NBA rules state that any player who leaves the bench during an altercation will face an automatic one game suspension.
With 7:34 remaining in the second quarter of yesterday's 107-83 Nets win over the Knicks Jason Kidd and Frank Williams were involved in a minor skirmish, with Kidd called for a technical foul for taunting and Williams hit with an offensive foul after shoving Kidd to the floor. The Knicks believe the tape they have shows Richard Jefferson coming off the bench at this stage, and if the league finds this to be the case then Jefferson may be sitting out the second game of the series.
First, the league must determine if the incident qualifies as an altercation. Next, the tape must show clearly that Jefferson came off the bench.
"No, I didn't step on the court," said Jefferson, who scored a game-high 21 points and added 11 rebounds. "You stand up, I didn't run out on the floor. When people are talking, you might be standing up and seeing what happened. When [Williams] pushed [Kidd], I didn't run out on the floor, that wasn't the case. I don't think it's anything really worth talking about. It's just something to fill stories for two days."
Asked if he considered the Kidd-Williams affair an altercation, Jefferson said: "No, I think it was a shove-off to get somebody open and a little acting job [by Kidd]."
Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night, and according to NBA spokesman Tim Frank the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson will review the incident today.
"If Stu deems it an altercation and Jefferson left the bench, he will be suspended," said Frank.
Even if Jefferson took just a few innocent steps onto the court, he could be in trouble, although it's quite possible the incident was too tame to be considered an altercation.
Jefferson said he's not worried. "This," he said, "is not even worth talking about."