The NBA Having to Correct the Warriors' Lame Suspension of Mark Stevens is Embarrassing

Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens was finally given the punishment he deserved when the NBA banned him from games until further notice. But why did it take so long? Why were they even forced to step in at all?

Stevens clearly shoved Kyle Lowry with intent during Game 3; that should be an automatic lifetime ban. There shouldn't be a need for the league to step in to overrule a weak punishment from the Warriors that only covered the Finals and nothing more.

NBA players were outraged by the initial penalty, and they had every right to be. In a season where aggressive fan interactions were a focal point for necessary improvements, the league and the Warriors shouldn't have hesitate to hand out a more significant punishment.

Sure, the team can argue that it was investigating the situation, but it still could have been handled better. There was no need to hand out a weak ban to begin with; they could've finished the investigation then dealt the necessary punishment. Furthermore, how much investigation was really needed for an act that was as blatant as this?

The NBA did the right thing in the end, but it certainly looked like the Warriors were prepared to let their part-owner get off easy in the beginning. Going forward, the league needs to continue with a zero-tolerance standard and set a different expectation for fans.