Rondo brawl registers as a loss for Celtics
Did anyone else watch the Nets vs. Celtics game Wednesday night?
If not, you have probably already heard what happened by now. Two players got in a brawl and a team melee ensued. Sounds about right, no?
Sure, for a hockey game.
The tension arose when Nets forward Kris Humphries delivered a foul that sent Kevin Garnett crashing hard to the floor. Rajon Rondo took exception and immediately confronted Humphries, delivering a two-handed shove.
Players and coaches from both teams stormed the court. The fight eventually was broken up by TD Garden security, and the game continued.
After watching the play live during the game and watching the replays today all over the television and Internet, I have come to two conclusions:
First, Humphries barely hit Garnett. It was a foul, no question, but the dramatic acting by Garnett of falling to the floor was worthy of Hollywood honors. After the game, Garnett admitted the play was, “Just a hard foul. I thought the antics afterward were a bit extra, but (it was a) hard foul.”
Second, Rondo had no business going after Humphries (unless of course there exists a Kim Kardashian romantic involvement between the two and there’s more history than we think). I highly doubt it. We leave those comparisons to Reggie Bush and Miles Austin. Watching Rondo chase down Humphries was like watching Farquaad try to challenge Shrek. It never goes according to plan.
The end result?
The Nets won twice in this game, on the score sheet and in getting the C’s All-Star point guard off the court for the foreseeable future.
There’s no question the league will hand down a suspension to Rondo for initiating the brawl that left three players ejected and Humphries tweeting “Anyone know where I can get a quick Tetanus shot in Boston?”
The big concern is for how long.
In a hockey game, players fight to not only challenge their opponents but also to either swing momentum in their favor or to stand up for a teammate.
What did the C’s gain from the physical play? Absolutely nothing. The loss of Rondo combined with the fact that they committed 17 turnovers, hit 1-of-7 3-pointers and allowed the Nets 17 offensive rebounds means that Doc Rivers has his work cut out for him.
The other major difference here between the NBA and the NHL is that a hockey enforcer goes to the box and serves his time if the fight occurred within the rules.
There is no penalty box at the Garden when the parquet flooring is down. Nowhere for Rondo serve his time. Further affecting his case is that Rondo has been ejected from a game three times in the past 10 months.
The Celtics only hope now is that as a team, they can make up for the loss of their star guard, for whatever amount of time the suspension may be.
