The Godfather of Basketball

After watching the video, the referee made the final penalty.

Howard, Westbrook, and Artest were all sentenced to second-degree malicious fouls and directly expelled from the field. Ibaka and Blake were sentenced to first-degree malicious fouls, and the ball was given to the Thunder. Chance to throw a free throw.

But at this time, Tang Tian's focus was obviously not on the court.

After the game entered the second half of the fourth quarter, after the two sides began to send substitute players to exercise, Tang Tian asked Wharton to take command on the spot, and then left the court early to go to the hospital.

On the way there, Tang Tian spoke with Stevens on the phone.

The good news is that Harden's condition is not too serious. The initial diagnosis is only a mild concussion, and he is now recuperating in the ward.

After Tang Tian arrived, because the doctor told Harden to rest now, he didn't go in again, and sat at the door with Stevens.

"No one expected such a thing to happen." Stevens couldn't help but said.

Tang Tian nodded. He has been in the NBA for more than six years, and this is the first time he has encountered such a vicious brawl.

Seeing Harden being knocked to the ground by an elbow, he also wanted to rush up, but he knew that the consequences of rushing up would probably end the Thunder team, so he endured it.

"Ding!"

Just then, his cell phone rang.

He picked it up and saw that it was from Artest.

"I'm sorry, coach, how is James?"

Tang Tian hesitated for a moment, but still replied "no big deal".

Putting down the phone, he couldn't help taking a long breath.

Artest elbowed Harden, and this thing that happened in his previous life still hasn't escaped.

He turned his head to look at the ward, and wondered if Harden would return to the "Eyes Den" from his previous life.

"Let's go back first. It's useless to sit here. James may return to the team after two days of rest in the hospital." Tang Tian stood up as he said.

Stevens nodded, and the two went back to the hotel.

Because it was an away game, Tang Tian visited Harden in the hospital the next day.

Artest also arrived at the hospital. He apologized to Harden. This tough guy couldn't get rid of his habit of rushing to the top, but unlike his previous life, he was Tang Tian's old department after all. He was also full of guilt.

Tang Tian didn't say anything. You can't make a big deal small just because Artest is in his old department. How to deal with Artest's apology depends on Harden's attitude.

Harden finally accepted Artest's apology, but it can be seen that he still has some reservations. If the elbow goes up to the temple, it will not be as simple as a slight concussion.

Not long after Tang Tian brought the Thunder back to Oklahoma City, the league made the final penalty for the Thunder Lakers brawl.

Artest was suspended for 15 games, Howard and Westbrook were suspended for 10 games, Ibaka and Blake were suspended for 5 games, and Gasol, Kobe, Durant and Diaw who participated in the brawl on other fields were all fined. Suspended for 2 games, the suspended players also received different tickets.

A total of 9 people were suspended for 53 games and fined more than 300,000. This is the second largest ticket in NBA history after the Auburn Palace brawl.

And the number of punishments even exceeds Auburn Palace, which means that the Lakers and Thunder will have at least 2 games without a starter.

After the ticket was issued, neither the Thunder nor the Lakers appealed. Although the punishment was severe, everyone knew that in today's globalization promotion is getting better and better, and such a bad incident happened, it must be used as an example.

And what is even more challenging for the Thunder is that Harden needs to rest for about a week. In the next two games of the Thunder, only 9 people can play (Turiaf is absent due to injury), and the normal There are only 3 people left in the rotation.

For Tang Tian, ​​this was definitely the biggest challenge in his coaching career.

The Thunder's opponents in the next two games are the Grizzlies and the Nets. The two teams are currently ranked fourth or fifth in the East and West, and they are definitely not easy to mess with.

"The Spurs are chasing us. If we lose these two games in a row, we will be more passive." Stevens raised concerns at the coaches' regular meeting. What he didn't say was that even if these two games passed, Ibaka Can't play with Harden, the next game of the Thunder is still very challenging.

"We will win these two games." Tang Tian didn't say much, but he acted confidently.

Tang Tian's attitude really built up a lot of confidence in the coaching staff.

In the following time, the regular meeting discussed the tactics and rotation for the next two games.

After the regular meeting was over, the Thunder's coaching staff and the nine Thunder boarded a plane to Memphis.

This is the Thunder's first game after the brawl time, and almost all sports media have focused on Memphis.

On the one hand, it is how the 9-man Thunder will play. On the other hand, they also want to know whether the Thunder will fall from a championship team to the bottom in one fell swoop like the Pacers did before.

With the extra attention from the media, the fans naturally all focused their attention.

"I still don't think the Thunder will be another Pacers. After all, Westbrook, who was punished the most, was only suspended for 10 games. It's not the one that picks things up."

"I also think that the Thunder will not become the Pacers. They will be the favorites for the championship again next month. The only thing to worry about is that they need to challenge their form before the playoffs."

"Yes, but I'm afraid the Thunder team will have a hard time recently. Don't even think about winning the last two games. If you lose within 20 points, you should win."

"That's true. The Grizzlies and Nets, including the Clippers and Nuggets they will face in the future, are the top four teams in the Western Conference. A loss within 25 points is considered a win."

...

In the attention of fans and media, the game between the Thunder and the Grizzlies kicked off at the FedEx Arena.

The ball market in Memphis is mediocre, but the attendance rate of the arena tonight still reached about 90%.

Although the situation is different, most fans are still happy to witness that the protagonist abuses the No. 1 in the Western Conference and competes for the popularity.

The Grizzlies opened with a raw wildness that matched the culture of the franchise.

Amidst the explosive cheers of the fans at the scene, the starting players of both sides were introduced one after another.

On the Grizzlies side, Conley and Tony Allen are on the perimeter, "Little Prince" Prince and Zach Randolph are on the front line, and Marc Gasol is the center.

Before the trade deadline, the Grizzlies sent Gay away in exchange for Prince and Ed Davis, and the team entered a complete double bear era.

The starting lineup of the Grizzlies is a regular lineup. In contrast, the starting lineup of the 9-man Thunder is even more curious.