For Celtics, times sure have changed since 1984

Sometimes the NBA would be better served if the powers-that-be would simply just look the other way.For Celtics fans looking for signs of life from the Green, Kevin Garnett’s actions and elbows were just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately for the Celtics, the ramifications of KG’s transgressions were far reaching, and for the NBA as an entity the idea of suspending its stars for a momentary lapse of judgment is becoming an ongoing dilemma with no easy answers in sight.Although hard to believe, it has been 26 years since Kevin McHale clotheslined the Lakers’ Kurt Rambis in Game 4 of the 1984 NBA finals. Although still considered one of the most vicious plays in the history of the league, McHale served no suspension.To the contrary, that particular play actually helped cement McHale’s place in Celtic history. For it is that play that is considered the defining moment of the 1984 NBA finals ? and the moment that swung the pendulum of momentum back in Boston’s favor.It was Tommy Heinsohn, then doing the commentary for CBS, who leaned into the microphone and said, “Well, there is the strategy in the game.”Once upon a time, the NBA was built on rivalries and physical play was welcomed. The ramifications of a cheap shot were felt on the court and not in the NBA’s league offices.Nobody is advocating that the NBA players become vigilante assassins on the court. What is simply being asked is a complete understanding of each individual and unique situation.When asked for clarification as to why KG was suspended, Stu Jackson, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations, said it was for “throwing an elbow that struck the head of Richardson. This action is analogous to a player throwing a punch that connects.”According to the league’s “clarification,” Garnett simply didn’t get enough elbow for his money. Maybe next time he should wind up and clock somebody.As ludicrous as that may sound, it is by the NBA’s own clarification considered the same offense.The NBA is certainly not in an enviable situation when it comes to these types of situations; they are, after all, in the business of making money by selling their stars and their image.Everybody talks about the glory days of the 1980s, yet nobody wants to acknowledge the things that made those days so glorious.