Former Arizona Wildcats Get Punchy In Europe

Have you heard the one about how in Russia they do things in the opposite way that you would expect them to happen elsewhere? It's a hilarious gag! It might also be the explanation for what went wrong in this Russian basketball game. A minor melee broke out, there was some slight pushing and shoving, then everyone cooled off quickly and order was restored. Then the refs kicked everyone out of the gym and they finished the game 3-on-3. Do I have your attention now, David Stern? It all started with an illegal screen by Joesph Blair, who you may remember was drafted out of Arizona in 1996, but has spent his entire pro career bouncing around Europe. When two other Russian players got a little shove-y, Blair stepped in with the mother of all sucker punches. (The guy he hit had to be helped off.) The fight pretty much ended after that and compared to most of the NBA fights we're used to seeing, it was all very minor league stuff. Until 16 players got ejected and—here's the best part—Blair was not one of them. Play resumed with 4-on-4 and eventually whittled down to 3-on-3. Perhaps the league has a "no leaving the bench" rule, too, but we've watched the video a couple of times though and still can't figure out why all the ejections were necessary or why the one guy who actually did some damage was still in the game. Even so, it's good to see that Blair still has that Wildcat fight in him—much like Loren Woods who went all American Psycho in this Lithuanian game last month. Go Cats!

Loren Woods in trouble [Ball In Europe] Huge Basketball Fight in Russia, Afterwards they play 3 on 3, Video [NESW]