DALLAS -- Mavericks coach Avery Johnson has a message for his team in the wake of Jason Terry getting suspended for punching San Antonio's Michael Finley between the legs: Don't hit, grab.
"I guess maybe if he would've grabbed him, he wouldn't have gotten suspended," Johnson said Friday, hours before Dallas faced the Spurs in Game 6 of their second-round series.
"You grab, you don't get suspended," Johnson said. "But the rule is clear: You punch, you get suspended.
"So next time, grab."
The Mavs went into Game 6 without Terry, their second-leading scorer, but holding a 3-2 lead in the series. Dallas is a victory from knocking out the reigning champions and advancing to the conference finals or a loss from having to play Game 7 in San Antonio.
Johnson's interpretation of the rules is based on facts. During the first round, Denver's Reggie Evans reached into the shorts of Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman but didn't miss any time. He was assessed a $10,000 fine and a flagrant foul penalty two.
"Certainly one clear difference is in the case of Reggie Evans we didn't have a clear view exactly what happened," Stu Jackson, the NBA vice president who handles such punishments, said Thursday. "We understand he reached underneath the player, but you couldn't see the end result. It's really an apple and an orange."
Terry called the league's decision-making "very inconsistent."
"But that's neither here nor there," he said. "Every situation is different. ... From a Mavericks perspective, it's not warranted. But they've got a side, too. It's definitely disappointing, disheartening."
Terry and Finley jostled with 3.4 seconds left in San Antonio's 98-97 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Terry was on his back after grabbing a loose ball, then Spurs forward Manu Ginobili leaned on his waist and put a hand on the ball. Then Finley reached in and leaned on Terry's head. Replays clearly show Terry retaliated with an uppercut to Finley's crotch.
"It happened so fast," Terry said. "I wanted to get up, wanted to free myself."
Terry said he knew he did something, but "didn't know to what extent."
His reaction to the replay?
