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In social studies this year, we’ve extensively learned about the European exploration, Renaissance, and Protestant Reformation. As the focus now shifts to the religious wars in France following the Reformation, we’ve been introduced to some pretty high-energy, almost Josh Gordon-like drama from some important guys who are each named Henry but come from rival families.
Without going in depth about it--partially because I haven’t yet wrapped my head around the whole curriculum--the ongoing conflicts involved some backstabbing and unorthodox strategizing. While Henry of Navarre is a moderately intriguing fellow, there are quite a few quirky characters in the world of the NBA, and with the intensity of the postseason well underway, the excitement has intensified. Let me get you up to date on some of players & events that have stirred up some drama in the last 18 days.
Terry Rozier (Boston Celtics) and Eric Bledsoe (Milwaukee Bucks)
Celtics point guard Terry Rozier, more commonly referred to as “Scary Terry,” put Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe on skates multiple times in the first game of the first round series. However, Rozier accidentally referred to Eric Bledsoe as Drew Bledsoe, the terrific former New England Patriots quarterback, during a press conference. Consequently, the running joke amongst Cs fans was referring to Eric Bledsoe as Drew Bledsoe throughout the rest of the series. This culminated in a legendary video from the real Drew Bledsoe in Game 7 on the jumbotron at TD Garden. Two days later, Rozier wore a Pats Bledsoe jersey to Game 1 against the Sixers on Monday. Priceless.
The Jazz-Thunder series in general (Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Joe Ingles)
Westbrook, reigning NBA MVP and fiery competitor, confronted Jazz defensive anchor Rudy Gobert, vowed to shut down Utah’s point guard Ricky Rubio (NSFW WARNING), and expressed his frustrations with Jazz fans’ “disrespectful” words, all on separate occasions throughout the series. The Thunder, by the way, lost the series in 6 games. Additionally, George and Ingles bickered with each other in every game for reasons unknown.
Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
Prior to every game, the lumbering face of “The Process” has made it a habit to play on his phone while simultaneously eating a burger and getting a foot massage. Although this alone would draw interest, his character makes the antics all the more interesting. He routinely uses Instagram to roast other players with a caption or a location, such as a post featuring a picture of him dunking all over Russell Westbrook--he also set the location as “Crime Scene Investigation.” But his remarks about the TD Garden noise in game 1 vs. the Celtics was certainly something that will increase the drama surrounding the series.
When asked about the atmosphere of the Garden on Monday night, Embiid said,
“It was OK...I think our fans are louder than that... I thought it didn’t bother me, you know… I loved that type of emotion because it kind of elevates my game knowing that there’s a lot of fans out there that are talking trash and saying some crazy stuff too... Keep bringing it and we’ll see how it goes.” (via NESN)
Regardless of the fact that the Wells Fargo Center holds a couple thousand more people than the TD Garden, Joel will be in for an experience in front of the Celtics faithful on Thursday night.
Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
Draymond has historically been a high-drama player for many seasons. As someone who said that “a lot of people tend to forget what we're [the Warriors] capable of” during a postgame conference after the Warriors’ Game 1 win in the first round, a statement that’s just not true, he has been embroiled in incidents involving Pelicans players Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo in the current series vs. NOLA. Furthermore, he vigorously (and rightly in my mind) responded to former star NBA player Charles Barkley when he learned that Barkley said on a TNT broadcast, “I just want somebody to punch him [Draymond Green] in the face.” If his weird beef with Rondo and potentially Davis and Barkley continues, then the rest of the series will have one more underlying story. (via ESPN)
Here’s the bottom line: The NBA has been rising in popularity. The pace and space era has been a driving force behind the viewership spike, but I also think that the personalities and personas of the players make the Association as a whole more interesting. So instead of watching a new Netflix series, tune into the NBA because it contains daily episodes of action-packed drama.
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