On March 1, during the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers
and the Houston Rockets, James Harden kicked LeBron James below the belt. This
incident happened at the third quarter. Harden was double-teamed by the Cavs;
then he fell down and kicked LeBron. After reviewing the video recording, the
referee gave a flagrant foul 1 to Harden. (McMenamin, 2015)
(Below is the video clip)
“It’s a reaction,” Harden explained his behavior after the
game. “They called a flagrant. Next play we moved on” (Watkins, 2015, para. 5). However, his explanation
does not sound convincing, James Jones said: “It was an intentional groin kick.
It was an intentional kick to a troublesome area”(Watkins, 2015, para. 11). After the game, LeBron
added: “Obviously that’s not a basketball play. Obviously the league will
probably take a look at it. I have no idea why he would do that, but two competitors
just trying to go at it and he won this one” (Watkins, 2015, para. 12).
On the evening of March 2, the NBA announced the Houston
Rockets’ guard James Harden would be suspended for one game (Watkins, 2015).
From my perspective, I agree with the league’s punishment. Because
Harden’s kick was obviously an intentional kick, he did not show his respect to
LeBron. He deserves the suspension. If the referee gives a flagrant foul 2 to
Harden, he will be ejected from the game. If this situation happens, the Houston
Rockets may not win the game at the end. As a professional player, Harden
should not have done this kick in any situation, because any behavior of a
professional player will be magnified under the light of media. Any negative
behavior may produce terrible impact on the society or younger players. In
addition, I also think Harden did not think carefully when he made the kick, as
a key player of Houston in this season. Harden is the most capable player at
the last second; because of his absence in the game versus the Hawks, the
Rockets lost the game.
How do you think of Harden’s kick toward LeBron? Do you
think the league made the correct punishment to Harden? Why? Should players be
allowed to do such an action? If you were in LeBron’s situation, what would be
your reaction?
References:
James Harden Kicks LeBron In The Nuts - Flagrant Foul! Cavs vs Houston (March 1, 2015). Youtube. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_kyibFAJy8McMenamin, D. (March 2, 2015) LeBron: Kick ‘not basketball play’. ESPN. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12406025/james-harden-kicks-lebron-james-belt-gets-flagrant-foul-1
Watkins, C. (March 3, 2015) James Harden suspended 1 game. ESPN. Retrieved from
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12410640/james-harden-houston-rockets-suspended-one-game-kicking-lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers
First of all, everyone might agree that what Harden did was unsportsmanlike and should not belong on a basketball court (In fact it should not belong anywhere, except maybe a MMA fight.). However, what I find even more critical is the aftermath such incidents create. The kick was discussed for days and Harden’s integrity was questioned. As many of you wrote in previous comments, incidents like this can happen “in the heat of the moment”. The best example therefore is Zinedine Zidane’s head-butt against Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final. Nobody questioned Zidane’s sportsmanship and integrity after what happened in that game. And while I am not saying that such actions should not have any consequences for players in forms of suspensions or fines, I think media and sport fans should be more reluctant before jumping to conclusions about a player’s personality.
ReplyDeleteAndreas Khuny
As far as Lebron’s reaction, I believe that he handled it professionally. I don’t think that I would’ve been able to handle that situation the same way. In the heat of the moment, it was a wrong thing for James Harden to do. I’m sure that he regretted doing it as soon as it happened. I do not believe that Harden is a dirty player by any means. I think that the NBA handled the situation the right way by suspending Harden for a game. That game could make a difference in the standings since it is towards the end of the regular season. I do not see how the in-game referees didn’t give Harden a flagarant 2 during the game. How is a kick to the groin any different than throwing a punch?
ReplyDeleteLeBron James did the right thing by not retaliating during this situation. Honestly because he is a brand he can’t. He would be characterized by many in the crowd and on TV if he would have. I don’t agree with what Harden did but James has really helped his reputation by going back to Cleveland and that took time because for so long he was the bad guy for going to Miami. This is a new age for basketball; there’s no more room for the old Detroit Pistons in basketball because of fines and losing endorsements. If the NBA wanted to really make sure things like this didn’t happen they would really go after a players pockets. Money talks especially when your job is to play basketball. I’m not sure if I agree with the punishment but I am happy it didn’t escalate into a brawl because the NBA has done a great job with staying out of the negative limelight.
ReplyDeleteVincent Marshall
I agree that Lebron handled the situation appropriately. I wonder if he had not been playing with a technical foul already if he might have reacted differently. I have never seen Harden react like that before in a game, and he seems to be a well mannered individual. His reaction is inexcusable, and his flagrant foul at a level 1 is appropriate. His actions are not justifiable in anyway, but I do believe that he was caught up in the intensity of the game at the moment and that he is not a malicious individual. He did not kick multiple times, and did not stand up to square off with Lebron, which is a positive on his part. There will always be these types of situations in sporting events, and it shows the level of intensity and effort placed into these games.
ReplyDeleteMatthias E. Reiber
I agree that James Harden was wrong in this situation. Though he was probably not trying to kick him in that particular area, he should not have kicked him at all. I also believe that Lebron reacted appropriately. A lot of players in that league would have jumped on top of Harden and there would have been a brawl. Lebron did the right thing by walking to his bench and not participating in a physical scuffle.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the NBA was right in its punishment. They had to address this situation, especially with these two high profile players. James Harden is not known for being this type of player so I feel that the NBA did enough by just suspending him for one game.
Derek Shay
I honestly think it’s completely childish that James Harden kicked LeBron in a very inappropriate area during the game. At first when I was watching the game it was kind of funny because James Harden is one of my favorite players in the NBA and he does tend to get a little crazy on the court. But with that being said I think it was completely unacceptable for him to do that to LeBron. As far as LeBron, despite getting kicked in his nuts I think he handled the situation pretty well. If it were me I’d be pissed and probably would have tried to come at whoever did that to me. In the NBA games can be intense and the guys play a long season and at this point every team is starting to play for playoff seeding. I guess James Harden took the win at all costs approach and as always it backfired. The referees need to do a better job of noticing when some things are just out of line and unacceptable. If I were in charge of punishment I believe James Harden should be kicked out of the game, sent back to the locker room, and suspended for at least a game to ensure nothing like this will continue in the NBA.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Matthews