Spurs Sued By Miami Attorney For Sitting Tim Duncan, Other Star Players For November Game

by Zack Cox on Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 5:07PM

The San Antonio Spurs have already drawn the ire of David Stern this season. Now the team may have to fight its case in court as well.

ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reports that Miami-Dade County attorney Larry McGuinness has filed a class action suit against Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, claiming that he and other fans “suffered economic damages” when Popovich chose not to play Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green in a Nov. 29 game against the Heat in Miami without informing the league beforehand.

“It was like going to Morton’s Steakhouse and paying $63 for porterhouse and they bring out cube steak,” McGuinness said. “That’s exactly what happened here.”

Stern, the NBA’s commissioner, was similarly angered by Popovich’s decision to send four healthy players home, and fined the team $250,000.

The game turned out to be a thriller, with the Heat pulling out a 105-100 win, but McGuinness claims the contest’s excitement was diminished by Popovich’s choice to “intentionally and surreptitiously” sit his team’s most popular players.

A representative from the Spurs had no comment on the lawsuit.