Every now and again in life, you just have to fight back and say “enough is enough.” Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić had a come-to-Jesus moment Monday night when he shoulder tackled Markieff Morris of the Miami Heat.
The WWE-style tackle from behind by Jokić absolutely crossed the line, but as the saying goes, Morris made his bed then was forced to lay in it. Morris’ foul attempt on Jokić, which led to the retaliation, was utterly unnecessary. There was no reason for Morris throwing his entire body into the Joker for that foul. Make a swipe at the, smack his hand or arm, sure, but jumping into an opponent with your shoulder as he’s clearly passing the ball is not the best move.
For those up in arms about the retaliation, don’t be like NBA and NFL officials, who usually come in a second too late and only catch the payback. Hopefully, Morris is alright, but when you do things like this, eventually, someone is going to strike back. Most human beings can only turn the other cheek for so long. Everyone has their boiling point, and Jokić reached his on Monday night. Morris is seen as more of an enforcer on the court, and Jokić is a finesse player even though he’s nearly 7 feet tall. I think Jokić had enough of the shenanigans and spazzed out on Morris.
Let’s hope this ordeal doesn’t continue to fester and get out of hand. Family members are now chiming in on social media, and Morris’ twin, Marcus, has also taken to Twitter to make his feelings known on the incident. And the Joker’s brothers have a history of being ready for that action themselves.
Cooler heads will prevail in the end, but this is partially why the NBA got rid of the rough play we saw in the 1980s and ‘90s. Social media never helps when these types of squabbles happen, especially since these players never really want to fight. They simply make too much money now to really want to throw hands over something on the court. But when you have uptight family and friends in the crowd or online, these situations can continue off the court. I’m honestly not a fan of family jumping in to “defend” on social media. Let the players handle these issues and sit back and watch and cheer. All the other nonsense isn’t needed because it just makes things worse.
Now Jokić will undoubtedly be sitting out for at least a game after his shot on Morris, but I’m sure it was worth it for him just to send a message. Former NBA commissioner David Stern would have already suspended both teams plus coaching staff and just been done with it. He may have even suspended everyone in the front row. Stern didn’t play around. I just hope this thing is over, and we don’t see any more retaliation later in the season.