This has been a great series so far. Unfortunately, as other bloggers have recognized, there is way too much crying about hard plays, the officiating and dirty players. No one remembers how difficult this game is. We watch these games, wrapping our emotions into every play, 3-point shot, and blocked shot. We maintain our favoritism for our team who can do no wrong, we forget that they are human, fallible, and emotional. We dismiss that all players are "dirty" players. Each player has tricks to have an advantage over their opponent: a grab of the arm through a screen, a tug at the jersey on a drive. All players do something. Is it a "dirty" way to play? Maybe.

In Game 1, Nash and Parker bump heads due to Nash's defensive play on Parker. Nash got a 1-inch gash on the bridge of his nose that needed a cut man to fix. This cut made it impossible for him to return to the game due to league rules. After Game 2, Stoudemire called Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginobli "dirty" players. Stoudemire's comments were comical to most San Antonio fans due to the fact the Spurs are known as gentleman, the good guys of the league, the team that you will never hear of them involved in a bar fight, spousal abuse or an all out rumble with fans during a game. During Game 3, Bruce Bowen kneed Steve Nash in the groin. This enraged Suns fans. They wanted him suspended. The contact was not intentional. Nash got too close and paid the price, like getting too close to Karl Malone on a rebound, he would give you the elbows to the head without a shred of remorse. The contact is not illegal just unfortunate, mostly for Nash.

Before discussing Game 4, I have to say, I am a Spurs fan. I have been since the early 80s, but that does not mean I cannot look objectively at the incident. Robert Horry, in the last few seconds of the game, made a hard foul on Nash. I feel the foul was excessive. Horry was frustrated and let his emotions get the best of him. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to meet Robert Horry and he is definitely not that kind of person. It must have been a momentary lapse of reason. The decision that David Stern and Stu Jackson made was fair in that respect.

The problem with their decision was that they penalized two players for getting off the bench and not to a player who is actually fighting.  The countless replays show one of two possibilities for Diaw and Stoudemire to get off the bench; they could have been getting up to check on Nash to make sure he wasn't hurt during the foul, or they were getting up to defend or fight. There is no telling what their true intentions were.  Raja Bell who was the one who created the altercation was not penalized at all. Diaw and Stoudemire should have been fined. These are the Playoffs. This is the pinnacle of the season, the place they have been fighting to be. Emotions run high when you have so much invested; time, training, emotion. Being a Spurs fan, I want to see them rise above. Spurs fans don’t want to see the asterisks on the Spurs Championship Season. Spurs fans don’t want to hear excuses or reasons from the media about the "dirty" plays that create positive results for the Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs are not a dirty team. They are the most gracious and humble team, no showboats or trash talkers. They are the best defensive team who would most likely frustrate the opponents and cause them to make excuses for their poor performance.