Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks have gone back-and-forth in quite a physical matchup thus far. The Clippers’ bruisers have been getting into Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis’ nerves since the start but the young guns have been far from intimidated.
However, things kind of escalated too quickly during Game 3, when the good-old trash-talking went too far after Montrezl Harrell called Luka Doncic a ‘B*tch a** white boy’.
Harrell’s words have raised plenty of controversies around the league. It’s pretty clear that people can get caught up in the moment with the intensity of a playoff game, and Trez is a well-known trash-talker. Then again, he may have crossed a line here, according to ESPN’s Jay Williams:
“Damn, Montrez… I can only imagine if Luka Doncic had said something like that to you and it got caught on tape. I can only imagine with the Black Lives Matter how much of a big deal that would’ve been considering today’s climate and state. Would’ve been a massive story. Luka would’ve lost all credibility in this face. Everybody would have been commenting on it. We would ask LeBron about it, we would ask Kawhi about it. Everybody would’ve had some kind of statement about it. But it’s not that big of a story because Trez said it to a caucasian person. It should be a big story ’cause it’s not acceptable, man. Look, I’m a hooper I talk trash, I curse people out. We can get into whether that’s wrong too but what are you saying? You’re involving race in it? And I’ve heard people say this back in the day during basketball scenarios and playing hoops in the inner cities. I still didn’t find it acceptable then, I don’t find it acceptable now. Especially when cameras are on you 24/7. Get lost in your battle man but don’t get lost and say things like that. You don’t need to say things like that, Trez, let your performance speak for itself. You can talk trash in different ways, you don’t need to say things like that. I’m not a lip reader but I know what I saw come out of your mouth man. We don’t need that in today’s game, especially with everything that we’re fighting for in terms of equality. Even if you do get lost in your emotions. Not acceptable, not acceptable,” Williams stated.
Regarding the @dallasmavs @LAClippers game last night & the words we all know that came out of Montrez Harrell’s mouth.. pic.twitter.com/pLfZ1ryfll
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) August 22, 2020
Even though ‘White Boy’ has not been used as an insult in the same ways the N-word has been used towards Africanamericans, Jay Williams has quite a point with his statement.
It’s true that Doncic would have been canceled, suspended, fined, and his career would have taken a major downturn if he had told Trez a racial slur, let alone being caught in camera. Also, there are countless things Harrell could have told the Slovenian without having the need to involve the color of his skin.
We don’t need that right now. Hoops aren’t about that. Even if the intensity of a playoff matchup may get the best of their emotions.
