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Stoudemire Denies Throwing Elbows, Being A 'Dirty Player'

04/23/10

  1. Written by: caseyholdahl

    LaMarcus Aldridge and Amare Stoudemire were assessed technical fouls late in the third quarter of Portland’s Game 3 loss Thursday night at the Rose Garden. Some shoving and some words were exchanged, with replays showing that Stoudemire might have thrown an elbow in Aldridge’s direction, an accusation that the Suns power forward denies.

    "No, no, no, no," responded Stoudemire when asked if he threw an elbow at Aldridge. "It's the playoffs. Both teams are physical and just playing out there. Just a competitive game. The whole game it was a competitive atmosphere. Definitely wasn't nothing intentional. We both played hard and left it on the court."

    Stoudemire also responded to statements by members of the Trail Blazers that he was "a dirty player."

    "It really has nothing to do with being dirty," said Stoudemire. "I think in the playoffs both teams are scrapping and trying to get a win for their ball club. Sometimes the games get a little chippy out there but other than that, both teams played hard and left it on the basketball court."

    Phoenix Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry brushed off the idea that Stoudemire was guilty of anything other than playing aggressive and what he categorized as "playoff basketball," noting the familiarity that a playoff series’ breeds can lead to "chippy" play on the court.

    "Come on, it's the playoffs," said Gentry. "Physical is part of it. That's just kind of part of it. It's part of the playoff situation, it's part of the way it is."

    When asked if he thought the league would review the play, Gentry reiterated his claim that the altercation was nothing more than good old-fashioned hardnosed playoff basketball.

    "You've got to be kidding me," said Gentry. "That's playoffs. There's nothing there. To me it was physical basketball in a playoff situation. I see nothing wrong with it. There's about 40 plays that they can review in the game if they're going to look at it that way."

    After the game, there was some discussion that in the wake of Boston’s Kevin Garnett earning a one-game suspension for throwing an elbow at Miami’s Quentin Richardson in Game 1 of their first-round series that Stoudemire might possibly draw the same penalty for his actions Thursday night.  The NBA has levied no such suspension, at least not yet, and if Stoudemire is to be believed, no action is necessary.

    "Nah, I don't think so," said Stoudemire. "Both teams are playing competitive. It's the playoffs so both teams are out there playing hard, trying to get a win for their ball club. I don't think it's that serious."
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