Robert Horry: Where Is The Love?

I'd just like to take this opportunity to discuss all the buzz around Robert Horry and his falsely stated "dirty" play in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

It is well known that Robert Horry is an older player for the San Antonio Spurs, and that he has won seven NBA championships with three different teams, the Rockets, Lakers, and Spurs. He is also known for hip checking the Phoenix Sun's Steve Nash into the boards, which was pretty much hilarious. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0qe7PGCQvI  There's the clip for you on youtube.

Now, a large amount of fuss was made after this particular foul on David West on the New Orleans Hornets.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUh1kJLrYu8 

A lot of the calls for suspension were made from people who have little knowledge of the rules of the league.  Here is the league's official determination on screening.

Section III--By Screening
A player who sets a screen shall not (1) assume a position nearer than a normal step from an opponent, if that opponent is stationary and unaware of the screen-er's position, or

(2) make illegal contact with an opponent when he assumes a posi-tion at the side or front of an opponent, or

(3) assume a position so near to a moving opponent that illegal contact cannot be avoided by the opponent without changing direction or stopping, or

(4) move laterally or toward an opponent being screened, after having assumed a legal position. The screener may move in the same direction and path of the opponent being screened.

In (5) above, the speed of the opponent being screened will determine what the screener's stationary position may be. This position will vary and may be one to two normal steps or strides from his opponent.

Now, if you will read this information and watch the video, it can be determined that West was not stationary, and Horry was more than a step away.  He was not at the side or front of West, and Horry was far enough away that West could have avoided the contact. 

And, the final point in the rules is basically that Horry's feet could not be moving during the screen, which they were not.  Did Horry lean into the screen?  Did he hit just a little harder knowing West had a weak back?  Probably, but that is not enough to warrant a fine or a suspension by the league. 

In fact, if West had not fallen and not been injured, but everything else had been exactly the same, there would likely have been no foul call at all whatsoever.

My final point is that if you look at other situations in the playoffs, there were others that were much worse that warranted no suspension from the league. 

If you watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJFjcJq0-rQ of Jason Kidd intentionally fouling Pargo.  If you look closely at the slow motion replay of this foul, you can see the high risk of potentially life-threatening injury.  Kidd throws Pargo's head straight down, almost putting his skull into the hardwood floors of the court. 

After this foul there was no apology and no fine or suspension.  This foul was much more dangerous and intentional, so if Kidd got away with it then so should Horry.

In conclusion, people should get off of Horry's back for wanting to win and putting his team in a better position to do just that.  You can smack talk Robert Horry but that won't change that he's won seven titles, and to do that you have to be doing something right.