Watkins knocks out Artest's tooth

[Oscar]

There's a lot more to the game of basketball than hitting people in the mouth, which is something Dr. Naismith was trying to avoid with his original concept of the game. It should be about finesse and TEAM play, not resorting to physical contact that ends up in missing teeth or broken bones.

It should be but it's not, and basketball has never been played this way. Players have always been physical, whether they play a finesse game or not. The so-called "finesse" teams - 60's Celtics, 70's Knicks, 80's Lakers - played with skill and team ball but they were also very physical when they had to be. Even the guy on my screen name - Oscar Robertson - combined his game with finesse and muscle.

Your idealistic vision of the way basketball is supposed to be played has never been the reality.

 

[VF21]

The game has to have balance. My only objection this whole time was the glee with which some fans were receiving the news that a tooth had been knocked out, as though that was some indication of superior play. A tooth being removed from its natural location, in and of itself, is indication of nothing of the sort. Which is what I said repeatedly. There's a "LOT MORE TO THE GAME OF BASKETBALL" than hitting people in the mouth.

I like seeing Miller set hard picks. I like seeing hard fouls given in the paint. What I don't like is thuggery and, IMHO, a tooth being knocked out (which would mean a flagrant foul anyway) is not good hard defense. It's usually the result of an accidental contact, at which point celebrating it is just silly, or it's the result of anger not tough defense.