During the Lakers’ 112-104 win over the Clippers on Friday, things got a little heated between Derek Fisher and Chris Kaman. In the game’s final 30 seconds, and with its ultimate result having already been decided, Kaman went to set a screen away from the ball, beyond the three-point line on Fisher. That’s when the fun began.
Kaman appeared to lean in to ensure contact was made, and Fisher, after he was hit, appeared to catch Kaman in the head with his left elbow. Kaman was immediately ejected after picking up two quick technical fouls, and Fisher received one technical for his role in the incident.
After the league looked at the play (and likely got a slow-motion glimpse of that left elbow from Fisher), they decided to retroactively slap Fisher with a flagrant-two foul, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
Derek Fisher’s “incident” last week with Chris Kaman was retroactively upgraded by the NBA to a Flagrant Foul, Type 2. No suspension, tho.
So, no suspension for Fisher, as it should be. But if nothing else, this gives us a chance to revisit Kaman’s ridiculous overreaction, and Kobe Bryant’s postgame shot at him for it.
You can clearly see Kaman gesturing to Fisher, and he reportedly was letting him know that he’d be more than happy to meet him in the hallways of Staples Center later that night to settle things like men. Bryant was amused by Kaman’s antics, as reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles.
What’s he going to do, shoot him with one of his bow and arrows? Give me a break,” Kobe Bryant said, rolling his eyes. “Everybody talks tough in this league. Nobody is a fighter.”
Kaman’s anger at the play was likely the result of a series of little things that happened over the course of the game, and this (inadvertent?) shot to the head from Fisher probably just pushed him over the edge. Then again, Fisher does have a history of getting into it with big men in screen situations, so maybe Kaman’s reaction wasn’t completely unjustified.