NBA Fight Night

I'm making my first BOLD prediction tonight.

Either in the Celtics/Magic or Lakers/Rockets game tonight, there will be at least another altercation. Maybe even a fight.

Which begs the question: Why?

Why?
Personally, I think the NBA has become a more physical game since the Pistons/Pacers Brawl in 2004. No one wants to be pushed around or bullied. You can't blame a player for standing up to someone who is trying to shoved them around.

In Game 2 of the Celtics/Magic series, Eddie House was smacked in the back of his head by Rafer Alston the other night (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCBLKrEQ278). Eddie had every right to clock Alston and keep going. House wouldn't have missed Rafer - he hit everything he threw at the basket.

Alston was probably ticked off that someone from the Celtics bench was torching him (House scored 31 points and was perfect from behind the arc - four for four). I've watched many of the Celtics' games the past two years and seen Eddie House talk trash almost constantly; it never mattered if he was on fire or ice cold - Eddie was talking. Even if Eddie was trashing Alston, Rafer had no reason to hit House as he was going down the court to the defensive end to guard no one.

In the second game of the Lakers/Rockets series, Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest got into a scuffle. While getting into position for a rebound, Kobe elbowed Artest. From the replays I've seen, if Kobe meant to elbow Artest, he did a good job of making it look accidental.

Each game, especially in the playoffs, has multiple elbows while players are in the paint. They are as common as Oakland Raiders first round draft pick busts. Dikembe Mutombo, known for his sharp elbows and their ability to find the nearest player to him, rearranged more faces than the Nip/Tuck doctors (sorry for all the metaphors - they are flowing quite well right now).

I can't find Kobe's elbow to Artest, but here is the following events - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aMyyLdRixI. After watching the video, you see what will cause the fight in this series - the throat slash gesture. Artest was immediately tossed from the game and STILL tried to get back in Kobe's face.

Artest has a history of making stupid decisions on and off the court. We all know about the Brawl in Detriot, asking for time off the promote his record label, honoring legendary Chicago Bulls players while playing for their rival Indiana Pacers, etc. But this one takes the cake.

The throat slash is one of the most disrespecting gestures a person can make towards another. I remember watching WCW and seeing Chris Benoit do it all the time but that's scripted - it told a story that he was finishing his opponent. Artest probably really wants to kill Kobe Bryant.

Now, My Fight Prediction - Celtics/Magic or Lakers/Rockets?
Tonight during when the Lakers visit the Rockets for Game 3, there will be a fight. It'll start after a hard foul, someone will say something about someone else momma, and BAM - punches are thrown.

If I'm wrong, I'll get over it and watch one of the UFC PPVs I've ordered in the past.