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**Sean** · 10-26-2002, 08:28 AM

Fur Flies Early for Lakers, Kings
Fox, Christie face fines and suspensions after extended skirmish in final exhibition game.
Ê
ÊBy Tim Brown, Times Staff Writer
Through a rivalry recently turned nasty, the Lakers and Sacramento Kings hadn't actually hit each other in the mouth, but now that last bit of decorum is gone too.

Two minutes and seven seconds into Friday night's exhibition game at Staples Center, Rick Fox fought King guard Doug Christie twice, once on the floor and again in a tunnel leading to the Kings' locker room. The second drew most of the Kings from their bench, along with Laker center Shaquille O'Neal, though apparently no one was injured.
Ê Ê
Ê"It makes it personal," Kobe Bryant said.

With opening night Tuesday, Fox and Christie face almost certain fines and suspensions by the league office.

At the end of five months of trash talking, there were two minutes of basketball, followed by Fox grabbing the basketball on the left wing, Christie apparently too close. Fox, feisty in the most common circumstances, swung an elbow that clipped Christie near the face, and Christie fell to the floor with some exaggeration.

Fox, called for an offensive foul, let the ball fall, and Christie flipped it back at him, into his face. With an open hand, Fox pushed Christie in the face, and then Christie hit Fox in the chin with a short left.

"As a man, you have to be able to say that I am not going to take that from nobody," King guard Bobby Jackson said.

As the crowd gasped, referees and players from both sides stepped between the fighting players Ñ too late in Laker Coach Phil Jackson's opinion Ñ and that appeared to end it. The three officials huddled and shortly thereafter it was announced that Fox and Christie had been ejected.

Fox then darted from the Laker bench, through the tunnel, down a hallway that separates the locker rooms and to the mouth of the Kings' tunnel, where he met Christie coming off the floor.

"He threw the ball in Rick's face," Laker forward Samaki Walker said. "Like any man in this league, you're not going to let a man hit you in the face."

According to witnesses, Fox put a headlock around Christie, who threw several more punches at Fox, some of which Fox returned. The two grappled there until they were engulfed by Kings rushing from their bench and arena security personnel, then fell into a black curtain.

"Crazy people. Stupid people. Seriously," King center Vlade Divac said. "Rick is the guy who did something. But Doug also crossed the line."

Asked if Fox went too far by racing to confront Christie, Divac raised his eyebrows and said, "He went way too far. He went overseas and came back, if you talk about distance."

Fox left the building without comment. Only Jackson blamed the officials.

"Someone should have stepped in immediately," Jackson said. "I don't think Rick was at fault at all, trying to hold him off, putting his hand up."

Jackson suggested the Kings should bear repercussions for leaving their bench en masse, while he tried to hold back his players.

"It's going to be a lot of sorting it out," he said. "I know my players felt extremely uncomfortable with knowing Rick was by himself with the entire other team in the runway."

O'Neal, who chased Fox from the floor and into the sea of Kings, was seen protecting Fox in the tunnel, his plaid outfit unmistakable in the melee. A witness said O'Neal was there as peacekeeper, and that at one point he shoved Divac, a moment Divac affably called "a misunderstanding."

"I just had to make sure [stuff] was right," O'Neal said.

So the Lakers, already short O'Neal to start the season, likely also will be without Fox. And while Fox appeared to instigate the fights, it was Christie who threw and landed the only closed-fisted punch.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basket...2Dsports%2Dnba

JGKoblenz · 10-26-2002, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by naesdj!
Fur Flies Early for Lakers, Kings
Fox, Christie face fines and suspensions after extended skirmish in final exhibition game.
Ê
ÊBy Tim Brown, Times Staff Writer
Through a rivalry recently turned nasty, the Lakers and Sacramento Kings hadn't actually hit each other in the mouth, but now that last bit of decorum is gone too.

Two minutes and seven seconds into Friday night's exhibition game at Staples Center, Rick Fox fought King guard Doug Christie twice, once on the floor and again in a tunnel leading to the Kings' locker room. The second drew most of the Kings from their bench, along with Laker center Shaquille O'Neal, though apparently no one was injured.
Ê Ê
Ê"It makes it personal," Kobe Bryant said.

With opening night Tuesday, Fox and Christie face almost certain fines and suspensions by the league office.

At the end of five months of trash talking, there were two minutes of basketball, followed by Fox grabbing the basketball on the left wing, Christie apparently too close. Fox, feisty in the most common circumstances, swung an elbow that clipped Christie near the face, and Christie fell to the floor with some exaggeration.

Fox, called for an offensive foul, let the ball fall, and Christie flipped it back at him, into his face. With an open hand, Fox pushed Christie in the face, and then Christie hit Fox in the chin with a short left.

"As a man, you have to be able to say that I am not going to take that from nobody," King guard Bobby Jackson said.

As the crowd gasped, referees and players from both sides stepped between the fighting players Ñ too late in Laker Coach Phil Jackson's opinion Ñ and that appeared to end it. The three officials huddled and shortly thereafter it was announced that Fox and Christie had been ejected.

Fox then darted from the Laker bench, through the tunnel, down a hallway that separates the locker rooms and to the mouth of the Kings' tunnel, where he met Christie coming off the floor.

"He threw the ball in Rick's face," Laker forward Samaki Walker said. "Like any man in this league, you're not going to let a man hit you in the face."

According to witnesses, Fox put a headlock around Christie, who threw several more punches at Fox, some of which Fox returned. The two grappled there until they were engulfed by Kings rushing from their bench and arena security personnel, then fell into a black curtain.

"Crazy people. Stupid people. Seriously," King center Vlade Divac said. "Rick is the guy who did something. But Doug also crossed the line."

Asked if Fox went too far by racing to confront Christie, Divac raised his eyebrows and said, "He went way too far. He went overseas and came back, if you talk about distance."

Fox left the building without comment. Only Jackson blamed the officials.

"Someone should have stepped in immediately," Jackson said. "I don't think Rick was at fault at all, trying to hold him off, putting his hand up."

Jackson suggested the Kings should bear repercussions for leaving their bench en masse, while he tried to hold back his players.

"It's going to be a lot of sorting it out," he said. "I know my players felt extremely uncomfortable with knowing Rick was by himself with the entire other team in the runway."

O'Neal, who chased Fox from the floor and into the sea of Kings, was seen protecting Fox in the tunnel, his plaid outfit unmistakable in the melee. A witness said O'Neal was there as peacekeeper, and that at one point he shoved Divac, a moment Divac affably called "a misunderstanding."

"I just had to make sure [stuff] was right," O'Neal said.

So the Lakers, already short O'Neal to start the season, likely also will be without Fox. And while Fox appeared to instigate the fights, it was Christie who threw and landed the only closed-fisted punch.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basket...2Dsports%2Dnba

I couldn't see the game, but I saw the fight in ESPN. Wow, that's what I call a game!!!

It's sad and funny at the same time.

**Jamel Irief** · 10-26-2002, 11:15 AM

I missed the game too (Friday night calling) but I saw the highlight as well. Hillarious how Shaq gets there and starts shoving Vlade and everyone starts backing down. I can also imagine the shock on Christies face when he sees Fox approach him in the tunnell.

Oh well more PT for George, thank god!

008 · 10-26-2002, 11:18 AM

Yeah, that was great. You could see Shaq's massive shadow come rumbling through. Then Shaq almost punched Vlade!

c_dog · 10-26-2002, 11:20 AM

This is just stupid. Anyway, the article seems a bit biased toward Shaq? o_0 As a Shaq fan, I say he wasn't a peacemaker... He was shoving everybody, eventhough they weren't doing anything.

<<<D>>> · 10-26-2002, 11:22 AM

I saw some of the scuffle. I was pretty shocked on what went down. Both teams have traded words eversince the WCF and had continued on. But to take it further into a physical aggression, is taking it too far and beyond professionalism.

.

Their rivalry has just heated up, but the players need to keep it together, on the court and within the respectable guidlines of the sport.

3PeatComplete · 10-26-2002, 09:49 PM

I've always found the Kings-Lakers rivalry intriguing but taking it to physical levels is just going too far.

**Ghost** · 10-27-2002, 02:07 AM

i think shaq should of hit divac that would of been funny seeing divac flying across the floor...lmao...

Wiggum · 10-27-2002, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by #1Stunna!
i think shaq should of hit divac that would of been funny seeing divac flying across the floor...lmao...

Wow...OK, man, OK...

buduan · 10-27-2002, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 3PeatComplete!
I've always found the Kings-Lakers rivalry intriguing but taking it to physical levels is just going too far.

No way, this is just what the league needs. A heated rivalry with some really bad blood to get interest back in the game. Whenever these two teams meet this season it is going to be electric.

With the Lakers dominance the past 3 years, the Kings give the Laker haters hope of seeing the run end. People will literally be glued to the tube wanting to see what happens next.

IV · 10-27-2002, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jemel Irief!
I missed the game too (Friday night calling) but I saw the highlight as well. Hillarious how Shaq gets there and starts shoving Vlade and everyone starts backing down. I can also imagine the shock on Christies face when he sees Fox approach him in the tunnell.

Oh well more PT for George, thank god!

More PT for George. You can say that again. Fox's is getting older and seems to play a little cocky at times. He's always arguing with refs when he doesnt get calls, his jumper's dry, and he hasn't been playing any defense this year. Maybe this will be a wake up call for him, because Devean's got a lot of talent, and he's gained enough experience to play at a high level.

I saw the game live. The fight happened so fast, it was almost as if it didnt happen. But when they meet in the tunnel, it looked like Christie was kicking some a$$. Then the Kings bench joined in and Fox may have caught a beat down, but Shaq got in there and cleared house.

This should be a one time thing. I'm sure if Shaq was on the court, none of this would ever happened. Just like the queen's to pick a fight when the Big guy's not out there.

<<<D>>> · 10-28-2002, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by IV!

More PT for George. You can say that again. Fox's is getting older

I agree more PT for George, he really needs to finally break out, I'm tired of watching him play in an inconsistant basis. It's not his fault at all, he just needs the proper mins to get his game going and confidence level up, he's capable of doing so, with the decent new contract he just signed, no excuses....He must step up this year on through. I haven't been happy with Fox's play at all, He's faded away, especially on the Offensive end during the past years. It's George's time indeed

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