The fights of the NBA are infantile but not necessarily useless | sport

SThe fights in the ports are silly and childish, not to say expensive for the parties involved, annoying retrospectively and, as any TV advertiser is legally obliged to note, impossible to explain to the "children who follow this" without breaking the delicate grid of their moral universe. .

But that does not mean that they're useless, and the scrum at the Staples Center between Chris Paul of the Rockets and Rajon Rondo of the Lakers and Brandon Ingram, who was thrown into the dog's part invaded by the bite of the big dogs heels , was unusual for all kinds of reasons and will resonate much longer.

For starters, he managed to overshadow the debut of LeBron James at Staples Center, but here's an enigma: can we "eclipse" something if the first thing everyone mentions is how was it hidden? Obviously, this is not the case, the writers of all these "fights obscure the beginnings of the LeBron Lakers", because it still appears in your titles.

But also: real stars hit and get hit! These fights tend to involve bench players fighting over a lost elbow, not two future Hall of Fame members and suspected team leaders. Chris Paul stars in Insurance advertisements, to shout loudly. It was a whole scene. LeBron James in the middle. Carmelo Anthony spitting fire on the side.

A shameful show, yes – the fighting, remember, is the last haven of low spirits – but damn it, what a night.

Those of us who write and tweet a lot about the NBA tend to treat these incidents in binary terms, as if they only existed in the field of conversation: who started? Whose fault is it? Who won? Is it good or is it bad? The suspensions were right? But for the teams involved, it's a real thing that has happened, with real anger (as opposed to theatrical) on both sides, and as normal people do not return to normal after a fight in hand, the NBA players, who are human beings. beings and who fight in the fist as seldom as the rest of us do not do it either. The weekend fight in Los Angeles – no matter who won, but it's material. It's silly to say that a fight at the right time can not affect the chemistry of the team when a fight has an impact on brain chemistry. Of course, it's impossible to measure it – no one has studied the impact of a fight on a team's record of wins / losses – but there is quite a bit of anecdotal evidence that the guys who are leaning in a fight are getting closer and closer. result. It may not be the most enlightened way to bond, but in the NBA, wins are more important than being awake.

The question is whether this incident can help your team or hurt your team – which interests all players, anyway – and by this measure, it's easy to see why this evening was good for the Lakers, even if it has somewhat overshadowed the arrival of the king in Hollywood and it is difficult to see anything other than a disturbing night for the Rockets.

For the Lakers, three parts of the LeBron era, accompanied by a cast of frisky kids and, in the words of James misunderstood, determined and underrated veterans, the fight would not have could be better scripted. After all, if you're trying to get a new list, it's hard to think of too many other methods than hitting Chris Paul in the face. Half of the NBA wants to hit Chris Paul in the face. (To be fair, the other half wants to hit Rondo.)

A more significant development is perhaps what he has shown about Brandon Ingram, the Lakers' third-year slasher, relentless and hardworking but hitherto moderate, whose unusual fury aroused by a despicable call fired with powders. through the yard to join once the fists started to fly. (Ingram pulled the heaviest suspension.) The ambitions of LeBron's Los Angeles title rest on the fact that Ingram becomes her new Kyrie Irving – an avid student with alpha-dna dog, whose cheap rookie contract allows the Lakers to pay a third star via a free agency. It can be argued that the most important measure for the Lakers this season is not the depth of their playoffs. This is Ingram's performance. If he wins this season, Magic Johnson needs a new roadmap.

So: is LeBron James awake Sunday morning feeling better about Brandon Ingram or worse? Does he worry that Ingram seems to be unaware of his place – the unproven kid pricking his nose between two grown men? No, he saw the same thing we all saw: Ingram catches fire, playing the second role with the warmth, intensity and confidence that LeBron requires.

And then there's the basic psychological truth: no matter how skeptical the media are about the Lakers, the Rockets have shown that the real NBA players are taking this team very seriously. If it had been Sacramento Rondo, Paul would have just rolled his eyes, maybe barked a little, then get away. Entering a fight in your hand is simply a sign that a gifted irritant has entered your skin.

There is no way of knowing if Rondo intentionally bit Paul, but no one should let him go, and anyway, it does not really matter; Rondo is such a devilish genius that he can do black hat stunts by pure instinct. Both are brilliant guards, but the similarities stop there. Paul is a militarist – strict, domineering and effective. Rondo is more Keyser Söze. Even if he did not choose to fight on purpose, Rocket fans should be concerned about the ease with which Paul is played. This seems to happen often.

Insignificant suspensions set aside, bad look for the league aside, toxic masculinity aside, the battle was worth the effort for the Lakers. They try to prove themselves to the league. They try to prove themselves to each other. They will have to fight for the playoffs this season, and they are certainly up to the task.

Although the fight could show that the Lakers are not idlers, it was not a reassuring sign for the Rockets. If you are a team of 65 wins whose only goal for the regular season is to keep calm and continue until the playoffs of May … why are you arguing with second-tier teams in mid-October? Rockets do not want or need to be galvanized. It is a team of veterans who are trying to start, so that James Harden has no chance to collapse in the seventh game of the summer against the Warriors. So, if your floor general takes a break and is suspended during a meaningless match against a lottery team, then the other team learns something crucial about itself at a decisive moment , so it's really next to the winner or the winner. You lost.