UHow much popcorn on your head doesn’t hurt. At least physical. Is what happened to Russell Westbrook to whom in Philadelphia A few were thrown at him as he retreated to the changing room tunnel after spraining an ankle. The pain is moral for feeling unprotected in the face of the impunity of the fans, who feel free to do and say what they want in the stands. In the NBA o en EuropeThey are a few, but it shows too much.
After a game in which Westbrook got almost nothing and was injured, having popcorn thrown at your head multiplies the feeling of humiliation. With the pulsations above 100, the base of the Wizards had to be restrained so as not to climb the stands in search of the fan in question. The matter could lead to a large brawl because it is already known what happens when the players get on the stands.
For a few moments, many thought of the biggest fight on record in NBA history when on November 19, 2004, Pacers players struck out with fans of the NBA. Pistons in the Palace of Auburn Hills. Malice at the Palace (Malice in the Palace) that incident was called. After a brawl between players from the two teams, a Pistons supporter threw a glass of soda at Ron Artest. And he mounted it. The penalties for nine players amounted to 146 games and $ 11 million. They are the tallest in American professional sports. Five local fans were banned from the games.
The NBA will take action against the popcorn fan, who was identified after being pointed out by those around him. Stars need to feel protected from the behavior of their most exalted followers. Most players have stamina, but in the heat of a game the spark that starts a fire can jump.
Ja Morant He is set to be one of the NBA’s biggest stars in the next decade. At 21 he is already one of the best young people in the competition and he proved it once again in the second game of the series against the Jazz. The point guard scored 47 points on 15/26 shooting from the field and distributed seven assists. His recital, however, did not prevent the Grizzlies They fell by 141-129.
His performance served to break the Grizzlies scoring record in a playoff game, which was held by Mike Conley. In his first two meetings in the series for the title, after scoring 26 points in the premiere, he has 73. Only the legendary George Mikan | He scored further for prehistory in 1949. Luka Doncic accumulated 70 last season.
Morant also became the second-youngest player (21 years, 289 days) to score more than 45 points in a playoff game, behind LeBron James (45 points on May 3, 2006, at age 21, 124 days). “It is an honor to be able to do that. I am lucky to be in the position that I am and to be able to play at the highest level. But those records are not in my mind at all. We lost. Obviously, it was not enough,” he lamented.
“I have to be aggressive at all times. I was pressured to get back into the game. I was able to find my place on the court and make my shots,” said Morant, who scored 13 points in his team’s sensational third quarter, which reached the 43 points, another franchise record, with 67% shooting accuracy.
At 32, Derrick Rose He has had several NBA careers. Who in 2011 was the youngest MVP in NBA history has suffered a torment of injuries, but basketball is smiling again. With 26 points, he led the comeback of the Knicks in the second game against the Hawks. He is taking advantage of the new opportunity that the orange ball is giving him.
The Knicks point guard verged on retirement a few years ago after a career marked by injuries. In April 2012, after winning MVP the previous season, he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He did not play the entire 12-13 season. After a promising start to the following year and playing 10 games at a good level, on November 22, 2013, the meniscus in his right knee was ruptured. In February 2015 he broke it again. Then came a myriad of muscle injuries. In 2017, the meniscus in the other knee was torn. Playing in the Cavs he injured his right ankle. Stuck in that permanent nightmare, he planned a withdrawal that he did not achieve.
Rose saw the light in Minnesota from the hand of Tom Thibodeau, his current coach at the Knicks. From his hand he regained confidence and now without injuries but with his knees full of scars he felt like a player again. Not an MVP, but a very valid one. His story is one of those that inspire.
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