The Phoenix Suns walked out of their home arena with a crucial Game 4 win that tied the series up 2-2. The game wasn’t without controversy, as there was an altercation between Mat Ishbia and Nikola Jokic.
Ishbia was holding on to the ball after it went out of bounds as Jokic went to retrieve it. Jokic ended up using his elbow to shove the Suns’ owner and get the ball, which led to him being awarded a technical foul, something Michael Malone was furious about.
Michael Malone: “I still am not sure of what happened, I haven’t seen the video of it. I think it’s crazy that Nikola [Jokic] got a technical foul in that situation. He’s going to get the ball and some fan is holding onto the ball like he wants to be a part of the game. Just give the ball up, man. They deemed Nikola for doing something excessive and gave him a technical. I still don’t really understand it.”
Reporter: “The fan was the owner of the Suns.”
Michael Malone: “I don’t give a sh*t. I really don’t care.”
Mike Malone: "I think it's crazy that Nikola [Jokic] got a technical foul… He's going to get the ball and some fan is holding onto the ball like he wants to be apart of the game."
Reporter: "The fan was the owner of the Suns."
MM: "I don't give a sh*t."pic.twitter.com/pMrfe1HUGE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 8, 2023
Jokic had an incredible 53-point performance in this loss but a lot of the shine will be taken away from it as this incident will be one of the major talking points coming out of Game 4.
Should Nikola Jokic Be Penalized Further?
Player and fan interactions during a game can often get a player in trouble, that’s why they’re asked to not engage with disrespectful fans. When the fan is the new owner of the team you’re going up against, the rules seem a little cloudier. If a fan was impeding the game by holding onto the ball, a player may not face a suspension for retrieving it. But when the fan is an owner, the league may look at it differently.
Phoenix Suns Owner Mat Ishbia getting into it with Jokic and selling the chicken wing. Absolute cinema.https://t.co/pU9Em4dJRC pic.twitter.com/AOZY5ZZPnv
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 8, 2023
There’s no reason to suspend Nikola Jokic for Game 5 and impact the quality of the basketball on the court. It would be a rotten decision and hopefully, the league doesn’t pursue the same. This is a basketball incident and fans or owners that sit courtside should know that players won’t take kindly to them impeding the game in any way.
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