I think this is the best analysis. Looking at the replay a few times I think this is a borderline dirty play. Ariza was going for the ball but he was going for it very recklessly. I don't think his intention was to injure Fernandez but it was a play out of frustration and not in control. I agree though with rua2006's analysis that what followed with Ariza squaring off with Roy should earn a technical and the overall result is Ariza gets thrown out. Also with emotions running high in a game that's pretty much out of reach keeping Ariza in might've led to more problems. Whether Ariza intended to hurt Fernandez or not it was the right move to get him out of the game.
I haven't heard of Ariza doing this before, so I don't know if you can call him a dirty player, but it definitely was a dirty play. All NBA players, especially an athletic one like Ariza, should know how vulnerable a player is to any kind of contact when he they are airborne going for a breakaway dunk like that. It's not just that he hit his head (which he did), but it was the reckless way he swung across the arms that caused Rudy to fall like that.
i mean, i dont think he should be suspended, but it has to be a flagrant, if you injure someone that badly, even by accident, they have to be rewarded for it, and the other must be punished. but he shouldn't be suspended imo, ariza thought rudy was going for the lay up and he went to swipe it, i remember in the rockets game when kleiza blocked someone on a fast break the announcer was like perfect block, they teach you to go over the top, and use your inside arm to block the ball so you don't have to put a hand on him...that's what he tried to do
when you see those nasty blocks where someones sh*#t gets thrown to half court, that's what every player does, they take a risk of swiping someone across the jaw, but you are entertained when they stuff it, sometimes they miss, it isn't a dirty play, he missed the block, yes he should be ejected because he seriously injured the player, but it wasn't a dirty play, he wasn't trying to hurt him, he was frustrated at the game, ran back to try to stuff rudy's sh*&t as a statement, NOT hurt him as a statement, or even FOUL him as a statement....people are looking way too much into this, it was an accident
THIS. I remember those high fives. despicable. Most of the guys in the league seem to really hate Yao for some reason, its really frustrating to see. They don't let him in their little basketball player fraternity, even though he plays with as much intensity as anyone else in the league. Also, on topic, I don't know. It looks pretty bad from some angles, and not as bad from other angles. I guess what it boils down to for me is this: The foul certainly looks like its supposed to be a hard foul; he probably wasn't trying to injure Fernandez, but he certainly wasn't playing very nice. Given the way the sequence ended up playing out, it would have been hard for the refs not to give him a flagrant 2.
You can't take a swipe from behind coming from the opposite side of the court. Rudy was running down the left of middle on that fast break. If Ariza was coming from the left side of Rudy's back, that could have easily been blocked but he came from Rudy's right side and recklessly swiped his head and arms. At that point, he wanted to make a "hard" NBA foul. Too bad it ended this way. I'm pretty sure Lebron or Kobe would have fell the same way if you swipe them that way. Blazers should have focused on helping Rudy instead of trying to fight Ariza. What if the fight got bigger and no one could help Rudy because of some stupid skirmish. +1 to dirty play.
lol, i dont understand how some posters can be so anal about that block. "oh you gotta look at the circumstances, they were down 20" blah blah blah. ariza is a hustle players, he's gonna get rebounds and blocks to keep his playing time. he went for ball. usually, the requirement for a dirty play is not going for ball at all. rudy just fell weird. if you were to pick a team to come back from a 28pt deficit with one quarter to go, one of them would have to be the lakers/kobe. i think the lakers hate on this board has blurred what's right in front of you. i dont even think it should be a flagrant 2. jesus you guys are bipolar. the league has gotten softer. look at the circumstances. that's dirty. refs suck. etc.
If he made contact with the ball, then why is it still in Rudy's hand? If Ariza had made contact with the ball, it wouldn't be near either of Rudy's hands in that picture. Ariza's intention, whatever it was, doesn't hide the fact that he clearly caught Rudy's head first. Now Ariza might not have known what kind of injury he was going to cause, if any, but his attempt at a block did cause a pretty bad spill, possibly worse, since we don't know Fernandez's status.
I have no problem w/ hustling and hard fouls, no matter the score. But you can't excuse this recklessness even if his intention was to get all ball. You might as well allow WWE flying clotheslines in the name of trying to get a block. And per the NBA rules, Odom should definitely be suspended. It doesn't matter if he was technically still outside the sidelines. You can also run to the other team's bench and still be out of bounds, but that's clearly 'leaving the bench' too. Odom's move can only instigate more fighting in that situation. BTW, Ariza's apology sounds half-assed. LA Times
Look at Roy, he was a king out there! Acting like a real leader, defending his teammates! I wish he was on the Rox
they were basically the fall made the foul worse than it should have. stu lantz their color guy went on about how he had a few wrist injuries when he played because of falling bad. etc etc. i didnt even know odom left the bench since i didnt see that angle from the lakers broadcast
He's selfish. Only thinking for himself and not stepping up for his teammates. Artest and even T-Mac would have been right in the middle of that scuffle.
