ESPN.com just "broke" news that Kobe Bryant is going to be suspended for tonight's game against the New York Knicks for popping Manu Ginobili in the face on Sunday.
I watched this game live and remember that play and I've got to be honest with you, I can't believe he's getting suspended. What happened was Kobe took a jumper as time was running out in the fourth quarter against the Spurs and the game was tied. Manu came from the side and blocked the shot.
In an effort to get a foul called, Kobe does what he always does and flailed his arms to draw attention and incidentally, at least in my opinion, hit Ginobili in the face. Ginobili stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes and missed the first few minutes of the overtime, but not much was said about it after ABC went to a commercial break.
This probably won't be too big a deal for the Lakers who take on the Knicks tonight, but it still raises some questions. Most notably this one, why does Kobe Bryant get suspended for the same number of games for accidentally hitting another player in the face as Kevin Garnett did for throwing a punch at Antonio McDyess in Minnesota's January 19th game against Detroit?
I imagine we'll be hearing more about this situation for the next couple of days.
