To those who aren’t watching closely enough, the hate in the NBA didn’t go away because the players got soft. It was because the league legislated it out amid bad press.
The fine and suspension structure made throwing fists an expensive proposition.
More than any other professional league in America, the NBA is subject to revisionist history.
The playoffs are always more physical, but there’s been an uptick in face-to-face reactions as referees have allowed teams to be more physical.
Look no further than the New York Knicks-Detroit Pistons series. I will stop short by saying that it is the Charles Oakley/Anthony Mason Knicks against the Bad Boys, but in 2025, it will be a tension-filled series.
Detroit has a roster that is built to be physical, even without Isaiah Stewart.
In Game 3, the confrontations were centered around punking Karl Anthony-Towns. Even when KAT was with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he had a reputation for being soft. Now that he’s in the Eastern Conference, teams are taking advantage of a more friendly, physical-oriented whistle.
KAT knows this, so he was the “third man” when Mitchell Robinson and Paul Reed got tangled up. His shove was worth the technical he received. Whether he admits it or not, KAT knows that he needs to change the narrative.
The other player the Pistons have targeted is Jalen Brunson. The not-so-soft complaint coming out of Detroit was Brunson’s ability to draw fouls was primarily due to overreactions to any contact.
Heck, Ausar Thompson tried to go all 1980s when he shoved Brunson, and the guard slid into the basket support.
Instead of backing off Brunson, Detroit has hit him repeatedly. When Brunson didn’t get a friendly whistle in game two, the Pistons won in Gotham.
Both KAT and Brunson sent messages in a road game three win. Kat ended with 31 points and eight rebounds. Brunson went 11 for 13 from the free throw line and finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
What changed was both players’ level of physicality and willingness to stand up to the Pistons.
When you add that the current level of the NBA talent is superior to any other era, it’s easy to understand why playoff ratings are up.
Other series have seen their own dust-ups, including Milwaukee-Indiana and Golden State-Houston.
The first round of the playoffs is shaping up to be one of the best NBA playoffs, from the first round to the NBA Finals in league history.
