Spurs Fined $250,000 For Sitting Players
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Bruce Bennett/Getty Image(NEW YORK) — The NBA has fined the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 after head coach Gregg Popovich sat key players in a 105-100 loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
Popovich sent Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Danny Green on a commercial flight home instead of playing them in a nationally televised game against the Heat.
Popovich said it was in the best interest of the team that they rest for the Spurs’ home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
“The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team’s only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement.
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