Perhaps Joe Mazzulla Had A Point When It Came To Bringing Back Fighting To The NBA

Chris Coduto. Getty Images.

As someone who spends a lot of internet ink defending the NBA against the haters and losers of which there are still many, at times it can feel a lot like this

Which is fine by me. I didn't choose the blog life, the blog life chose me. We all have a calling in life, this just happens to be mine I guess.

But one thing I will never argue against is how lame the whole "HOOOLLLLLLDDDDD MMMEEEEEE BAAAAACKKKK" song and dance is whenever there's a "dust up" in an NBA game. Nobody ever has the intention of actually doing anything, so the way players freak out just to be held back was always corny and lame to me. Sure you have guys like Draymond who are going to choke out opposing players, but he's different. That issue is based on pure hatred. Most of the time, it's a giant nothing burger.

Sometimes though, we actually have punches

Hey now! OK so this wasn't quite Malice At The Palance or the Knicks/Nuggets brawl, but at least there were actual punches! Each guy got a shot in, it didn't escalate into anything massive, just a quick one two and that was it. Honestly, that's a pretty ideal NBA scrum if you ask me. They'll be suspended and fined and all that, but from an entertainment aspect maybe Joe Mazzulla was onto something

I'm not sure what was more entertaining. The actual fight or Kyrie's reaction to it

You have to admit, it was a little shocking to see guys actually swing. That never happens in these situations, hence the "HOLD ME BACK" issue. Also, shoutout to Kyrie who said he was going to pay everyone's fines, what a guy

Perhaps the most hilarious part of this whole thing is that Suns fans don't even like Nurkic. His play is obviously a big reason why, but it's never a great look when you get into a fight and then your own fans are happy the guy on the other team punched you in the face

Damn. Then again he did sort of start the whole thing and also he's playing awful basketball so when you mix those two things together it's maybe not surprising that the fanbase is out on the guy. Still, that's a tough pill to swallow.

What shouldn't get lost in all this though is what a big win that was for the Mavs. Already without Luka for an extended period of time, no Lively, and then you lose both PJ Washington and Naji Marshall early in the second half and you still find a way to gut out a win on the road? That's impressive as hell. 

In fact, it was the first time in two years that the Mavs won a game while scoring under 100 points. They're also now 20-0 on the season when leading after 3 quarters. At 20-11, they sit just 1 game out of a top 3 seed and just 1.5 back of the Grizzlies for the 2nd seed. It's an unfortunate time to lose Luka for God knows how long, maybe a month, and how the Mavs find a way to navigate that reality has become their new challenge. Winning a game like this goes a long way, especially with POR/SAC/HOU up next to end this 4 game road trip.