Kevin Garnett is soooooooo suspended.
Midway through the first quarter of Monday night’s bout between the Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets, Garnett got into it with Dwight Howard, because, well, Garnett has a tendency to get into it with a lot of people.
Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game described the scene:
It didn’t take long for sparks to fly in Nets-Rockets.
With 7:53 left in the first quarter, Nets forward Kevin Garnett and Rockets center Dwight Howard got into a scuffle, resulting in Garnett’s ejection and one technical assessed to Howard.
Howard and Garnett first got into it as soon as the whistle was blown, with Garnett giving Howard a push, and Howard responding with a push and by saying “f— off” to Garnett. In retaliation, Garnett threw the ball at Howard’s back and headbutted him in the jaw. Howard then swiped at Garnett, and the two had to be restrained for an extended period as the two coaching staffs struggled to maintain order.
Here’s a video of what transpired as well, also courtesy of Kharpertian:
“Hello, Kevin?
“Yo.”
“Hi, this is the [insert your favorite made-up name here] over at the commissioner’s office. I have Adam Silver for you.”
“Shit.”
This isn’t one of those situations where you can say no malice was intended. Garnett threw his head into Howard’s jaw, putting the latter’s pearly white smile at risk (Oh, the injustice). He is going to miss time—I would assume at least a game, if not more.
Howard seemed willing to be restrained; Garnett did not. He went off for a while. This is easily the most heated he’s been in years, if not ever. It makes you wonder if there was some other unpleasantries exchanged between the two before Howard’s F-bomb, or if, perhaps, there’s still some residual hatred from this:
Whatever instigated this head-humping (feels right), Garnett was ready to rumble over it. Pushing 39, he’s apparently (still) one short fuse away from a ferocious outburst.
Or will his critics just try to spin this as Howard being an entitled, ringless manchild who, quite inexplicably, irritated the purer, holier-than-now competitor that is Garnett?
Wait long enough, and you’ll find out—though the answer probably won’t surprise you.
