After being thumped in the fourth game of the NBA playoff series by 24 points, the bad news continued for the Dallas Mavericks as guard Jerry Stackhouse was handed a one-match suspension.

Stackhouse was given the penalty for his flagrant foul against Shaquille O’Neal in game four, and will now be forced to miss the all-important fifth game.

In an official NBA release, it was noted that Stackhouse's foul was clearly punishable and that the one-week suspension was a due course of action to take.

"The contact by Jerry Stackhouse was clearly excessive and warrants a suspension," the release stated.

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson was upset with losing his star player for the match, telling Star-Telegram that it would be terribly inconsistent in the course of season incidents.

"If that’s a suspension, then a lot of players — [the league] will have to go back and review everything that’s happened throughout the playoffs and there may have to be some retribution or something and maybe go suspend some others maybe they forgot.”