There is no more intense basketball environment than the NBA Playoffs. Every player competing is suddenly thrust into the global spotlight, regardless of the market they represented during the 82-game regular season. Physicality rises, and the line between hard playoff contact and punishable action can become thin.
That tension was clear in the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 4 matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Victor Wembanyama was ejected after catching Naz Reid in the face with an elbow during a physical rebound battle. The French star avoided suspension, but other playoff stars have not always been as fortunate.
After Wembanyama avoided further punishment for his Game 4 ejection, here are three NBA Playoff suspensions that changed postseason history.
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The NBA Playoff Suspensions That Changed History
Zach Randolph: 2014 Grizzlies vs Thunder Game 7
Rarely does a first-round 2 vs 7 seed series swing so heavily on a suspension, but in 2014, the Memphis Grizzlies’ hopes of upsetting the Oklahoma City Thunder were badly damaged by Zach Randolph’s absence. The suspension did not guarantee the result, but it badly hurt Memphis’ chances of completing the upset.
The grit-and-grind Grizzlies were not a normal 7th seed. They won 50 games and had the 3rd best defence in the league. Zach Randolph was their best scorer, and he was supported by Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, who missed a large chunk of the regular season.
The Grizzlies won games 2 and 3 in overtime, before losing game 4 by the same method. They bounced back in game 5, winning by one point. Then, with game 6 already settled with 6:42 remaining in the 4th quarter, Randolph punched Steven Adams in the jaw/neck area. The Grizzlies’ forward was suspended for one game, meaning he missed the vital Game 7 in Oklahoma.
The Thunder, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, were just too much for the Grizzlies without Randolph’s physicality and scoring. Memphis lost a huge part of its offensive structure and lost 120-109. Without the famous punch, Game 7 could’ve been a real classic. A defeat for the Thunder may have seen Westbrook and Durant separated earlier than the controversial summer of 2016.
Amar’e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw: 2007 Suns vs Spurs Game 5
Almost 20 years ago, in the Western Conference semi-finals, the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs were tied 2-2 after Phoenix upset Game 4 in San Antonio. With about 18 seconds left in that game, Spurs player Robert Horry smashed Suns star Steve Nash into the scorer’s table with a body check.
Horry was suspended for two games for the incident; however, he wasn’t the only one punished. In the aftermath, Phoenix’s All-NBA power forward Amar’e Stoudemire and fellow key frontcourt player Boris Diaw left “the immediate vicinity of their bench”, with ESPN reporting that both players received one-game suspensions. This meant Phoenix was more shorthanded than San Antonio for Game 5 despite a Spurs player starting the altercation.
Game 5 was the tipping point of the series, but the Suns had to go into it without two of their best players. Phoenix nearly pulled it off, building a 16-point lead. However, a lack of creators left little margin for error, and the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 26 points. San Antonio eventually caught up and won the game 88-85.
Diaw and Stoudemire returned in Game 6, but the damage was done. The Suns were facing elimination on the road and lost 114-106. The Spurs would go on to beat Utah in the conference finals before sweeping Cleveland in the Finals. The Steve Nash Suns had many great teams, but 2007 was probably their best shot at a title, and the NBA’s stubbornness with the letter of its law ruined it.
Draymond Green: 2016 Warriors vs Cavs NBA Finals
The gold standard of suspensions during the NBA Playoffs. The Golden State Warriors were 3-1 on the Cleveland Cavaliers when Draymond Green decided to attack LeBron James’ groin area. This retroactively earned him his fourth flagrant foul point of the 2016 playoffs and an automatic one-game suspension. This meant he missed Game 5, the Warriors’ chance to close out the series on their home court.
The Warriors weren’t just losing a defensive anchor; this Green was one of their main playmakers and could actually hit shots. This meant Golden State lost their third-best player, both offensively and defensively, for Game 5, which Cleveland, especially LeBron, was extremely motivated to win. Kyrie Irving and James both scored 41 points, and the Cavs finally found some momentum in the series.
Blaming the entire Golden State collapse on the suspension is too simple, but it certainly opened the door for Cleveland’s historic comeback. Once the door was opened, Cleveland and James smashed through to complete the greatest comeback in NBA history against the best team in NBA regular-season history.