It’s the question on everyone’s mind: Will Stephen Curry be allowed to play in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals?
The Golden State Warriors MVP fouled out late in a Game 6 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday and in his frustration threw his mouthguard and accidentally hit a fan sitting in the front row. Those actions earned Curry a technical foul and an ejection from the contest.
But because of that problem, will Curry be suspended for Game 7? The NBA wouldn’t actually consider removing one of its best players in a winner-take-all championship game, would it?
In short, no, at least according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who cited “NBA sources” on “SportsCenter” following Game 6 in saying that Curry would face a stiff fine but will be allowed to play, per league precedent.
Fans might recall Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem’s suspension from the 2006 NBA Finals after throwing his mouthguard, but Windhorst said those same sources clarified that Haslem’s suspension was due to targeting official Joey Crawford. Reggie Miller was suspended in 2001 for intentionally throwing his gum at a referee.
Curry’s mouthguard incident is being seen as one in the heat of the moment and nothing more, which Curry doubled down on during his postgame news conference. After hitting the fan, who was waving “goodbye” at Curry, square in the hand — which, not for nothing, is pretty impressive in and of itself — the Warriors star went over and apologized before being escorted off the court.
The fan in question actually was Andrew Forbes, son of Cavs minority owner Nate Forbes. Windhorst reported that some players in the Cavaliers locker room joked that they wished Forbes had played up the incident more and pretended to be hurt in hopes of a harsher reaction from the league.
In a similar incident, then-Utah Jazz forward Enes Kanter tossed his mouthguard into the stands in frustration in a December 2014 game and was fined $25,000 but not suspended. In October 2015, Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers threw a seat cushion into the stands and hit a fan, and even he received just a $25,000 fine.
Don’t expect anything too bad for Curry.
Update: Curry was fined $25,000 for his actions and will not face a suspension or any other disciplinary action. He’s available to play in Game 7.
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Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
