NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Tuesday that Donald Sterling is banned for life from the Clippers organization. Malcolm Miller Jersey . As well, he has been fined $2.5 million. Finally, Silver will recommend to the Board of Governors that Sterling be forced to sell the team. Fine and Expulsion The fine of $2.5 million was not a surprise. The likely range was somewhere between $1 million and $5 million. However, the NBA went farther than expected by banning Sterling for life from the Clippers. That means that Sterling is not only permanently removed from the day-to-day operations of the league, but he cant be part of the franchise in any way. A suspension of 1 to 2 years was initially expected. Banning Sterling for life is a precedent setting punishment and appropriate under the circumstances. The comments were of course despicable and disturbing. As well, the majority of the NBA player population is of color. According to a 2013 report, 76.3 per cent of NBA players are African-American and 80.1 per cent are of color. So when the majority of the league workforce is African-American, the NBA has no choice but to ask as decisively as possible within its legal framework. Forcing the Sale of the Team This is where things get a bit messy. The NBA by-laws allow the league to remove an owner in limited circumstances, including if the team is in financial distress. We saw something similar in baseball when MLB took over the Dodgers when Frank McCourt made a mess of the team. The NBA by-laws, however, are unlikely to provide a reasonable basis for the league to terminate his ownership. Rather, the NBA will likely look to Article 35 of the NBA Constitution, which allows the commissioner to indefinitely suspend owners for "conduct prejudicial or detrimental to the association". The NBA needs three-quarters of owners to agree to the sale. This is broad language and does provide an arguable legal basis to remove Sterling. However, I emphasize "arguable." This language does not unequivocally give the NBA the authority to hand down the most dramatic and substantial of all penalties - forcing an owner to sell. So that means its possible that Sterling could fire back with a lawsuit if forced to sell alleging that the leagues owners have acted unlawfully. That type of lawsuit could be worth $100 million plus for Sterling. Thats why the NBA didnt announce Sterling is being forced to sell; rather they announced they would recommend that he be forced to sell and take it from there. As part of that same lawsuit, Sterling could allege that the NBA doesnt have the authority to ban him for life, and that the penalty is disproportionately high. Not only does Sterling have a history of racially insensitive comments, he also has a history of suing the NBA. After acquiring the San Diego Clippers in 1981, Sterling moved the team to Los Angeles without the leagues consent in 1984. David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA at the time, fined Sterling $25 million. What did Sterling do in response? He sued the NBA for $100 million. The fine was later reduced to $6 million. So depending on how Sterling takes Tuesdays news, this may not be done. Lucas Nogueira Raptors Jersey . - This is just the warm-up act for 18-year-old William Nylander. Marc Gasol Raptors Jersey . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. https://www.raptorsrookiesshop.com/Malcolm-Miller-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship. INDIANAPOLIS -- Atlantas Jeff Teague demolished the Pacers grand playoff plan. As his teammates set up around the 3-point line, Teague simply blew through open lanes to the basket repeatedly. The Pacers didnt have an answer. Teague scored a playoff career-high 28 points, Paul Millsap added 25 and the eighth-seeded Hawks won their first road playoff game in three years, shocking top-seeded Indiana 101-93 to take a 1-0 lead in the first-round series. "I just wanted to win," the Indianapolis native said after beating his hometown team. Perhaps thats why Teague finally cracked a hesitant smile in the locker room before stepping to the podium. Or it could be that Teague remembers the frustration Indiana caused when it clinched last years 4-2 first-round win on Atlantas home court. As one of the few remaining links to that team, Teague wasnt about to let something like that happen again. This time, surrounded by a mostly new group of 3-point shooters, a first-year coach and a game plan that the Pacers never adapted to, Teague kept getting to basket. He wound up 9 of 19 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line with five assists and three rebounds on a night the Hawks snapped an eight-game road losing streak in the playoffs and became the first team to beat Indiana on its home court twice this season. Atlanta won its first road playoff game since Game 1 of the 2011 Eastern Conference semifinals at Chicago, and theyll have a chance to do it all again Tuesday in Game 2 before the best-of-seven series movies to Atlanta, where the Pacers have won only two times since December 2006. "I think getting off to such a good start against such a good team is important," coach Mike Budenholzer said after his fifth win in six games. "Its really not something we talked about. Theyre the No. 1 seed for a reason." Meanwhile, the Pacers stunning struggles showed no sign of abating. Indiana was just 5 of 19 from the field in the decisive third quarter and shot just 35.6 per cent in the second half, a 24-minute span in which it spent most of the time trying to dig out of a double-digit hole. Paul George had 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Lance Stephenson finished with 19 points and seven rebounds and George Hill added 12 points. But the Hawks abiliity to spread the floor essentially nullified All-Star centre Roy Hibbert, who had eight points and eight rebounds, and David West, who had eight points and three rebounds. Delon Wright Jersey. And Indiana wasted no time in giving back the home-court advantage it spent the entire season chasing. "Its frustrating. Its frustrating, but its a long series," George said before explaining he believes the Pacers can regain the upper hand -- if they figure out how to defend better. "Its just one game and thats the way we have to look at it." That wont be easy against this team. Atlanta set a franchise playoff record with 30 3-point attempts and matched the franchises second-highest playoff total for 3-pointers made (11). Both were set May 10, 1996, when the Hawks were 12 of 27 on 3s in a 26-point loss to Orlando. "I thought our ball movement was great," Kyle Korver said after scoring 12 points. "Thats one of the things weve tried to play to all year and tonight it kind of worked out." They made it look easy, too. Korvers buzzer-beating putback, following an Indiana turnover in the closing seconds of the first half, tied the score at 50. Atlanta then opened the third quarter with eight straight points and when the Pacers rallied to get within 60-58, Teague and Millsap took control. Millsap opened the decisive 14-0 run with two free throws. Teague followed that with a driving layup, his only 3 of the game, another layup and two free throws. And when Millsap ended the run with a three-point play, the Pacers trailed 74-58. They couldnt even cut the lead to single digits until Stephensons 3 made it 99-91 with 33.6 seconds left and by then it was too late for the leagues best home team to rally. "All year, weve encouraged Jeff to be aggressive," Budenholzer said. "When hes aggressive, it just creates opportunities for himself and opportunities for his teammates." And headaches for everyone else. Notes: Atlanta made eight of its first 12 shots in the third quarter. ... Indiana hasnt reached the second round of the playoffs in consecutive years since 2003-04 and 2004-05. ... The Game 1 winner has won each of the five previous playoff series between Atlanta and Indiana. ... Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll has 12 points and 10 rebounds. ' ' '  |
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