Lawyer suing Spurs, claiming they violated state law by sitting stars

Spurs stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sat out the team's Nov. 29 game against the Miami Heat, which one lawyer claims violated the state deceptive and fair trade practices law. (Ned Dishman/Getty Images)

Miami lawyer Larry McGuiness is suing the Spurs for benching their best players for a Nov. 29 prime-time game against the Miami Heat, alleging that the move violated the state's deceptive and fair practices law, ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reports.

In filing the class-action suit, McGuiness stated that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich "intentionally and surreptitiously" sent his best players home without the knowledge of the league, team and attending fans.

The team was fined $250,000 by commissioner David Stern the day after the game, which San Antonio lost by just five points despite playing without starters Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Danny Green.

McGuinness contends that he, as well as other fans, "suffered economic damages" as a result of paying a premium price for a ticket that shouldn't cost more. It's often assumed that fans might not see certain high-profile players because of injury, but McGuinness said this was different, given that all of the top players were not available to play.

...