NBA News, Update: Houston Rockets' James Harden Suspended A Game Without Pay
Recent NBA news and update indicated that the league had suspended Houston Rockets guard James Harden for one game without due compensation.
According to ESPN, the hit comes as a consequence after the 25-year-old player kicked the Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James in the groin during the Rockets-Cavs game in Sunday.
Speaking with the press over the weekend, Harden said that the kick, which happened during the third quarter of the game, "was more of a reaction to what was happening."
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Viewers saw Harden fell to the floor while getting double-teamed by Cavs James Jones and James. He kicked James which sent him groping in pain. Fortunately, James was not seriously injured and remained towards the completion of the game.
The Rockets eventually won the match 105 to 103.
"They called a flagrant. Next play we moved on," Harden told ESPN.
Houston coach Kevin MacHale recalled the event saying that the incident is just one of those "chippy" moments in the game.
"It was a pretty intense game that started off with a little scrum on the floor in front of our bench with Pat and LeBron," McHale said. "It just kind of stayed kind of chippy all game long, which is fine. Some games are chippy like that."
"Obviously that's not a basketball play. Obviously the league will probably take a look at it. I have no idea why he would do that, but two competitors just trying to go at it and he won this one," LeBron James commented on the issue.
The incident with Harden, who is averaging 27.1 points per game, is apparently not the first in the league.
During the 2012-13 season, Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade was suspended for one game after kicking Ramon Sessions of the Washington Wizards in the groin. Michael Finley, meanwhile, got punched in the face by Jason Terry, who was then playing for Dallas Mavericks, and was suspended accordingly.
