Rajon Rondo Suspension: Rondo Out One Game For Bumping Ref

Rajon Rondo has been suspended one game after bumping a referee during the fourth quarter of the Boston Celtics' 83-74 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Sunday. Mike Dowling first reported the suspension.

Rondo, upset about a loose ball foul call that went the other way, approached Marc Davis and lambasted him, resulting in a technical foul, with 0:41 to play in the game. As Davis walked towards the scorer's table, Rondo followed him and chest bumped him in the back, at which points Davis ejected him. Boston, which trailed 78-74 at the time, couldn't recover.

"Obviously I was upset about the call," Rondo said. "I said some words to Marc. I deserved the first tech. As I was walking, I thought he stopped. My momentum carried me into him. I even think I tripped on his foot. I didn't intentionally chest-bump him. But that's what it appears to be." (via WEEI)

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said that he would be surprised if Rondo was suspended.

"We always worry [about a suspension], but I would be surprised [if it happened]," Rivers said afterward. (via WEEI)

The league has a strict policy about making contact with officials, and commissioner David Stern said on ESPN Radio on Monday that he didn't believe that contact was unintentional.

"I don't want to pre-judge on what the recommendation is going to be," Stern told Colin Cowherd. "But as a fan, he obviously bumped him. And you know what happens with respect to that."

Added Stern: "We have a hard and fast rule. Unless somebody trips you and sends you into him, nobody touches a referee. That's the proposition." (via WEEI)

Rondo was also suspended two games earlier this season after he tossed a basketball at an official during the third quarter of the Celtics' game against the Detroit Pistons.

Rondo will be eligible to return for Game 3 of the series on Friday evening in Boston.

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Rajon Rondo Suspension Possible: David Stern Says Rondo 'Obviously' Bumped Ref

NBA commissioner David Stern discussed the way Rajon Rondo bumped official Marc Davis during Sunday night's playoff opener against the Atlanta Hawks during a radio interview with ESPN's Colin Cowherd. Whether Rondo receives a suspension for his actions should ultimately come down to whether the NBA decides the bump was intentional.

NBA rules dictate that any player who purposely makes contact with an official receives an automatic suspension of at least one game. Rondo claims he tripped and did not mean to chest-bump Davis, but the contact was obvious to everyone, including Stern.

Stern's comments, via ESPN Boston:

"I don't want to pre-judge on what the recommendation is going to be," Stern said. "But as a fan, he obviously bumped him. And you know what happens with respect to that."

"We have a hard and fast rule," Stern said. "Unless somebody trips you and sends you into him, nobody touches a referee. That's the proposition."

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson -- not Stern -- hands down player punishments. Jackson will have to decide Rondo's intentions when he approached Davis.

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Rajon Rondo Ejection: Celtics Guard Says 'Momentum' Caused Bump With Ref

Rajon Rondo's ejection from Game 1 of the Boston Celtics' Eastern Conference series against the Atlanta Hawks has many expecting the point guard to earn a Game 2 suspension. The rules are pretty clear in this case, as CBS Sports points out:

Rulebook: Any player ... guilty of intentional physical contact with an official shall automatically be suspended without pay for one game.

— Eye on Basketball (@EyeOnBasketball) April 30, 2012

Rondo, however, denies he committed a violation, at least the "intentional" part of the rule. After the game, he said that it was his momentum that carried him into the referee as he argued a no call on a loose ball scrum.

Rajon Rondo: "I didn't intentionally chest bump him. I know the rules." #Celtics

— Gethin Coolbaugh (@GethinCoolbaugh) April 30, 2012

Looking at the tape, one could make the argument that Rondo tripped on the back heel of the referee as both men walked away from the pile-up. Whether the point guard could have stopped himself before the chest bump will be hotly debated, suspension or no suspension. For what it is worth, head coach Doc Rivers doesn't believe Rondo should be suspended either, though obviously he has own motives.

Doc Rivers RE Rondo's ejection: "We always worry (about a suspension), but I would be surprised (if it happened)."

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 30, 2012

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VIDEO: Rajon Rondo Ejected From Game 1 Vs. Hawks