Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez is expecting harsh punishment to come down from the league office following Tuesday night's fight with Toronto Raptors‘ new addition Serge Ibaka, a melee that quickly escalated in the later stages of the third quarter.
“I'm expecting to be suspended,” Lopez told K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
The two exchanged whiffing blows after Ibaka had pushed Lopez in the back as the two were battling for possession of the ball on the glass. Lopez was immediately separated after throwing the first punch and Ibaka was tackled out of range as officials, staff, and teammates meddled on the high-flaring exchange.
Who wins in a fight?
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“I think it was just a really physical game for everybody. And it hit the flashpoint,” said Lopez.
His teammate, Jimmy Butler, agrees the team's starting center is bound to miss a game or two.
“Obviously, he's going to be suspended,” Butler told Johnson. “We know that.”
The league has relentlessly tried to move away from the overly physical and aggressive style the sport carried during the 80's — deed which has made the product smoother to digest, but also caused it to miss the tension that made NBA games so great back in the day.
It's unknown how many games the league will hand out for this incident, but it wouldn't be surprising if they choose to make an example out of this one and punish both players with a few games and a hefty fine.
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