If you watched the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons on the 21st of November, you saw what happened there.
And if you didn’t, you missed a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. It’s not that we haven’t seen tension or heated battles in the NBA, but it is not LeBron James that we see in the midst of it. Now that things have calmed down, let’s look into what really took place on the court.
About the Fighting Case
The third quarter had just started and the Lakers were 12 points short. It was during Jerami Grant’s free throws when things escalated. As LeBron and DeAndre were trying to keep Stewart out of the box, James’s arm hit Isaiah’s face.
Stewart’s face began bleeding right away and he was simply not taking it. The 20-year-old Pistons star was chasing James around the court, as he was convinced that it was intentional. He couldn’t accept it even after the game stopped, and about a dozen people on the court weren’t enough to calm him down either.
As intense as it looked at the moment, these situations are not what we want to see in the NBA. The play continued as soon as the sparks were off, and it looked as if the incident lit up the Lakers. They turned the game around and won 121-116.
How Do Bookmakers React to This Occasion?
Even though the situation was not ideal, basketball fans were happy that things didn’t escalate any further. The bookmakers, on the other hand, were taking things more lightly and with great humor. Some bookmakers from CasinoDeps Sportsbook even “scheduled” a boxing match between the two with the odds on James’ side.
The bookmakers concluded that even though both players weigh the same, LeBron’s height was an advantage. And this was classified as a heavy-weight match. Others were saying that the oddsmakers should keep in mind their age gap and that Isaiah would catch LeBron on endurance. Of course, most Lakers fans were happy to disagree with the statement, as they take pride in their star athlete. Oh, and we should not forget the memes – they were spectacular!
What are the Consequences?
As expected, LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart were both ejected from the game. Whether the Pistons would have won the game if Steward didn’t get thrown out is a question for another time. Everyone was more interested in the league’s decision about any further suspensions.
Nobody was questioning whether Stewart would get such a ruling, but the real question was would the NBA write down a suspension in LeBron’s clear record. This incident led to the first-ever LeBron suspension. This was the first time for the 4 times MVP Lakers star to miss a game due to a suspension. He sat one out and came back in style against the Indiana Pacers in the next game.
As one would expect, LeBron wasn’t thrilled with the league’s decision. In fact, he called them out after the Indian Pacers game, saying that it was not necessary and that it was just an accident. However, we are sure the team didn’t take the decision lightly either, as they are not in the best position to be losing their greatest players due to such incidents.
Taking into consideration that LeBron was out for 9 games due to abdomen issues, the Lakers will certainly be struggling to make it to the play-offs. Isaiah, on the other hand, got a two-game suspension for the incidents that happened after he took the hit. The Pistons centre was disciplined for his aggressive reaction.
He did take 5 stitches to his head though, although that is no excuse. We could write off his reaction to his young age and relative inexperience, although the league is definitely not up for tolerating any of it. Finally, Steward said that he will not let the incident define him. He also stated that at the moment, he was certain that there was an ill intention from LeBron’s side.
Conclusion
As fun as things might sound now, the situation could have easily gotten way out of control if Stewart wasn’t stopped. And as far as our boxing match goes, we’re sad to inform you that it’s just a meme, and there are no chances of it happening. In fact, rumors say that LeBron reached out to Isaiah as soon as the game ended and apologized for what he claims was an accidental hit.
Nevertheless, we have had our fun calculating the odds and predicting the boxing outcomes. As far as we are considered, we’d gladly be watching a boxing match between LeBron and Isiah. Many fans already calculated the possible winnings from the early odds – and LeBron was the slight favorite.
Regardless, we can all agree that we are happy to see both players back in their natural habitat and off to their next games!
