Rajon Rondo Suspended For Game 2 Vs. Hawks After Bumping Official

Update: The NBA officially announced the suspension.

The suspension isn’t a surprise. Earlier on Monday, NBA commissioner David Stern said that he believed Rondo intentionally bumped Davis, and bumping an official is an automatic suspension. Rondo’s story was that he was tripped and fell into Davis, but it appears that he put his chest out intentionally as he came towards Davis. Rondo also has a history of being abrasive towards officials, having been suspended two games for throwing the ball at a referee earlier in the season.

Stern later said that the league has a “hard and fast” rule about making contact with officials. Given that, and given Rondo’s past history getting into it with officials, it looks increasingly likely that he will miss at least one game in the series.

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Rondo argued that his momentum from being tripped carried him into Davis and caused the bump. When asked about the possibility of being suspended, he said that’s out of his hands and up to the league. Looking at the video, it appears that Rondo did trip, but he also pretty clearly stuck his chest out in a manner that goes beyond losing momentum.

Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Rivers’ defense is understandable, but it doesn’t look good for Rondo. For one, the NBA’s official rulebook states that any contact with an official results in an automatic one-game suspension. For another, Rondo is a repeat offender of sorts, having been suspended two games earlier this season for throwing the ball at an official.

For news and analysis on these two teams, be sure to visit CelticsBlog, SB Nation Boston, Hawks blog Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.