As I watched the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks return Madison Square Garden into the mecca of boxing again, I could think only one thing: Shouldn't these guys know better?
I'm not saying that in a Smothers Brothers, gee-golly-whiz sort of way, but rather, are you really that stupid?
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| Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith aren't afraid to air their differences on the court. (AP) |
People still bring up Detroit and Indiana like it happened yesterday, but the ramifications of that brawl certainly weren't on the mind of Nate Robinson when he lost his mind and went all Stephen Jackson.
Robinson is an engaging individual when he's not losing his mind, but there's simply no excuse for his actions on Saturday night.
Flexing in the middle of the ring, or sorry, court, like he's Sonny Liston? You're 5-feet-8, Nate. The fact you're a super athlete doesn't change that. You didn't see Earl Boykins out there, did you?
Then there was J.R. Smith, who gets up after the hard foul and instead of letting it go and being content to get out of New York with a blowout victory, gets up and gets in Mardy Collins' face with every intention of going to blows.
Collins, while committing the hard foul, obviously took offense to Denver streaking for another breakaway dunk and did nothing that would have been considered against NBA rules. Promise you, had Smith just minded his business and gone to the line for his free throws, none of this occurs.
Instead, Smith caused the situation to escalate.
By Auburn Hills standards, this was a meek incident -- up until the point where Carmelo Anthony got things restarted by throwing a half-punch/half-slap in Collins' direction.
'Melo, you serious? Doesn't your sneaker campaign ask kids to B-More? Instead, you brought to the surface everything you're trying to change by donating money and bringing youth centers to Baltimore.
Trying to rock Collins with a right hand fanned the flames when tempers were starting to subside. That, combined with the punch, should draw the NBA's leading scorer a 10-game suspension at a minimum.
Robinson and Smith should at least get five, while Jared Jeffries should get a couple simply for running around looking for someone to go after.
Another interesting aspect of this fight, not that it excuses any of the bad behavior, begs the question, what the heck were Denver's regulars doing in a game that was already decided in the first place? Up 19 at the time of the incident, those guys should have already been preparing to ice their knees.
Does George Karl have every right to do whatever he wants? Yes, but there's no question that rubbed New York the wrong way and gave the Knicks every reason to refuse to allow another easy basket.
This whole incident was something that was not only unnecessary, but completely asinine as well. There wasn't as much emotion shown in the entire game as there was in those final two minutes, when some decided it was more important to protect their egos and street cred than their availability to their teams.
Nobody got struck with a heavy punch, but the Nuggets and Knicks combined to give the NBA yet another black eye.
