The game was pretty physical from what I've read. I think the problem here is that Artest doesn't even attempt hide his intentions, and I think that's what made it difficult for the league to ignore.
Remember the forearm that Finley got suspended for against Bowen?
Remember Kobe's suspension earlier this year for his foul against Mike Miller?
In all three cases, the intent was pretty clear as none of them occurred in this course of a normal basketball play (i.e. driving to the basket, clearing space for a rebound, etc.)
The suspension seems consistent with recent league decisions, IMO.
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"I don't know what went wrong," said guard Thabo Sefolosha. "It's hard to talk about it."
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