Ray Allen and Kenyon Dooling had several heated physical exchanges on the court Wednesday night. The two players were ejected from the game in the first quarter for fighting. After a cheat shot from the Orlando Magic's Dooling there was swift retaliation from Allen. The combatants pushed and struck one another while running down the court. Eventually they both hit the deck after Dooling shoved down Allen. Then in an outburst of self-defense and anger the Seattle shooting guard tackled his counterpart, both landing into the first row of seats.
It was quite an ugly scene, but what happened could have been so much worse. It wasn't close to a replay of the Pacers-Pistons brawl last year which was a positive. The players will serve suspensions to be determined later. Supersonics Coach Bob Hill stated his case to the refs after Allen's ejection, claiming he was just defending himself and was provoked. Fighting will always result in more than 1 person being penalized, no matter who started it. Afterwards both players regreted their actions that lead to the incident.
Why can't professional athletes get along anymore? There is always an argument or descrepancy over minor things. There are big egos that get in the way and pride that is one line. The scuffles can be avoided if players were level-headed and respect one another. Letting their emotions get the best of them leads to defeat and embarrassment. Keyon Dooling and Ray Allen are usually good-natured players who are solid contributors to their teams. One or the another may of just been having a bad night to start with. If there are no other major altercations in the NBA this year it will be a good sign. However, don't hold your breath!
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