He was going for the ball but it clearly did not matter to him whether he would hurt Rudy or not. You see in the replay that he only started to run back when he was it was Rudy thus going for the dunk. He probably got mad and decided to take a swipe at it instead of getting the crowd more into it. That being said, it was a flagrant 2 because after he blocked the ball and elbowed his head he took his arm and threw him to the floor in a way. He had no intention to even go see if Rudy was alright and he just stood their in anger, so that's a dirty play by an angry player and it's good he was taken out. I'm glad Roy stepped up and confronted him, no way Ariza should just get away with it like that. Good job Blazers, glad you beat that Hollywood aholes.
To me it looked like he went for the ball, it's just REALLY unfortunate that after he got ball it appears that his elbow catches Rudy in the back of the head forcing it to snap like whiplash. I don't think he intended to hurt Rudy and tried to make a block on the shot but Rudy can actually get up pretty high and Trevor doesn't look like he gets up high enough to make the clean block and gets ball with his hand but gets head with his elbow. Unfortunate accident in my opinion. Rudy's awkward fall didn't help matters any either.
It was more a frustration hard foul than dirty play. I like how Roy stood up for his teammate. If it was Rockets, i bet Artest will be the only one who will stand up for his teammates. Is everyone's favorite lakers, pal, like Bynum fouled earlier, Ariza won't get suspended, book it!
Flagrant 1 not 2. He made an attempt at the ball, but Rudy just fell awkwardly. If Rudy gets right back up, this is not even discussed.
ORM claimed that you never take a wide swipe at the ball. Yet in, one of Hakeem's all time greatest plays he does the exact thing. Is it OK for Hakeem to attempt such a block but not another player? Is that a double standard? Taking a "roundhouse swing" isn't indicative of dirty play. A ton of highlight reel monster blocks are like that. Just 'cause Ariza sucks and couldn't pull it off doesn't mean it was intentional.
There's nothing wrong with hustling, even if you're down by 30. However, that's not the issue here. It's the reckless nature with which he swiped at the ball. He swung his entire arm errantly and hit Rudy in the head; whether he meant to inflict harm or not, he endangered a player big-time with that action. And then he moved towards Roy aggressively, so that deserves at least one tech right there, just like the tech Roy got. So even if it's a flagrant-one, Ariza is gone.
Sorry, I forgot to explain my key point. NBA players are taught not to take down fast breakers in that way. They know not to because it'll get them a flagrant and hurt the player. Many times, a wild swing of the arm does no harm and goes unnoticed. However, the other cases (like tonight) are why players are taught not to do it.
Working vid of the whole incident if you still haven't seen it: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CoAQqLom__E&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CoAQqLom__E&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Hakeem is the greatest shot blocker of all time and is known for blocking shots and defense. Hakeem knew what he was doing... and he blocked the shot and made a great play. Ariza knew what he was doing too... and he also got what he was after.
... and, he was like 2 feet away from KJ, and, he was twice his height, and, he aimed for the ball.. Ariza just took a swing running at full speed in mid air 5 feet away from a wide open Rudy going for the eaasy jam.. then he just ignores him and pretends nothing happens until ROy gets in his face.. it's Phil Jackson on the bench, what do you expect?
Seems like more than a few of em around here......clearly never played the game. Does anyone see him reaching UP for the ball, or just going THROUGH Rudy's head? I mean look at where Ariza's eyes are focused, is it ON THE BALL? D I R T Y Stop apologizing for this arse clown..... DD
I dont understand how people say Ariza got all ball and its just Rudy unlucky.. He did hit the ball but THAN HE CLEARLY swung at his head and brought him down hard...jesus do you need to try that yourself?
Dirty play, plain and simple. Ariza's ugly errs knew what he did. He swiped across the player in mid air. I tell you, If someone does that to Landry or Wafer; Someone has to to step up and Drop him.
If someone did this to Wafer or AB while they were flying to the basket, the reaction from some here would be quite different. Every NBA player (or anyone who plays basketball on a regular basis) is keenly aware of the vulnerability of being in the air. Some people have no clue about it. Ariza was irresponsible to swing that hard at a vulnerable player. If I hadn't seen him do this before, I might cut him more slack. Odom is another Laker who occasionally commits "frustration" fouls that are dirty. He is worse than Ariza.
No doubt, you can just see in threads who has never played the game, there is no excuse for this...it was not an accident it was clear and intentional malice.... He swung for the head......and BTW, Donte Jones did something similar to Yao last night.....I really wish Dorsey would come off the bench and clock him for doing something like that. DD
Donte Jones took an aggressive shot at Yao, no doubt. But Yao wasn't up in the air. The only way Jones could have hurt him was to hit him directly in the face or something like that. There was no risk of injury. It was a legit "message" foul.
He hit him with his left elbow in the face.....and his teamates high fived him after the fact. Yao truly is a gentle giant....I wish he were more of a bully. DD
Down 30 & you want to play defense all of a sudden? Where was Kobe when all the pushing/shoving was going on?
DD, if you bothered to watch to replay, you'd know that pic was taken after Ariza made contact with the ball. Yeah, he went through Fernandez to do it, but he was going for the ball. You can't tell the direction of the arm motion from a still photograph. Ariza's eyes are focused where his hand is, the one that just made contact with the ball.
