do the job just fine.

Tell me about it. I thought raptors fans are the biggest whiners on real GM but ORL fans are right up there...it really is pathetic...I don`t have a problem with what they say on other boards that is their business but I don`t want to read about it here...they are like little kids who lack attention so they have to come to our board and whine and troll to feel important...

Funny thing is, before the series started there were posts over there saying 'I hope those arrogant Boston fans don't troll too much here'....lmao...now look..they come here in bunches..

Rick Rolled wrote:To quote Tommy, suspending Perk would have been BOGUSSSS!!!!!.

In actuality, most of these suspensions are bogus.

Just let 'em play ball Stern.

DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN...i just read your sig quote..like...get em PERK!!lmao..dude is meannn...