The Gauntlet in the Garden!

You can't turn on ESPN or basically any news station without seeing something about the brawl. While one part of me wants to stay away from the subject due to more overexposure than the Olsen twins... I digress

First of all, people need to stop comparing this to the situation in Detroit. That was a complete riot and this was a scuffle between a few heated players. As many people have pointed out in recent days, fights used to be normal within basketball. Teams had goons much like hockey and even the stars like Bird and Barkley would be known to thrown down. This is not uncommon by any means and is more knee-jerk reactions by people who have been waiting for another fight with bated breath. Calm down people! In the heat of the moment with testosterone raging like wild fire, things do happen.

More than anything, all I could think about beyond the fact that Nate Robinson is Stephen Jackson's midget, crazier brother, was that Carmelo just stepped down a bit in my eyes again. He has always seemed like a punk to me and watching him throw a punch at a guy with his hands down and then run away didn't change that perception. Bill Simmons can swear Mardy was asking for it (which he was), but he reacted like a kid once again. Whether he refuses to enter a game, calls out AK47 or cheap shots someone, his true character always comes through. His veiled apology through his PR person didn't help either. His talent is immense but his attitude, much like Kobe's, will always shine through.

As for Zeke and G Karl, they just need to duke it out in a cage. I kid, I kid. There are always unspoken laws in sports. You don't stare at home run balls and you sit your starters when you're up by 10000 points. George and Zeke are both known for being, well, not the greatest guys and this just demonstrated that. George should have sat his boys and there should not have been orders given to foul any Nuggets that entered the paint.

The suspensions where harsh but I do agree with the NBA in some degree. You hate to see this with the game you love because people will only say the continual stereotypes you already hear about the game. "It's too black", "They are all thugs!", etc, etc. All I want is for people to see the true beauty and art of the game and not judge an entire league on a few incidents. When fans of other games point fingers, they can't deny the criminals and steroid users in football and baseball. All games have their dark pasts but basketball honestly may be the cleanest of them all in reality.