Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni defends All-Star point guard Chris Paul for his reaction that led to the brawl with Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, suggesting that it's only a natural response when someone spat on your face.
The NBA has already handed punishments to all the players involved, with Paul suspended for two games and Rondo three.
D'Antoni said that he doesn't agree with the league's decision to suspend his player and cited that it was tough for Paul not to react that way he did, considering the heated situation and what Rondo did to instigate the fight.
#Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni says Chris Paul was apologetic for the incident with the #Lakers last night, but doesn’t know what he was supposed to do to avoid a suspension. pic.twitter.com/vh44jf0HsC
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 21, 2018
As Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints noted, Mike D'Antoni revealed that Chris Paul “was apologetic” for the incident. However, the 67-year-old Rockets coach said he believes Paul wouldn't start a fight and throw punches without reason.
With the suspension, Paul is set to miss their game against his former team — the L.A. Clippers — and Wednesday's match with the Utah Jazz.
Mike D'Antoni is clearly disappointed with what happened; however, there is certainly no room for violence in the NBA. For a league that promotes goodwill and sportsmanship, fighting is something they should always avoid.
There are a lot of sides in the story, and Chris Paul may be right that Rajon Rondo spat on his face — as a new video evidence show. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, they started a brawl and the league cannot overlook that.
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