The L.A. Clippers and Houston Rockets' first match-up in 2018 was a heated one, and emotions continued flaring after the game, prompting a group of Houston Rockets players to head to the Clippers' locker room in search of a fight. The situation was de-escalated but the LAPD arrived and posted up just outside the team buses to ensure nothing too feisty went down. Essentially, it sounds like the Clippers themselves called the cops on the Rockets following the incident, and NBA Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Shaquille O' Neal couldn't contain their laughter over how ridiculous it all was:
The always outspoken Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal showed no mercy in poking fun at both teams during an Inside The NBA segment, and they honed in on the 6'10", 250-pound Blake Griffin. Neither believed Griffin should ever run from a fight, particularly when the player leading the charge for the Rockets, Chris Paul, stands at a height of 6'0", which is relatively short by NBA standards.
Of course, both Barkley and Shaq come from an era in the NBA where hard fouls were just a part of the game, and ejections didn't come as easily as they do now, so they get to show a bit of a bias. Had something more violent actually happened in this threatening exchange, the NBA would've likely responded with player suspensions that neither team can afford to suffer at this point in the season. If either the Clippers or Rockets organization called the cops, it was likely to protect the respective franchises' future chances of making the playoffs.
Shaq and Sir Charles likely know this but it's a rare occasion when any former NBA player will miss an opportunity to poke fun of today's "soft" superstars. O'Neal and Barkley will do that kind of thing more readily than most, which is not surprising, considering the two took part in a high-profile brawl on the court back in 2007. They each received ejections following a fight that was enthusiastically narrated by legendary NBA commentator Kevin Harlan:
When comparing that video to an event where police were called for a fight between players that almost happened, it isn't hard to understand Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal's unending laughter on Inside The NBA. One might assume all the players involved in the half-scuffle might get a little red-faced after seeing this video, as well as just how much laughter Barkley and O'Neal got from the situation.
Inside The NBA is on TNT this Friday, January 19 at 12:00 a.m. ET, and Shaq and Chuck will hopefully have all those laughs out of their system by then. If basketball isn't your game seven days a week, visit our midseason premiere guide to see what new and returning shows are hitting televisions soon.
