This was just sent down from NBA Commissioner Stern, but Joey Crawford has been suspended for the rest of the season, and the playoffs by the league.

"Joey Crawford's handling of this situation failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees," NBA commissioner David Stern said. "Especially in light of similar prior acts by this official, a significant suspension is warranted. Although Joey is consistently rated as one of our top referees, he must be held accountable for his actions on the floor, and we will have further discussions with him following the season to be sure he understands his responsibilities."

Source: The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN.

UPDATE #1- David Stern will actually be on The Dan Patrick Show in the next few minutes....I'll take down a couple of quotes for everyone who doesn't have ESPN Insider.

UPDATE #2- Here is the rundown of questions thrown at David Stern on the Dan Patrick Show.

-What lead to this decision?- DP
The release speaks for itself. Joey did not live up to officiating standards.- DS

-Did he make it personal?- DP
I don’t think so.- DS

-Are their similar prior acts by Crawford?- DP
I think there was one other where he made the situation more about himself than the game.- DS

-Do we know what Duncan was laughing about?- DP
It doesn’t matter. We tell our refs to move away from the action.
He is one of the highest rated officials, but this was beyond the line.- DS

-Did you consider any other actions?- KO
Yes, but in the end what was I going to do suspend him for a few series and bring him back for the Finals?- DS

-Can he appeal?- DP
I’m available for appeal, but it’s not going to happen. He thinks he did the right thing and he would do it again if it happened again.- DS

It was a rapid fire session, so some of the above is paraphrased. Just like the name says he was pretty stern. That line of questioning was over in about 2 minutes, and they moved on to Tanking and Tampering of the Draft. This was a pretty obvious decision and I think the above reaction from Crawford to the suspension proves that he wants to be bigger than the game. Good riddance.