Saturday night at the end of Nuggets-Timberwolves Game 4 turned into something you'd see in a hockey game, not basketball. Fights breaking out on the court. Fights breaking out in the tunnel. Players and coaches going at it. And now the NBA has to sort through the mess before Game 5 on Monday night.
According to Shams Charania at ESPN, the league investigation is in full swing - interviews with players, coaches, and officials, video review, the whole nine yards. Rulings are expected before tipoff Monday in Denver, which means we could see suspensions that completely alter this series.
Here's what made this so bizarre: there was a fight happening on the court and a fight happening in the tunnel at the same time. How does that even happen? You had Jokic and Jaden McDaniels going at it over some end-of-game nonsense - the whole "unwritten rules" thing about running up the score - and then apparently some other guys decided to take their business to the back.
With Minnesota up 3-1 and Anthony Edwards already out injured, suspensions could be absolutely devastating. If the Timberwolves lose key rotation players, their chances of closing out the series take a major hit. If Denver loses guys, their comeback hopes get even slimmer.
The NBA doesn't mess around with this stuff. We've seen playoff suspensions change entire series before. Remember Draymond Green getting suspended in the 2016 Finals? That series completely shifted. The league will hand out punishment, and somebody's going to pay the price.
What frustrates me about this is that it's unnecessary. You've got a competitive playoff series, incredible basketball being played, and then it devolves into WWE at the final buzzer. Just shake hands and get ready for the next game.
But hey, tempers flare in the playoffs. Emotions run high. Guys are competing for a championship, and sometimes it boils over. The question now is whether the NBA suspensions will determine who advances to the next round. That would be a shame, but it's the reality we're facing.
Game 5, Monday night in Denver. We'll see who's even allowed to play.
