Despite Nikola Jokić dropping 53 points for the Nuggets and the Suns working their way back from a two-game deficit to knot this heavyweight series at two games apiece, we’re all seemingly focused on the bizarre incident between the two-time MVP and Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia.
A recap if you need it: Late in the second quarter at the Footprint Center, a loose ball went out of bounds along the baseline, with Suns wing Josh Okogie trying and failing to save it. Okogie fell into some fans sitting courtside, and, as they tried to help him to his feet, Jokić—perhaps seeing an opportunity to inbound the ball faster and attack Phoenix’s defense without Okogie ready for play—abruptly tried to snatch the ball from the courtside fan who was holding it.
The fan, who maintained an airtight grasp on the ball as Jokić tried wresting it from him, happened to be Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia, who bought the teams just before the trade deadline. And as the ball went flying further into the crowd during the jousting match between the men, the 7-footer then gave Ishbia a chicken wing of sorts, prompting the 5'10" billionaire to fall into his chair. “And Jokić, a little bit of contact—boy, that could get a little dangerous,” TNT announcer Spero Dedes said as the incident unfolded on television.
Jokić ended up being hit with a technical foul for his part in the dustup. “He told me I was elbowing the fan,” Jokić said when asked about the explanation he received from an official. “But the fan put the hand on me first. I thought the league was supposed to protect us or whatever. But maybe I’m wrong.”
Frankly, the technical foul is the only punishment Jokić should receive as a result of the incident—particularly with the series tied. Even Ishbia himself said, “Suspending or fining anyone over last night’s incident would not be right.”
Some will argue that Jokić deserves a suspension because of the light forearm shove he gave to Ishbia, prompting him to fall. But Ishbia, who formerly played at Michigan State, continued to play keepaway with the ball as Jokić sought to snatch it for a quick inbound, something he’s done for years when he sees potential for an advantage in transition going the other way. (No, Jokić didn’t need to be so over-the-top about snatching the ball. But it’s also odd to suggest that a fan has more right to it than he does.) With all this in mind, it would seem strange to further punish Jokić when a fan—even one who serves as a team owner and is worth billions—was the one whose actions set this entire thing in motion.
To put it mildly, we often see players quickly take the ball from fans, often for exactly the same reason Jokić seemed to be doing so here. And had this incident happened in Denver instead, it’s reasonable to think the Nuggets might’ve sought to eject Ishbia for failing to give up the ball.
It’s been a strange postseason in terms of ejections and suspensions, as there’s often no telling which way the league will come down. But suspending Jokić for this—in the midst of a competitive series for the right to make the conference finals—would be a bridge too far.
