The Toronto Raptors weren’t going to let the Chicago Bulls take a 12th in a row from them, and Serge Ibaka wasn’t going to let anyone, no matter the team, take a swing at him and walk away unscathed.
That was the feeling after the Raptors’ massive comeback on Tuesday, one that was spurned in part by dual ejections for fighting for Ibaka and Robin Lopez. The two big men shoved a little, then Lopez took a short strike at Ibaka, and Ibaka fired back, apparently ready to do a whole lot more before DeMar DeRozan rolled him away and P.J. Tucker pushed him out to half.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tq46B0e5Ac
After the game, Ibaka answered for his actions and stood by his retaliation.
“What happened is, we were playing physical basketball and he got frustrated. It’s basketball,” Ibaka said. “That thing happened where you just start push each other, like always happens when there’s contact, and then he throws a punch. You know, like a man, I had to defend myself. I’m not just going to be out there and watch a man like him punch me and just walk away. I had to defend myself. So that’s what happened.”
Ibaka said this wasn’t something that had been developing all game beyond regular physicality, and he said Lopez was the first to get mad, slapping the ball out of his hands after some bumping.
With Ibaka confirming his wrist is just fine following the scuffle, attention turns to what supplementary discipline may come Ibaka’s way. There isn’t a great recent precedent for a situation exactly like this, though there are some vaguely similar incidents that led to one-game suspensions. The safer bet here is two or three games. Ibaka didn’t answer directly, but he was steadfast in repeating that he was only acting out of self-defense.
“I just hope the league will do a better job to watch. Because if that was me, we would not get to that point, punching and stuff,” he said. “I know it’s basketball, sometimes we can talk trash or push each other. Punching like that, there’s no room, I think. I want to play basketball, I don’t want to get suspended. The fact that he’s talking to me first and like a man I respond and protect myself.”
If the suspension is short-term, the Raptors might be able to survive his absence. For a night, they did, and Ibaka transitioned easily from the bench to his own underground cheering section.
“It was pretty emotional, to be a fan and watch the game,” he said. “I’m glad that we did a great job to get a W.”
Ibaka’s comments can be found in their entirety below:
