Jun 20, 2006 1:21 pm US/Pacific
NBA Fines Mavericks' Cuban $250K
DALLAS (AP) ―
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Mavericks owner Mark Cuban yells to a player during a game Feb. 2, 2000.
AP
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $250,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for his outbursts following Game 5 of the NBA finals.
Cuban was cited for "several acts of misconduct" he committed after Dallas lost 101-100 in overtime to the Heat in Miami on Sunday night.
Furious with several calls, Cuban went onto the floor to vent directly to official Joe DeRosa. He then stared down and screamed toward commissioner David Stern and a group of league officials, from the court, then the stands. He later used profanity during a postgame session with the media.
Announcement of the fine came hours before Game 6 of the NBA finals in which the Mavericks trail the Heat 3-2.
Cuban said Monday he was bracing for the fine, his second this postseason. He also was assessed $200,000 during the second round for going onto the court and for an entry on his blog criticizing the way the league selects officials for the playoffs.
Since buying the team in January 2000, Cuban has been fined at least $1,405,000; he's matched every dollar with a charitable donation.
The exact total of his punishment tab isn't known because the league doesn't always publicize punishments against team owners.
The league said it would have no further comment on this matter. Cuban did not immediately reply to an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Earlier Tuesday, Cuban posted a blog entry in response to a column in the Miami Herald that quoted him as saying, "The league is rigged" during his tirade after Game 5.
"That's a complete insult to the players on the court and the incredible amount of effort they put into preparing for and playing the games," he wrote. "The NBA couldn't rig the games if it wanted to. And it doesn't want to. It's that simple."
He wrote that he hates the idea of any wrongdoing, calling each theory "a business hole I have to work harder to dig us out of."
His solution: better explanations by the league of what happened and why.
"I think it would help the perception of our game," he wrote. "I think it would help fans better understand not only the rules of the NBA, but also the nuances, strategies and challenges of the game."
With their season on the line and the crowd in their favor, the Mavericks are ready to concentrate on nothing but basketball when they host the Heat on Tuesday night in Game 6.
"Now we're back at home," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said Monday. "No excuses, let's just go out and put our yellow hats on and just play the game."
Johnson said the Mavs were "disappointed and frustrated and angered" by what happened Sunday night in Miami in a 101-100 overtime loss in Game 5. But all the bad feelings disappeared when they touched down in Dallas, where they seemed to have total control of the series before they departed a little over a week ago.
"We're at home now, and I tell you, it was great landing here in Dallas, just even when we're looking at the plane entering Texas," Johnson said. "It was just good to be back in Texas and good to be back here in Dallas. It's a great feeling and I know we've got to be so excited to see our fans and get cheered tomorrow night and not booed."
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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