Lebron James Gets Ejected After Elbowing Pistons Forward Isaiah Stewart, Almost Starting Malice in the Palace 2.0
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the biggest Lebron James fan. Now with that out of the way, let me say this: The act of blatant aggression and violence that Lebron James showed on Sunday was downright disgusting--a borderline jail-worthy offense. Was he upset that he only had 10 points against one of the worst defenses in the league? Or maybe he was mad that his 'super team' was at the time down by 11 to the four-win Detroit Pistons? Regardless, the elbow thrown by James in the first minutes of the third quarter will remain a talking point around this already bizarre Lakers season.
Hyperbole aside, the situation was pretty crazy. While fighting for a rebound after a missed free throw, Lebron James elbowed sophomore forward Isaiah Stewart in the face, causing a nasty cut to form right over his right eye. Immediately Lebron stuck his hand as if to say "my bad," but Stewart wasn't buying it. As the blood began to run down his face, Stewart got right up into the grill of Lebron as the two started exchanging words. Quickly the two were swarmed by players and referees alike, and it took only a few seconds to realize: this wasn't your typical "hold me back" NBA pushing fight.
With what appeared to be the entire Piston's roster trying to stop him, Isaiah Stewart was adamant on getting his revenge, making several lunges at the 17 time all-star. Every time Stewart seemed to have calmed down, he would pull a swift juke straight out of Ladinian Tomlinson's playbook in an attempt to get hands on Lebron, who was at all times kept a fair distance away from the scrum by a referee. Both players were ejected from the game, and the Lakers would eventually win 121-117.
The win pushed the Lakers to 9-9 on the season and snapped a three-game losing streak, but questions about the team's performance still remain. At one time the favorites to win the NBA Championship, the Lakers now find themselves at +1000 to win the title, and I can see those odds getting even bigger if they continue to struggle and Lebron James keeps beating people up. However, looking into the future they may not be a bad bet seeing as Lebron James always seems to have a way to sneak into the title picture.
They'll be traveling to New York to take on the Knicks next, and whether or not Lebron James will be a part of that is still unknown.
