Metta World Peace elbow to Harden

[DCsportsallday]

I can't tell if you are kidding.

If it was unintentional no way he keeps running in celebration. If it was unintentional he would have looked at Harden after slamming him in the head.

Also, they make contact before he winds up the elbow, which meant he knew he was there. You can't be this foolish.

I am being trolled, don't know why I bother.

Whatever. I stated my opinion and you have yours. I believe that the hit was unintentional and that banning him for life would be overly excessive.

I also think banning for life would be stupid. BUT, the Lakers fans/Artest apologizers that are advocating 2-3 games are just ridiculous. It was a vicious hit that should be punished tougher. He has a history of doing these things. In a league much tougher physically than the NBA, Rafi Torres got 25 games because he has a history of dirty play. At a time where concussions dominate sports news, Artest gave one of the burgeoning stars of the league a concussion right before the playoffs were about to start.

I don't see any argument that it should not be at least 5 games, with a possible 10 depending on the extent of Harden's concussion. I've always believed that players should reap what they sow. If I had my way, I would suspend Artest for the length of time Harden is out, and add 3 more games. But that's obviously wishful thinking.

[Neutral 123]

So you think the Lakers came into the game thinking "Let's take as many of these f***ers out as we can because we are too scared to play them at full strength in the playoffs"? Ok, gotcha

They've done it before, and what else would such a vicious elbow accomplish? Even then I don't think the franchise should be punished, but if we see anything similar to the pathetic display we saw during last years playoffs, something has to be done about it. That would make them multiple offenders. I mean a man who calls himself mastastrategist doesn't see that?

If I believed that they were truly so cowardly that they would rather face a team later in the year with one less player by giving him a life-threatening injury, then yes I'd agree with you.

What they did in that Dallas series wasn't intentional and cowardly? That shot Bynum gave Barea while he was in the air was almost as dangerous as what Artest did today. The history is there man.

[TheRightAnswer]

how do you know ron artest would still have done taht had harden not been there? who celebrates like tarzan with elbow wind up and swing?

How could he have hit Harden or anyone when he wasn't walking in the path of anyone? He wasn't even looking at a Thunder. He was beating in his chest toward the first row like he kisses his muscles to them and then blew them kisses in other games recently after he dunked.

Westbrook, Perk, Ibaka, and Durant were the ones chasing down Ron on his dunk. They were the four down the court. Harden ran up behind him while he wasn't looking and positioned himself low in a defensive stance to take a flop.

He put himself there to flop. He did not think he was going to take a hit but he ended up taking one because he didn't fall out in a flop fast enough like he had already done this year. He knew the game was turning momentum wise as he tried to re-pull a stunt he had done this year when his team was losing momentum.

He took a calculated gamble and got hurt because of his own choices.

There was no basketball play to be made by Harden for anything he was doing is my point, so I won't shed a tear for him.

if you could recall getting dropped on your head as a child, i'm sure you would be more sympathetic toward Harden.

[Palmeirense]

That was one of the worst chep shots that i have ever seen.

[SCourGe OF GoD]

lol @Ron ..Marc Gasol is like

[theokie]

please!!! no worse than this. give me a break

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-FLEDTfao[/youtube]

Did Bynum get knocked out of the game with a concussion?

[mymysql]

It was just a bad instinctual reflex. Guys throw elbows all the time, MWP just landed a really nasty one. Artest isn't a bad guy or a dirty player, he's just messed up in the head.

[DCsportsallday]

Ok, how about the fact that most of the people sticking up for Artest are Lakers/Knicks (probably the NY hometown thing) fans. There's bias everywhere. Stop assuming that we're out to get Artest or something. We just want to see that players who do stupid things get a punishment that stops that crap from happening again.

Besides, none of what we say on this board matters, at all. There is only one person who can decide Artest's fate, and I seriously doubt he reads Realgm threads.

Where in my post did I mention you? I don't even know you. That clipper fan is notorious for being anti-Laker, thus my whole point and argument against him. Like I said I was disgusted by Artests actions. Maybey ou should stop assuming that all Laker fans are out to defend Artest.

by "we" I meant people that wanted to see Artest get a legitimate penalty, not a 2-3 game slap on the wrist. And almost every person defending Artest is a Lakers fan.

[MastaStrategist]

I can't tell if you are kidding.

If it was unintentional no way he keeps running in celebration. If it was unintentional he would have looked at Harden after slamming him in the head.

Also, they make contact before he winds up the elbow, which meant he knew he was there. You can't be this foolish.

I am being trolled, don't know why I bother.

Whatever. I stated my opinion and you have yours. I believe that the hit was unintentional and that banning him for life would be overly excessive.

I also think banning for life would be stupid. BUT, the Lakers fans/Artest apologizers that are advocating 2-3 games are just ridiculous. It was a vicious hit that should be punished tougher. He has a history of doing these things. In a league much tougher physically than the NBA, Rafi Torres got 25 games because he has a history of dirty play. At a time where concussions dominate sports news, Artest gave one of the burgeoning stars of the league a concussion right before the playoffs were about to start.

I don't see any argument that it should not be at least 5 games, with a possible 10 depending on the extent of Harden's concussion. I've always believed that players should reap what they sow. If I had my way, I would suspend Artest for the length of time Harden is out, and add 3 more games. But that's obviously wishful thinking.

I honestly don't disagree with this argument if you believe he truly meant to give the guy a concussion. It's the people demanding a life-time man that I'm having a hard time taking seriously.

[Wavy Q]

What they did in that Dallas series wasn't intentional and cowardly? That shot Bynum gave Barea while he was in the air was almost as dangerous as what Artest did today. The history is there man.

Intentional and Cowardly? Yes. Evidence towards them trying to take someone out as a means to gain some sort of competitive edge? No.

Also 1 or 2 isolated incidents =/= history.

[Neutral 123]

I was absolutely astonished that more OKC players did not rush to stand up to World Peace after that blow. I understand that he is a big guy, but that type of a hit merited a team fight imo. In the real world, if you leveled someone like that, you would get what is coming to you. Probably should be banned from basketball after that play.

That is PRECISELY the problem with these types of plays, and the league should look into teams that have a history of this sort of crap. Now if guys went and took swings at Artest which they should have done, they get suspended and really hurt themselves come playoff time.

[Kobe2ndFiddle]

Harden should have known not try and flop a flagrant on a crazy person like Artest ... thats like trying to bait a pitbull.

Artest doesn't think like a normal athlete, you will get hit for real. Harden won't be pulling that crap anymore though


anyways I say a 10-15 game suspension depending on Harden's next MRI result.

[TheHartBreakKid]

Ok, how about the fact that most of the people sticking up for Artest are Lakers/Knicks (probably the NY hometown thing) fans. There's bias everywhere. Stop assuming that we're out to get Artest or something. We just want to see that players who do stupid things get a punishment that stops that crap from happening again.

Besides, none of what we say on this board matters, at all. There is only one person who can decide Artest's fate, and I seriously doubt he reads Realgm threads.

Where in my post did I mention you? I don't even know you. That clipper fan is notorious for being anti-Laker, thus my whole point and argument against him. Like I said I was disgusted by Artests actions. Maybey ou should stop assuming that all Laker fans are out to defend Artest.

by "we" I meant people that wanted to see Artest get a legitimate penalty, not a 2-3 game slap on the wrist. And almost every person defending Artest is a Lakers fan.

but my argument isn't against "you". I was responding to a specfic poster, with a specific argument against him. And that doesn't mean every Laker fan is defending is defending Artest.

[kblo247]

how do you know ron artest would still have done taht had harden not been there? who celebrates like tarzan with elbow wind up and swing?

How could he have hit Harden or anyone when he wasn't walking in the path of anyone? He wasn't even looking at a Thunder. He was beating in his chest toward the first row like he kisses his muscles to them and then blew them kisses in other games recently after he dunked.

Westbrook, Perk, Ibaka, and Durant were the ones chasing down Ron on his dunk. They were the four down the court. Harden ran up behind him while he wasn't looking and positioned himself low in a defensive stance to take a flop.

He put himself there to flop. He did not think he was going to take a hit but he ended up taking one because he didn't fall out in a flop fast enough like he had already done this year. He knew the game was turning momentum wise as he tried to re-pull a stunt he had done this year when his team was losing momentum.

He took a calculated gamble and got hurt because of his own choices.

There was no basketball play to be made by Harden for anything he was doing is my point, so I won't shed a tear for him.

if you could recall getting dropped on your head as a child, i'm sure you would be more sympathetic toward Harden.

I'm not going to flop like I got hit. And I damn sure as an offensive player isn't going to walk up behind a guy beating his chest like Tarzan, get down in a defensive stance, and lower/lean my head into his arm pit level to be hit. What Harden did made no basketball sense it was a cheap ass bs tactic and he got hurt because he tried to execute it and couldn't simply flop out the way like he did vs Dallas this year when he got a Mav in trouble for his bs

[AllzGudInDaHood]

please!!! no worse than this. give me a break

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-FLEDTfao[/youtube]

Did Bynum get knocked out of the game with a concussion?

Oh please...Harden was gonna come back in the game until Sam Presti told him he had to sit down to make the hit look worse and get a bigger suspension for World Peace. Considering the Thunder are slated to play the Lakers, a World-Peace-less Lakers could have that much more trouble in the first round and make it easier for the Thunder to get to the WCF.

[SCourGe OF GoD]

I was absolutely astonished that more OKC players did not rush to stand up to World Peace after that blow. I understand that he is a big guy, but that type of a hit merited a team fight imo. In the real world, if you leveled someone like that, you would get what is coming to you. Probably should be banned from basketball after that play.

Perkins especially but they knew Artest was already ejected so he had nothing to lose by fighting them but they did..especially trying to catch/hold off SAS for the 1 seed. As for the incident imho i think Artest looked to the crowd to do his chest celebration and as he's jacked up he feels someone on his shoulder assuming theyre going to get the inboud pass so he sends a subtle elbow that would have landed on Hardens back but Harden stopped short and Artest looks like a straight up maniac thug now

[twinthunder3]

thing is that if this wasn't by MWP, then there would be a greater reaction.

[Jo Jo English]

Harden ran up behind him while he wasn't looking and positioned himself low in a defensive stance to take a flop.

He put himself there to flop. He did not think he was going to take a hit but he ended up taking one because he didn't fall out in a flop fast enough like he had already done this year. He knew the game was turning momentum wise as he tried to re-pull a stunt he had done this year when his team was losing momentum.

He took a calculated gamble and got hurt because of his own choices.

I don't disagree that Harden *could have* been putting himself in that position to flop, draw the foul, and swing momentum in the game. Given what I have seen in the past it is in the repertoire of Harden. Fair enough.

But.... and it is a big one...

That is absolutely no excuse for what Artest did to respond to Harden's actions. None. Sorry.

If a guy who has a history (and this description is being hard on Harden, so apologies to J.H. fans) of tossing himself out in front of nearly-stopped traffic at intersections in order to make money through insurance fraud actually gets hit by a drunk driver 5 seconds before he attempted his latest scheme... he still got hit by a drunk driver.

Ron was wrong. Period. He has to pay for it.

[theokie]

please!!! no worse than this. give me a break

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-FLEDTfao[/youtube]

Did Bynum get knocked out of the game with a concussion?

Oh please...Harden was gonna come back in the game until Sam Presti told him he had to sit down to make the hit look worse and get a bigger suspension for World Peace. Considering the Thunder are slated to play the Lakers, a World-Peace-less Lakers could have that much more trouble in the first round and make it easier for the Thunder to get to the WCF.

He has a concussion and wasn't cleared to play. Are you really that ignorant or just trolling?

[MastaStrategist]

please!!! no worse than this. give me a break

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-FLEDTfao[/youtube]

Did Bynum get knocked out of the game with a concussion?

So since Bynum didn't go down it's not a big deal?

I honestly think what Ron did was worse b/c of the outcome, but what Shaq did was clearly done with intent to get back at a player who just embarrassed him.

Ron was not trying to "get back" at anyone. In fact, I don't think he saw who he was hitting, just that a Thunder player was in his way.

So based on the outcome, Ron's a bigger douche. But based on the intent, Shaq is.