So I was at the game yesterday and sat right behind the scorer's table. I had a great view of the Hinrich-Rondo skirmish, and was in direct earshot of referee Joey Crawford as he came to Tommy Edwards and told him this exact quote:

"Flagrant TWO for Rondo, Technical Foul for Kirk Hinrich."

Then Crawford turned away and Edwards started to announce:

"Flagrant..."

And Crawford spun back to him and snapped:

"No, NO, NO! (inaudible- something like "not yet")."

Then Crawford proceeded to watch the tiny video screen (and it was tiny) of the replay and apparently downgraded the foul from a flagrant 2, to a flagrant 1.

I went home and watched the replay on Comcast SportsNet and you can actually hear and see this very conversation if you listen. Stacey and Funk are talking while they show it, but you can still hear it, exactly as I describe it above.

Seeing this dirty foul live and watching the action take place, I was absolutely positive Rondo swung and missed and therefore would be ejected.

And after watching this little punk commit TWO incredibly dirty fouls in the previous game, both requiring that the player on the receiving end get stitches in their face, how could they not throw him out for even the very act of grabbing Kirk and throwing him into the scorer's table!? How is that a "basketball move" Mr. David Stern? How was he "going for the ball" in that sequence?

After watching the replays and looking at the photographs (like the one above from the Chicago Tribune), I'm certain that what I saw with my own eyes should be evident to every fan, and every league official watching. Rondo commited a dirty, dangerous foul off the ball and out of bounds, and then he took a swing. Every NBA rule, and every precedent set by the recent flagrant fouls point to one singular truth. The NBA HAS TO SUSPEND HIM FOR GAME 7.