The Most Memorable Fights, Fouls and Foolishness In NBA Finals History

“It's like getting rid of the bully. It's like, I knocked the bully's a** out. I knocked his a** clean out. That's what it feels like."

It's not a surprise that amazing quote about winning a championship came courtesy of the always intense and amusing metaphor-dropper Kevin Garnett. The same man who once said he was "loading up the uzi and got a couple joints with silencers on them" to prepare for a Game 7.

Despite KG's reputation for being a bully himself, Chapter 11 of the Celtics vs. Lakers NBA Finals didn't have any memorable scuffles or even "heated moments," as all the YouTubers say.

So, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the most memorable fights, fouls, and foolishness in Finals history. You know, back when a player would punch another and not even get ejected. The first stop will be Chapter 8 in the Celtics vs. Lakers series.

THE DIRTIEST PLAY EVER?

Kevin McHale Clotheslines Kurt Rambis

• YEAR: 1984
• FINALS GAME: Game 4
• EJECTIONS: No
• SUSPENSIONS: No
• FINES: No

After the Lakers went up 2-1 against the Celtics with a 33-point beatdown, Larry Bird told the media the team was "playing like sissies."

In the following practice, Danny Ainge told Kevin McHale he gets booed in every arena because he takes hard fouls and then asked the 6 x All-Defensive Teamer, "Why don't you foul somebody hard one time?"

Yes, the cold-blooded GM admitted this during an interview on the Locked On Celtics podcast.

McHale must have thought it was a good idea. Down by six with five minutes left in the third quarter of Game 4, McHale prevented Kurt Rambis from making a layup with a clothesline that made Hulk Hogan proud.

Rambis jumped up. The benches cleared. James Worthy was staring down McHale and telling the refs to eject him. Pat Riley said it was "as flagrant of a foul as I've ever seen."

Peter Vecsey called it "one of the dirtiest plays I've ever seen in my life."

It's a fixture in NBA fight mixtapes or silly "LeBron couldn't play in this era" montages. And the only thing that happened was Kurt Rambis went to the free-throw line to shoot two.

The rest of the game was a dogfight with a few more notable moments, including Kareem throwing an elbow at Bird and telling him, "White boy, I'll kick your a**." There was also Cedric Maxwell making the choking gesture (long before Reggie Miller) after a missed free throw from James Worthy.

The Celtics came out victorious in overtime and went on to win the series in seven games. Magic Johnson, who was labeled "Tragic Johnson" after the series, said he cried all summer because he felt he was the reason why they lost the Championship.

McHale also cried (with tears of joy) and said he had a regret as well.

"My only regret, honestly, is that it wasn't Worthy or Magic or someone better," Kevin said on the Cedric Maxwell Podcast about his clothesline. "It just happened to be Kurt Rambis."

THE ORIGINAL MALICE AT THE PALACE WITH THE ORIGINAL WEMBY

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• YEAR: 1986
• FINALS GAME: Game 5
• EJECTIONS: Ralph Sampson
• SUSPENSIONS: No
• FINES: Ralph Sampson ($5K), Jerry Sichting ($1.5K), Akeem Olajuwon ($1.5K), Dennis Johnson ($1.5K), 13 players ($500)

Before the Malice In The Palace in 2004, this incident between the Celtics and Rockets was probably the most infamous brawl in league history.

The ruckus started in the first quarter when 6'1" Jerry Sichting ended up guarding the 7'4" Ralph Sampson in the post. Sampson said he threw a punch at Sichting for "hitting him in the nuts" right after Danny Ainge did it. He then threw a punch at Dennis Johnson before being tackled to the ground by Bill Walton. While Sampson was in a wrestling match on the floor, the other half of Houston's Twin Towers, Akeem "Before the H" Olajuwon (no stranger to fights in the 80s), hit Bird in the head and then tagged DJ, who went to the bench with a bloody cut on his face.

The radio voice of the Celtics, Johnny Most, unleashed his anger with Sampson on the air: "He started the whole damn thing! And big Ralph Sampson is a foot and three inches taller than Sichting. He’s the last guy who has a right to complain. The big, brave bull. ‘I’m Ralph Sampson. I have the right to hit you. I have a right to bite your head off.’ Ralph Sampson is a gutless big guy who picks on little people, and he showed me a gutless streak. That was a gutless, yellow thing to do!”

As expected, the always quotable Celtics players had jokes about the fight for the media.

Larry Bird: "Heck, my girlfriend could beat Sichting up."

Kevin McHale: “It was like watching a giraffe fight a squirrel.”

What I wasn't expecting was the Rockets to win the game without their All-Star big man. Akeem, who stayed in the game despite throwing multiple punches, put up 32 points, 14 boards, and 8 blocks in the 15-point victory.

Sampson was clearly bothered by the quotes and the media's reaction to the fight. Then he saw the antics in the Garden for Game 6, including the Garden jumbotron replaying the fight to the joy of nearly 15,000 fans.

The worst sight was a mannequin wearing a Sampson jersey hanging by the neck from the upper deck.

He managed only eight points on 12 shots as the Celtics led by as much as 30 in the title-clinching game.

A few random things about the 7'4" Unicorn that some now call "Wemby before Wemby."

• He made the All-Star team in each of his first four seasons.
• His game-winning hail mary in the 1986 WCF is one of the most memorable shots in Playoff history.
• The Blazers offered the No. 2 Draft pick in 1984, along with Clyde Drexler, for Sampson. Can you imagine if the Rockets accepted the trade, drafted Akeem with their No. 1 pick and Michael Jordan with the No. 2 pick?

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STACK VS SHAQ

NBA 2006 파이널 4차전 - 댈러스 매버릭스 vs 마이애미 히트

• YEAR: 2006
• FINALS GAME: Game 4
• EJECTIONS: No
• SUSPENSIONS: Jerry Stackhouse (1 Game)
• FINES: No

Twenty years after watching a 6'1" player fight a 7'4" player, I was hoping to see a fight between 6'6" Jerry Stackhouse and 7'1" Shaquille O'Neal. Two players with an amusing fight resume:

Shaquille O'Neal

• Punching Alvin Robertson and then rapping about it on his debut album
• Whatever you want to call his scuffle with Charles Barkley, which resulted in their Moms talking on the phone and then telling their sons to squash any beef they might have.
• Throwing a punch at Kobe Bryant in practice.
• Punching and putting teammate Scott Skiles in a headlock in practice.
• Throwing a sucker punch at Brad Miller, who avoids the punch with the help of his guardian angel or 6th Man (as in the movie with Kadeem Hardison).

Jerry Stackhouse

• Punching teammate Christian Laettner on a plane during a game of cards.
• Fought teammate Allen Iverson in practice during AI's rookie season
• Waited in the tunnel after a game for Kirk Snyder and "got a couple" before security stopped them.

With a 68-51 lead in the third quarter of Game 4 of the 2006 NBA Finals, Stackhouse blindsided Shaq and knocked him to the floor to prevent a wide-open dunk.

"It was a hard foul," Stackhouse said. "When Shaq is going to the basket, we want to try to make him go to the free throw line and earn it."

Shaq, who already had a tech, surprisingly kept his cool and walked back to the bench. His teammate, Antoine Walker, did pick up a tech for confronting Stack, who shot the technical free throw. Then, Shaq surprisingly stepped up and knocked down both of his free throws, which caused the Miami crowd to erupt.

The Mavs then responded by scoring a Playoff-record low of seven points in the fourth quarter of the loss. The series was now tied at 2-2.

Despite not getting ejected from the game, the league did suspend Stack for a must-win Game 5.

Coach Avery Johnson called the decision "a bunch of baloney" and "sickening." President Donnie Nelson said he was "appalled" and the timing of it "is a bitter pill." Owner Mark Cuban said, "Shaq creates more dangerous contact camping in the lane for 5 seconds trying to set an NBA finals record for charges taken by a center than Stack did trying to prevent a layup."

As for Shaq, this is what he had to say about the flagrant foul:

"My daughters tackle me harder when I come home. I'm one of the last players of the old school. You just have to take a hard foul like that and keep on moving. It actually felt pretty good to get hit like that. Thank you, Jerry. Appreciate it."

The Heat won the next two games, and Dirk would have to wait another five years for a shot at a Championship. Not only did he win it in 2011, he won it against the Heat.

THE WORM & MAILMAN FILMED A WRESTLING PROMO DURING AN NBA FINALS GAME

Karl Malone vs Dennis Rodman 1998 Finals Game 6! Wrestling Game & 6th Championship!

• YEAR: 1998
• FINALS GAME: Game 4
• EJECTIONS: No
• SUSPENSIONS: No
• FINES: No

Late 90s Dennis Rodman might be one of the most interesting celebs ever.

Late 90s Karl Malone might be one of the greatest power forwards ever, and one of the least likable humans to have played in the NBA.

During Game 6 of The Last Dance of the Bulls' second three-peat, the two got into a wrestling and tripping scuffle while running down the court. Rodman picked up the loose foul, and Bob Costas says, "He and Karl Malone, regrettably, are scheduled to wrestle in one of those bogus events next month. Why Malone wants to lower himself to that is anyone's guess."

If you are a conspiracy person, you might enjoy the idea that this moment was a planned promotion for the '98 BASH AT THE BEACH wrestling event. Need more proof? Rodman skipped practice and a media availability session during the Finals to appear on WCW Nitro to promote the event. The league fined him $10,000 for missing the media session, but he was going to earn between $900,000-$1,500,000 for the event.

WCW booker Eric Bischoff on this conspiracy theory:

"I knew I couldn't talk to Dennis and Karl about doing anything that would help promote WCW, but there was probably a conversation or two, wink wink, 'Hey guys, if you get an opportunity to have any kind of animated conversation, that would only help."

If you want to dig deeper into this theory, listen to this episode of THE FIRST BALLOT PODCAST with guest Peter Rosenberg or this episode of PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT. The awesome Neil Punsalan leads both episodes.

As for that PPV BASH AT THE BEACH event, Dennis Rodman and Hulk Hogan defeated Karl Malone and Diamond Dallas Page. That meant Malone lost to Rodman in two different sports that year.

SUCKER PUNCHERS: THE ENFORCER & CHOCOLATE THUNDER

Darryl Dawkins vs Maurice Lucas fight NBA 1977 finals game 2

• YEAR: 1977
• FINALS GAME: Game 2
• EJECTIONS: Yes
• SUSPENSIONS: No
• FINES: Lucas & Dawkins ($2,500)

We just covered two Finals stories that didn't involve any actual punches on the court. So, let's go back to 1977 to a fight between two of the toughest and most unique characters from that decade.

Maurice Lucas was nicknamed the Enforcer. He was also an ABA legend, a 4-time NBA All-Star, a defensive specialist, and the reason Bill Walton named one of his sons Luke.

Darryl Dawkins is nicknamed Chocolate Thunder and is from the Planet Lovetron. He's most famous for being the second player in NBA history to be drafted directly out of high school and for breaking multiple backboards. The 1989 NBA Champion also wore multiple gold chains while playing in games and was my breakfast partner during the Sprite Showdown Tour in the early 2010s. I know that's not important to you, but he and that tour were very important to me and my career.

With a 20-point lead and less than five minutes left in Game 2 of the 1977 Finals, Dawkins threw Bobby Gross to the floor while fighting for an offensive board. It initially seemed like nothing was going to happen. Dawkins then sucker punched Gross while he was calmly being held and talking to a couple of Sixers. While Dawkins started to backpedal away from Gross, Lucas sucker punched Dawkins in the back of the head.

"I'm mad at my teammates," Dawkins said to the NY Times. "They let another player sneak up behind my back and hit me."

The two players then squared up like boxers and gave us one of the greatest NBA fight photos ever (shout out to Gene Puskar).

After a few punches were thrown, it was pure chaos. Coaches, players, refs, the police, and even fans were getting tackled in the middle of the court. And in the middle of that chaos was the coolest player ever, Dr. J, just sitting on the floor watching the show.

Lucas and Dawkins were both ejected. Dawkins was so upset that he reportedly destroyed a bathroom stall in the locker room.

The game was considered a momentum shifter, and the Blazers went on to win the next four games, becoming just the second team in Finals history to come back from a 2-0 deficit.

DRAYMOND'S FLAGRANT ON LEBRON

LeBron James & Draymond Green Fight - Warriors vs Cavaliers - Game 4 - 2016 NBA Finals

• YEAR: 2016
• FINALS GAME: Game 4
• EJECTIONS: No
• SUSPENSIONS: Yes
• FINES: Green ($129,000)

The most infamous flagrant foul in NBA Finals history goes to Draymond Green. His "unnecessary contact" with LeBron's groin in Game 4 of the 2016 Finals was his fourth flagrant of the playoffs, which meant an automatic one-game suspension.

As you know, the Cavs won the following game (LeBron and Kyrie each scored 41), the one after that, and then a third game, which made them the first team to overcome a 3–1 series deficit in the NBA Finals. And they did it against the team with the best record in NBA history.

Draymond blamed himself while speaking to ESPN about the incident:

"He stepped over me. I had a natural reaction. You don't step over a grown man. It's disrespectful. If it happened again, I would do the same thing... It's probably one of the most brutal things I had to go through in my life. If I played, we win, of course. So I do feel it's my fault that we lost. Absolutely my fault but I don't feel wrong for what I did at all."

Draymond's Mom:

"LeBron figured out a way to get into Dray's head. And that's what happened. The heart and soul of the team. If you take out the heart, then how does the body live."

LeBron:

“Some of the words that came out of his mouth was a little overboard. Being a guy with pride, a guy with three kids, things of that nature, some things just go overboard. That’s where he took it.”

Steph Curry:

"I don't know what LeBron's intention was. You have to ask him. Obviously, Draymond thought it was disrespectful and wanted to get up and say something, so that was his reaction to it. I would have probably done the same thing."

Mo Speights:

"It's messed up to suspend a man over nothing. If somebody put balls on your head, what are you supposed to do? Balls are on the back of his head. It's kind of messed up man, but hey."

Charles Barkley:

"That's really disrespectful to step over a guy. You're supposed to pop him in his junk if he steps over you like that."

Draymond in 2022 on the Old Man And The Three Podcast:

"When I look back on it, what bothers me is I would have been Finals MVP. And that totally changes the narrative. Good luck leaving me off the NBA 75 if I was Finals MVP. Good luck even having the debate whether I'm a Hall of Famer or not."

I don't know about Finals MVP. He was great in Game 7 with 32 points, 15 boards, and 9 assists (while Steph and Klay combined for just 31 points on 33% shooting). But, if the suspension doesn't happen, we might not have had a Game 7.

It all worked out for Draymond and the Warriors in the long run. A crying Draymond called Kevin Durant from the parking lot after the game; KD announced his "next chapter," and the Warriors won back-to-back Championships.

I'm joking about the crying in the parking lot story, which Draymond addressed during a conversation with KD on THE ETCS Podcast:

"It was this whole narrative of, “You called Kevin crying from the parking lot.” I’m like, yo, this s*** can – y’all added a theatrical sense to make this s*** a movie. You got to make s*** for TV. You got to add on a little bit. So people just started pouring on, bro. But I wasn’t about to come out and fight it. At the end of the day, however y’all think Kevin got here in your mind, just roll with that if that’s what helps you out."

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CONOR MCGREGOR VS HEAT MASCOT

Conor McGregor knocks out Miami Heat mascot and sends him to hospital 😳

• YEAR: 2023
• FINALS GAME: Game 4
• EJECTIONS: No
• SUSPENSIONS: No
• FINES: No

What started as an amusing skit between Burnie, the Miami Heat mascot, and UFC star Conor McGregor turned out to be a trip to the ER.

The plan was for McGregor to punch the mascot and then spray him with his pain relief spray. McGregor ended up knocking him out on the first punch and then punched him again while he lay on the ground.

While staffers dragged Burnie's body off the court, McGregor chased after him, spraying him with pain relief spray. It didn't work.

If getting knocked out for a sketch wasn't bad enough, Burnie's team lost the game by 13 points.

“It’s the Miami Heat toughness that we are talking about,” Coach Spoelstra said about Burnie. “Should’ve been allowed to take the first swing. We won’t reveal who that is but he’s tough. Take a punch and get back up. Yeah, he’s not going to miss any time.”

Burnie was back on his feet for Game 5, which happened to be the final game of the series that the Nuggets won.

Speaking of the Nuggets, Mascots, and passing out. Please watch this video of an unconscious Rocky being lowered from the rafters.

INFAMOUS FOULS

Dwyane Wade LEGENDARY Game 5 vs Mavs 2006 NBA Finals - 43 Pts, UNREAL CLUTCH!

DWYANE WADE'S FREE THROW PARTY (2006)

The Dallas Mavs made 21-of-25 free throws in Game 5 of the 2006 Finals. Wade also went 21-of-25 from the charity stripe. The last two came with 1.9 seconds left in OT and won the game. As expected, Mark Cuban wasn't too happy about those numbers and was fined for the following: "I don't think anybody will doubt we had it taken from us. A different set of refs, a different outcome."

STARKS AND THE NBA RULE CHANGE (1994)

I bet you didn't know that until 1995, a player fouled while shooting a three was only awarded two free throw attempts. John Starks and older Knicks fans know this.

Down by three with 3.9 seconds left in Game 3 of the 1994 Finals, Starks was fouled by Hakeem while attempting a three. Since he was only allowed to take two free throws, he made the first and intentionally missed the second with the hopes of an offensive rebound. The NBA changed the rule the following season.

BILL LAIMBER ON KAREEM (1988)

Up one with 14 seconds left in regulation, Bill Laimbeer makes minimal body contact with Kareem as Cap attempted his trademark skyhook. Laimbeer fouled out, and Kareem knocked down both free throws and won the game.

"Check the tape," Kareem said in response to people that questioned the call. "He made contact with my body. It was a good call."

BONUS STORY

MAD MAX VS CLUTCH CITY (1995): Vernon Maxwell has two rings for being a member of the Clutch City Rockets, although he wasn't on the roster when the Rockets won the second Championship.

Mad Max was mad about his diminished minutes and role on the team after they picked up Hakeem's former college teammate, Clyde Drexler.

After shooting 1-of-7 in Game 1 of the 95 Playoffs, he left the team and got waived a week after the team won the Championship. Maxwell has since said, "It was one of the worst decisions I ever made in my life."

If you were hoping to hear about a physical fight and not a disagreement fight, then listen to this hilarious story about the time the police had to pull guns on Maxwell after Hakeem slapped him in the face.

Vernon Maxwell Almost STABBED Hakeem Olajuwon In Locker Room Fight | No Chill with Gilbert Arenas