A plea to the NBA: don’t suspend this guy

Antonio Davis did the right thing. I hope the NBA doesn’t suspend him. Story:

CHICAGO (AP) – Antonio Davis thought his wife was in danger, so the New York Knicks forward dashed over the scorer’s table and into the stands during a timeout in overtime.

Just like that, an already heated game between the Knicks and Chicago Bulls evoked memories of last season’s brawl between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers.

One difference, though.

Only words, not punches, were exchanged.

“I witnessed my wife being threatened by a man that I learned later to be intoxicated,” Davis said in a statement issued after the game. “I saw him touch her, and I know I should not have acted the way I did, but I would have felt terrible if I didn’t react. There was no time to call security. It happened too quickly.”

Ben Gordon hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer and scored 32 points for the Bulls in a 106-104 overtime victory Wednesday, but Davis’ dash into the stands became the flash point of the game.

Davis ascended about 10 rows to reach his wife, Kendra, during a timeout with 1:04 left. There was no physical confrontation after he got there, but several people were pointing and shouting for a few moments before security arrived.

No arrests had been made as of early Thursday morning, police said.

The Knicks host the Pistons on Thursday night, and it has not yet been determined if Davis will be available. An NBA spokesman said the league was just beginning to look into the matter, but that any decision on a penalty is usually made before the team plays its next game.

Let him play!

Update: Antonio Davis has been suspended by the NBA for five games. And he’s being sued by the Bulls fan who was involved in the incident.