Heat point guard Mario Chalmers fined $15,000 for striking Blake Griffin

In the midst of the Miami Heat’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, point guard Mario Chalmers got tangled up (to put it mildly) with Clippers star power forward Blake Griffin. To be more specific, Chalmers delivered a forearm to the neck of Griffin in the middle of a half-court set, and while it may not have been malicious, the NBA took note of the play.

Here’s a video of what transpired:

For his trouble, Chalmers was fined $15,000 by the league on Friday, but was not suspended for the act, and the former Kansas Jayhawk will be available when the Heat host the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.

In my opinion, there was nothing terribly out of line about Chalmers play, but a fine was inevitable. You can’t extend a forearm to that part of the body with regard to any opposing player, but when that opposing player happens to be one of the league’s most popular and recognizable figures like Blake Griffin, it becomes a virtual slam dunk.

The league was spot-on with a sizable fine with a noticeable lack of suspension, and it does seem like the NBA is becoming more and more spot-on with their reactions to disciplinary matters.