Anybody who tells you that winning isn't everything is a loser.
If you don't believe me, ask Baylor freshman Brittany Griner. Wednesday night, she had scored 21 points and her team was leading by 16, but she never lost her competitive edge. After being shoved on the block by Texas Tech's Jordan Barncastle, Griner let loose a Tyson-esque punch and was subsequently ejected from the game.
This isn't the first time that emotions have gotten the best of athletes. This past Tuesday night, for example, my intramural indoor soccer match looked more like a hockey game. Bodies were flying everywhere, tempers were flaring, trash talking was commonplace and two fights almost broke out at the end of each half.
We may have lost 2-1, we definitely received a terrible sportsmanship grade and we probably wanted to rip our opponents' heads off during the 40-minute bout, but we played a competitive game. Plus, we lost on a fluke goal and still lead our league in goal differential.
Sports are all about competition. You want to be better than your opponent and you want to show it. Griner's punch isn't the first blow thrown in a basketball game, and it certainly won't be the last. I can remember a few notorious basketbrawls, so I've compiled a list of my top five favorite fights on the NBA hardwood that have taken place in my lifetime.
5- Nash throws down with Skip-to-my-lou (2008): This altercation makes the list because of the high-octane stars involved. It all started with a shove by Matt Barnes of the Phoneix Suns, but ended up including the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. How can I not include this when Shaq mail-boxed McGrady?
Best part: Nash, the peaceful Canadian, was ready to tussle with Raefer Alston, a street legend from Queens. This let my imagination run wild, pondering what would have been if the refs didn't break up the fight.
4- The old Van Gundy leg grab (1998): The Knicks and the Heat never liked each other. In 1998, when the two teams met in the playoffs, tension reached a breaking point at the end of Game 4 and Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson exchanged blows. Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy rushed the court to try to break up the scuffle, but ended up on the hardwood clinging to Mourning's leg.
Best part: Van Gundy, a 5-foot-9-inch, 160-pound man, fearlessly went up against a 6-foot-10-inch NBA center. Oh yeah, and the Knicks won the series the next game.
3- Shaq-attack off balance (2002): The Chicago Bulls' Charles Oakley was called for a flagrant foul against Shaq of the Lakers, but Brad Miller was the one who had to deal with the big fellow – almost. After being drilled, O'Neal lunged a massive punch at the wrong player, Miller. He missed and then lost his balance and fell into the stands
Best part: Somehow, Miller's shirt came off during the 'fight' and he was left topless. I don't know what was more awkward … Shaq's missed punch or Miller's man boobs.
2- Melo runs from the Knicks (2006): There may be a bias here because I love the Knicks and I attended the following game, when Stephon Marbury hit a last-second layup in overtime to knock off the Utah Jazz, but I digress. This was an awesome fight especially because right after it happened, my phone blew up with a slew of ‘Did that really just happen?' text messages.
I loved it for a plethora of reason. At the time, Carmelo Anthony was leading the league in scoring and was forced to serve a 15-game suspension, little Nate Robinson tossed J.R. Smith into the stands, and Anthony backpedaled away from the fight like a female dog.
Best part: It all was started by a bad foul by Mardy Collins. Who? Exactly.
1- Ron Artest v. Detroit Pistons fans (2004): This is the undisputed best brawl in my lifetime and arguably in history, too. The two teams had met in the Eastern Conference Finals just a season before in a heated series that saw the Pistons advance to their first title since the 'Bad Boys' of the early '90s.
NBA commissioner David Stern referred to the fight as 'shocking, repulsive and inexcusable,' but I, personally, thought it was great. The original dispute started with Ben Wallace, but after a fan threw a drink on Artest, he charged the stands and hit a spectator. Best part: he hit the wrong guy! Only Artest could be that dumb.
Basketbrawls are always entertaining, not only because you find out which players can throw down, but because it demonstrates the competitiveness of the sport. There's nothing better than watching a couple of athletes in a heated battle, even if it has nothing to do with the game that they're playing.
E-mail: andrew.wiktor@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
