Rockets Legend’s Horrifying Incident Fuels Gilbert Arenas’ Firing By Joe Mazzula "fight" Petition – EssentiallySports

Does the NBA need an entertainment factor more than the game itself? Well, that’s what 2024 NBA title-winning coach Joe Mazzula seems to believe. And when he says that, he’s outright advocating for more physicality or violence in the league. “The biggest thing we’re robbing people of in terms of entertainment is that you can’t fight anymore. I wish we could come back as a battle,” Mazzula told NBC Sports Boston. While there has been time and again criticism against the league going soft, chances are slim that everyone will agree with Joe’s question.

If Gilbert Arenas is anything to go by, the Celtics could be hurt if their coach’s wish comes true. Gil’s response to Mazzula was blunt. He questioned whether the Celtics were really ready to face someone like Isaiah Stewart, known for his aggression, in a full-on brawl. “Does anyone on his team … He thinks that if Isaiah Stewart was allowed to punch one of them in the face, does he think that one of them wouldn’t break their face and jaw?”

Gilbert Arenas didn’t sugarcoat anything, raising the stakes for how players like Draymond Green or Stewart would handle physicals. Then the former Warriors star didn’t hesitate to remind everyone about a darker chapter in NBA history. Kermit Washington’s infamous hit on Rudy Tomjanovich in 1977. “… It ruined his career. They said it sounded like a shotgun when it connected.

For those who don’t know, the Lakers’ Washington punched Rudy when he saw the Rockets’ star approaching him. Washington faced a 60-day ban and a $10,000 fine. But nothing compared to Tomjanovic’s life-threatening injuries, including head and spinal injuries and five months off the court. For Arenas, Mazzula’s return to a more violent style risks today’s star players facing the same fate just because of one foul.

“That’s what you were trying to bring back to today’s NBA. Dude, you paid 300-something million dollars to get his eye socket pierced for a high foul,” Gill said on his podcast. Seemingly referring to Jayson Tatum’s reported contract of nearly $315 million. However, if you thought the Rudy T incident alone changed the NBA’s rules against physicality, you’d be wrong. Credit may instead go to a game that affected the image of the NBA as a whole.

The incident responsible for the accusation that the NBA has gone soft

It started out like any other game. The Indiana Pacers faced the Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004, with fans anticipating another typical NBA night. But no one saw what would happen next. What started as a brawl between Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace) and Ben Wallace ignited a chaotic chain of events that would make NBA history.

Fans hit players, players hit back, and chairs flew around the arena. That night will forever be known as Malice in the palace. The incident left a mark far beyond the court. The NBA was suddenly faced with a harsh reality – it had an image problem. And they weren’t going to let it slip away. As of tonight, the league has taken a tough stance on physical altercations.

So what did this mean for fans who loved the gritty style of the 80’s Pistons? Simply put, those days are over. Now, even swinging one hit could mean a layoff the next game, and throwing one would mean a 15-game ban. And as Gilbert Arenas also mentioned, the league would not want to bring back the circumstances that once again created problems for the league’s image.