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Forward penalized by NBA for hitting LeBron in jaw in 'nonbasketball play'
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, May 03, 2008
WASHINGTON: The play didn't seem to rank in a series filled with numerous hard fouls and plenty of conjecture, but it turned out to have the most serious consequences.
NBA Executive Vice President Stu Jackson suspended Wizards forward Darius Songaila for Friday's Game 6 for making contact with LeBron James' jaw in Game 5. The two got tangled after Songaila fouled James in the first quarter, and as they separated, Songaila struck James.
Songaila received a technical foul, but after numerous reviews, Jackson said the league decided it was a ''nonbasketball play'' and was an intentional hit.
''We conducted an investigation that included interviewing both of the players involved and also taking input from the officials on the floor,'' Jackson said. ''After reviewing this particular play, it was clear that they did get tangled, but then upon being separated, some contact took place where Darius Songaila made contact to the head of LeBron James. . . . In viewing this many times, we do feel that this was intentional contact.''
Jackson made sure to point out that this play drew a suspension when other hard fouls didn't because it came after the whistle on a nonbasketball play.
There were four flagrant fouls and nine technical fouls in the first five games of the series, plus a $25,000 fine on the Wizards' DeShawn Stevenson for ''menacing gestures.'' Songaila's suspension cost him $38,500, one game check.
The Wizards were disappointed with the decision and the timing — the NBA didn't make the announcement until early afternoon — but saved much of it for behind closed doors.
''Nothing surprises me,'' Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. ''I stood my ground and said what I had to say, and I'm not going to fight the league or the officials.''
James said he was surprised the suspension was handed down, considering he has taken other hard hits this series.
''It's the playoffs; it is going to be physical; it should be physical,'' James said. ''But at the same time, you have to draw a line what's physical and what's not — what's not basketball-related plays.''
In the locker room
• Jackson said the NBA reviewed the video of a fan at Quicken Loans Arena throwing a towel into the Wizards' huddle after the James-Songaila incident. He said NBA security officials have been notified in advance of a potential Game 7 in Cleveland on Sunday.
• In another chapter in the rap wars surrounding the series, a Washington-based rapper named ProVerb recorded a cover of a Jay-Z song mocking the Cavs and LeBron James. It has become popular in Washington over the past week and, apparently, with the Wizards. They were blaring the song on a loop in their weight room before Game 6, allowing it to be heard outside the Cavs' locker room.
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
WASHINGTON: The play didn't seem to rank in a series filled with numerous hard fouls and plenty of conjecture, but it turned out to have the most serious consequences.
Get the full article here.
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