NBA Ugliness

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, we had another huge brawl in the NBA today...10 ejections.

I'm thinking its time to equip the refs with tasers & pepper spray.

 

[trancejeremy]

Personally, I think it's a wonder there aren't more. I mean, all you get when you get fouled is a free throw - that's got to get old after a while, 80 games a year. If someone goes too far fouling you, obviously you want to get back at him.

Just like hockey used to be - you got checked too hard by someone, you threw a punch at him.

It's a way of preventing cheap shots. But these days, any sort of fighting is policed too hard, and thus there's a lot more cheap shots. And when a fight occurs, it's often a much worse fight. IMHO, anyway.

 

[Bront]

The NHL is one of the few leagues that allows fighting, and that doesn't seem to stop hockey in many other parts of the world from being prosperous...

Fighting isn't something you should justify, it's just wrong.

That fight was just about too many people getting too hyped up about something stupid. And it's likely to cost many of them a good chunk of the season.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Well, to be fair, the NBA hasn't yet decided on further punishment. Speculation is that at least Carmelo, Robinson, and a couple of others will be suspended for several games. Also, I'm pretty sure if there was more than a minute left of the game, that there would have been serious consideration by officials in ending the game.

Personally, I think there are several aspects to the whole thing, some controllable, some not so much, that help contribute to the fighting. Intentional fouls being a big one... there's no reason that should be a viable option, it's just unsportsmanlike, IMO. Another big one would be, IMO, relatively light penalties for stuff like this - if they're suspended for three games, big whoop, not like they don't play a whole bunch, or get paid so little that losing the money means something. The banning of intentional fouls (which have cause by far more than one fight) and harsher penalties would bring this down a bit, I think.

Also, it doesn't help when people are cheering it on. Not saying everyone does, but I was with a friend at a bar watching, and there were a significant number who cheered every time it was replayed.

 

[Michael Morris]

They keep this up and the jokes going to become "I went to a fight and a basketball game broke out."

 

[Crothian]

It's what the second brawl in two years? That's really not a bad track record.

 

[John Crichton]

Ugh - this is the only way for the Knicks to get press. All involved are equally at fault and should get the max suspension time from David Stern.

 

[Agamon]

Line brawls a pretty rare in hockey anymore (heck, fighting is becoming pretty rare), but when they do happen it's when one team is beating up the other on the scoreboard.

Anthony is finally hitting his stride and he's going to get suspended now. Grrr. (yes, I have him in the pool)

 

[Darth Shoju]

Personally, I think there are several aspects to the whole thing, some controllable, some not so much, that help contribute to the fighting. Intentional fouls being a big one... there's no reason that should be a viable option, it's just unsportsmanlike, IMO.

While I agree that intentional fouls aren't cool, my understanding from watching Sportscentre this morning is that the Nuggets were beating the Knicks handily and still had their best players (Carmello included) on the floor. This, in addition to some show-boating by the Nuggets pissed the Knicks off, hence the foul (it is suspected he was trying to prevent another backwards dunk). Not that this excused the whole thing really, but it gives the other side of the story. Personally I think there should be some heavy fines and suspensions handed out, including to 'Mello. Those who were showboating should get slapped too.

I used to be a big Knicks fan back in the days of Patrick Ewing and John Starks. It just seems since Ewing retired and they picked up Sprewell and Camby they have turned into a team of thuggish underachievers. With the addition of the Raptors to the league my allegiances shifted accordingly (much to my pain over the past few years...it ain't easy being a Raptors fan.)

 

[LightPhoenix]

While I agree that intentional fouls aren't cool, my understanding from watching Sportscentre this morning is that the Nuggets were beating the Knicks handily and still had their best players (Carmello included) on the floor.

This is very true, but that's still not a good reason for calling a intentional foul. In fact, it's a worse one. If they're feeling like they're being humiliated, an intentional foul is practically asking to start a fight.