In a heated game on Wednesday night, Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was ejected after delivering a hard forearm to Indiana Pacers big man Thomas Bryant. The incident occurred midway through the second quarter of the Pistons' 133-119 loss in Indianapolis.
Stewart appeared to be preparing to box Bryant out after a shot when he suddenly struck him hard in the chest and neck area. The forceful hit sent the 6-foot-10 center crashing to the court as others fought for the rebound. Officials promptly ejected Stewart from the game, and he headed to the locker room. Bryant attempted to pursue Stewart but was restrained before escalating the situation. "Just a lot of talk. A lot of words,” Stewart said after the game, via the Detroit News' Coty Davis. “I slipped up, fell for the trap, and I let my teammates down. I have to be better at not letting those words allow me to affect the team. I know my squad could have used me out there tonight." The exact nature of the exchange that led to Stewart's outburst remains unclear, but it likely occurred earlier in the game, as Stewart and Bryant were not close enough to engage in verbal exchanges immediately before the foul. Despite the controversy, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff staunchly defended Stewart's actions. "There are things that happen on the basketball court that you have to deal with. Then there are certain things that are said to you that are no longer about basketball," Bickerstaff explained. "When it crosses that line like it did tonight, you should be able to stand up for yourself. There were things said tonight that absolutely crossed the line, past basketball to man-on-man stuff. And if someone says something like that to you that crosses the line, you should have every single right to do what you need to do to defend yourself."
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
Categories
All
|