Nets, Celtics fight likely to result in penalties
by Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports
There’s no official word yet on the fallout from the fight that broke out in the Boston Celtics vs. the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. But, even Celtics coach Doc Rivers expects suspensions.
“I’m not going to get into what the commissioner is going to do or the league is going to do,” Rivers told Boston sports radio station WEEI Thursday morning. “Could there be suspensions? Yeah there could be. There were no punches thrown. But the fact that it went into the stands usually means suspensions.”
Rivers says this because there is precedent. On Dec. 16, 2006 – almost two years after the infamous Detroit Pistons-Indiana Pacers melee – the Denver Nuggets-New York Knicks game turned ugly with 1:15 left in the game.
The penalties delivered by the NBA were substantial – seven players, including then-Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony – were suspended for 47 games, both teams were fined $500,000.
NBA Commissioner David Stern told reporters, “We have set up the goal of eliminating fighting from our game. We have eliminated it to an extraordinary degree based upon any historical basis … This will not be a lasting issue because we’re going to succeed at leading the way to eliminating fighting and violence in our game.
Anthony was suspended 15 games. Then-Nuggets guard J.R. Smith and then-Knicks guard J.R. Smith each received 10-game suspensions in part because their confrontation spilled into the stands on the baseline. Knicks guard Mardy Collins, Knicks forward Jared Jeffries, Knicks center Jerome James and Nuggets big man Nene were also suspended.
While Wednesday’s incident in Boston was not as bad as the Pistons-Pacers fight or Nuggets-Knicks ruckus, Stern has made clear he does not want that in his game.
After Nets forward Kris Humphries hard foul on Celtics center Kevin Garnett, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo shoved Humphries and the altercation extended out of bounds near the front row seats on the baseline. Garnett and Nets forward Gerald Wallace were also involved in a brief altercation. Officiating crew chief James Capers told a pool reporter the referees’ video review revealed that no punches were thrown by Wallace and Garnett.
Rondo, Humphries … [For more on Nets, Celtics alteration likely to result in penalties, click here.]
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