Hoopers' Delight

French Insights - NBA is NOT likely to listen Mazzulla on fights

While the NBA has become known for its strict policies on player altercations, Joe Mazzulla recently surprised fans by lamenting the fact that fighting is no longer allowed. Using examples from other American sports, the Celtics coach suggested that reintroducing fights might actually boost entertainment. However, this idea is unlikely to gain much support, due in part to historical and unfortunate past incidents.

Imagine a showdown between Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert taking on a whole new dimension, eagerly awaited by fans—and by Joe Mazzulla himself. A big fan of combat sports and a practitioner of jiu-jitsu, the Boston coach made headlines with a provocative suggestion that’s certainly outside the NBA’s usual framework. In his view, the NBA should consider bringing fights back to its games, further satisfying fans' desire for spectacle.

In an interview with NBC Sports, Mazzulla offered some ideas for enhancing the NBA, always looking to boost its audience. To him, fights are the missing piece. "The biggest thing we're depriving fans of, from an entertainment perspective, is the chance to fight," said the title-winning coach, referring to the NBA's famously strict stance on player altercations. "I wish we could bring back fights. We talk about being an entertainment league; what’s more entertaining than a little skirmish?"

To support his argument, Mazzulla pointed to American hockey and baseball leagues, where fights are less penalized and sometimes even supervised by officials.

“I just don’t get why some sports are allowed to clear the benches. They have bats and weapons (in baseball). We don’t. We have a ball. The other sport (hockey) has like one of the hardest playing surfaces in a puck and a stick, yet we’re not allowed to throw down a little bit?”, the champion coach questioned, adding that baseball players are even allowed to leave the bench to join the action. These comments, unsurprisingly, made waves in the United States, sparking curiosity and a bit of disbelief.

In American culture, where spectacle is king, this may not be an entirely weird notion. Baseball and hockey serve as prime examples. However, seeing such scenes again in the NBA feels unrealistic today. To understand why, we need to look back in time, as Mazzulla himself suggested when he spoke of “bringing back” fights. Indeed, brawls were once more common on NBA courts. Up until the 2000s, a few "scuffles" even became legendary, like unforgettable highlights of the league’s history.

Fights in the 1970s were frequent, including the infamous knockout of Rudy Tomjanovich, but the NBA started tightening its rules as these altercations increasingly spilled over into the stands. The “Malice at the Palace” in Auburn Hills was the most iconic example, but a brawl in 1994 between the Bulls and Knicks also played a major role in convincing NBA decision-makers to stop fights from escalating.

For all these reasons, it’s almost certain that Mazzulla's suggestion won’t be followed. Let’s bring other reasons on the light.

More intense crowds and endangered revenues

The crowd today is arguably much more “intense” and “radical” than it was years ago. A fight that starts on the court would have a high chance of spilling into the stands and leading to serious injuries among spectators. Nowadays, some people come to games just for the excitement and would be quick to jump into any melee that might break out, forgetting they came to watch basketball.

Even though TV rights are increasing, NBA viewership isn’t necessarily on the rise, and fights aren’t likely to boost the league’s credibility. Despite being a dream for many players, the regular season has seen less enthusiasm lately. The lack of defense, games that follow a similar pattern, and 3-point-heavy offense have left some fans disengaged. While some might get a kick out of seeing fights, the excitement would probably wear off quickly.

Finally, it’s hard to imagine that GMs would be thrilled about the risk of losing players to injuries from fights. A broken jaw isn’t something you recover from in just a few weeks, and when you’re signing $40-million-per-year contracts, you’re there to play as many games as possible, not to be sidelined because of a blow from the opposing center.

Fighters need to keep seeing hockey or baseball for the moment. The most simple solution is to stick on UFC and combat sports :-) 

HoopsWriter