If Harden's Out Long, World Peace Out Longer
ESPN.com
LOS ANGELES -- The issue isn't how many games Metta World Peace will be suspended for elbowing James Harden, it's how many games Harden will miss because of the concussion he received in the process.
That's what matters most after Sunday's game took the one thing that seemed a certainty among the NBA upper class (the Oklahoma City Thunder's superiority over the Los Angeles Lakers), turned it upside down and shook a pocketful of questions loose.
Since we're fixated on visuals, the question that jumped into everyone's mind was how long will World Peace be suspended after his vicious elbow drew a flagrant-2 foul? According to this unofficial compilation of NBA fines and suspensions dating back to the 1994-95 season, elbow violations have been repeatedly subject to one- and two-game suspensions. Suspensions that last 10 games or more have generally been for punches thrown at players or fans. Or choking a coach. Or bringing guns into the locker room.
If World Peace gets anything more than two games it's because of prior reputation (even if he's worked so hard to scrub it clean during his time with the Lakers) or the current sports climate that includes calls for the NHL to curtail the excessive roughness in its playoffs and the continued fallout of the bounty scandal in the NFL.
The NBA should suspend World Peace indefinitely, see how many games (if any) Harden will miss, then tack on two to that number. Especially since we just witnessed a case study in Harden's value to the Thunder.
Oklahoma City's second-half offense without Harden devolved into Kevin Durant chucking jumpers and Russell Westbrook careening into the lane, both with minimal ball movement. Harden is the heart of the Thunder's second unit and provides a nice balance to Westbrook and Durant when he plays alongside them. Harden scored 14 points in little more than 13 minutes in the first half -- before World Peace clocked him. The seven guys besides Durant and Westbrook who played in the second half and both overtimes scored a total of 23 points in a combined 106 minutes. Durant wound up with 35 points, but he required 34 shots to get there. Westbrook shot 3-for-22.
Harden didn't play in the second half and will be re-evaluated under the league's new concussion guidelines to gauge his availability for the Thunder's final two regular-season games, against Sacramento and Denver. If Harden can't play in one or both of those games it could cost Oklahoma City a chance at the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.
So, yeah, it's kind of a big deal. You think the Lakers would have a 15-4 advantage in fourth-quarter free-throw attempts if this game had been played in Oklahoma City?
There isn't enough time for the Lakers to grab home court from Oklahoma City. But after beating the Thunder for the first time in three tries this season the Lakers can carry a glimmer of hope into a potential second-round playoff series with OKC that became a more likely to happen after L.A.'s victory kept the Lakers ahead of the Clippers in the third spot and the Thunder in the second spot (1 ½ games behind the Spurs). The Lakers did just fine with Devin Ebanks taking over World Peace's duties of guarding Kevin Durant. They even thrived with Jordan Hill replacing an ineffective Andrew Bynum.
After falling behind by 18 points, they got the game to their closer, brought the score to the point Kobe Bryant could make a pair of ridiculous 3-pointers, including a 1-foot-leaner as the shot clock expired. Their offensive execution, even with midseason acquisition Hill suddenly playing his most minutes as a Laker, was much better than Oklahoma City's. Bryant moved the ball enough to get eight assists in addition to scoring 26 points on 26 shots.
"I think the thing that helps is not so much that we beat Oklahoma, it's how we did when facing a deficit," Bryant said. "In the playoffs, particularly when you don't have home-court advantage, you're going to have games like this, and you're going to have to have the poise and confidence to just keep chipping away and get back in it."
I still think their playoff journey ends in Oklahoma City. And it's safe to guess it will begin without World Peace. He'll be gone for at least the regular-season finale in Sacramento and likely the first playoff game.
One neutral NBA team member called World Peace's shot the worst thing he's seen on a court since Kermit Washington punched Rudy Tomjanovich.
It just so happened that Tomjanovich, who provides statistical analysis for the Lakers, walked into the media room shortly afterward. When a replay of World Peace's play was about to come on a TV monitor just above our heads, he turned away right before World Peace flung the elbow. Later, another replay came on. This time Tomjanovich caught it, then looked down. Tomjanovich said the reason his play still stands out four decades later is so many punches thrown since then have missed. Fortunately.
For World Peace it's a setback in what had been a remarkable transformation from the instigator of the Malice in the Palace in 2004 to the recipient of the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award last season.
"He was just so excited by the play that he just made, he saw somebody in his way, kinda, and reacted," Pau Gasol said, having had a chance to watch the replay. "I don't think he tried to elbow or hurt him in anyway. He was just so hyped up after the play, so emotional, he just let it go."
World Peace called the elbow unintentional and said, "I hope that he's OK and I apologize to the Thunder and to James Harden."
At the very least World Peace brought the focus back where it should be: on James Harden's well-being.
ESPN senior writer J.A. Adande
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Dimes past: April 5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13-14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20-21
2. Around The Association
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106 | Recap | Box score |
114 |  |
MVP: Kobe Bryant defied rationality to drag the Lakers back into this game after the Thunder took their foot off the gas. Impossible shot by impossible shot, Kobe (six of his 26 points in the second OT) put another classic in his canon.
LVP: Russell Westbrook hit some big free throws at the end of regulation, but was otherwise a disaster of inefficiency and overconfidence. He shot 3-for-22 from the field and gave his detractors plenty of ammunition in big moments.
X factor: Metta World Peace delivered an ugly elbow to James Harden's head in the second quarter, getting himself ejected and ending Harden's afternoon. Have to believe we'll see a suspension for that one.
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98 | Recap | Box score |
107 |  |
MVP: No doubt Chris Paul was excellent as a creator down the stretch, but Randy Foye (24 points) was the only Clipper to consistently hit from outside all night. In the fourth quarter, Foye had several huge 3-pointers that sparked an LAC win.
X factor: Fourth-quarter finishing. The Hornets' offense collapsed under pressure late in the game, committing turnovers (19 overall) time and time again in the fouth. Meanwhile, the Clippers counted on their offense (read: Chris Paul) and came out with the win.
That was … thrilling: The Clippers struggled with their shooting and defense during multiple stretches, but managed to hold a slim lead at the half. Then New Orleans ran out to a big lead in the third against the Clippers' bench. And then Foye exploded in the fourth. Fun game.
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74 | Recap | Box score |
101 |  |
MVP: Yes, this game was a blowout win for the Nuggets. However, Ryan Anderson (24 points on 9-for-18 shooting) was the main reason the Magic were competitive for three quarters before things got out of hand in the fourth quarter.
X factor: McGee, subject of an infamous "Not Top 10" list on YouTube, was an X factor for Denver. You read that right. Blessed with the gift of being able to jump really high, McGee tortured Orlando with an array of alley-oop dunks.
That was … a tale of two halves: At halftime, the score was tied at 44 apiece. In the second half, the Nuggets outscored the Magic by 27 points. Of note: Denver released the Kraken in the form of McGee and Orlando could not stop him.
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93 | Recap | Box score |
88 |  |
MVP: Charles Jenkins played the point guard position almost as well as that other guy in the state, setting up teammates and taking over the offense when the team was struggling to score as evidenced by his 24 points and nine assists.
X factor: The Wolves made shots early in the game on their way to scoring 55 points by halftime, but then failed to connect on most of their open looks in the second half, finishing 7-for-26 from 3-point range and sealing their fate.
Defining moment: After Nikola Pekovic scored on a three-point play to take the lead, Brandon Rush hit a baseline 3-pointer with 1:09 left in the game to take a 90-88 lead. The Warriors never looked back after the shot.
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98 | Recap | Box score |
114 |  |
MVP: Yes, Danny Green was terrific, and DeJuan Blair was a beast inside, but it was Manu Ginobili (20 points, three assists) who served as the guiding force in the Spurs win. Ginobili combined twisting drives and sublime passing to orchestrate a symphony of offensive domination, leading the Spurs to yet another run away victory and tightening their grip on the No. 1 seed in the West.
X factor: With Tim Duncan sitting out the game, Blair stepped up his game nicely. He abused the Cavaliers inside (especially in the third quarter) and finished the game with 15 points and seven rebounds.
That was … beautiful to behold: In the third quarter Tony Parker and Blair were running the pick-and-roll to absolute perfection. Blair screened well, and timed his roll deftly, while Parker delivered perfect pocket pass after perfect pocket pass. A truly wonderful display of teamwork and execution.
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73 | Recap | Box score |
76 |  |
MVP: DeMar DeRozan had 16 points, three assists and an impressive fast-break block through three quarters. So, of course the tanking Raptors benched him for the fourth quarter.
Defining moment: Greg Monroe blatantly goaltended an Alan Anderson shot with 22 seconds left and the Pistons up one -- though the refs missed the violation. The difference? The game and several lottery combinations.
X factor: Brandon Knight and Ben Gordon, who scored 19 points each, playing well together. Earlier in the season, those two sharing a backcourt turned Detroit into Turnover City.
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88 | Recap | Box score |
97 |  |
MVP: LeBron James scored 11 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Heat to a victory that might have dashed Houston's playoff hopes. After taking the night off in Saturday's loss to Washington, James also had eight rebounds and five assists.
X factor: Turnovers were critically costly for the Rockets. The Heat scored 28 points off 19 Houston turnovers. That helped Miami overcome its 41.2 percent shooting from the field.
That was … second-best: With the victory, the Heat posted a 28-5 record at home this season. The .848 winning percentage is second-best in team history, behind the 35-6 (.854) mark set during the 2004-05 season.
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114 | Recap | Box score |
88 |  |
MVP: DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points and 10 rebounds. No one else made an impact like this guy for the Kings. Cousins got pretty much anything he wanted in the paint and certainly taught rookie Bismack Biyombo a lesson.
X factor: Charlotte had 21 turnovers. Sacramento committed only eight. Sacramento also shot 55.2 percent from the field tonight, while Charlotte was 43.8 percent.
That was … preclusion for the Bobcats: Put it in the books! Worst team of all-time. With Charlotte's performance Sunday they have officially made it impossible for anyone to believe they have a chance competing in any of their remaining games (@ Washington, @ Orlando, vs. New York) and avoiding history.
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113 | Recap | Box score |
112 |  |
MVP: It was pure Carmelo Anthony hero-ball for the Knicks down the stretch, but they don't win without a particularly springy Amare Stoudemire. In his second game back from a bulging disk, STAT thrived in the pick-and-roll and finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Defining moment: Atlanta's final possession. Instead of launching up a floater to beat the clock, Marvin Williams drove the lane and had his dunk attempt blocked by Stoudemire. It wouldn't have counted anyway as replays showed the ball was still in Williams' fingertips as the final buzzer sounded.
X factor: After shooting 38 percent over the past 21 games and being relegated to the bench the prior night in Cleveland, Landry Fields came through with a throwback early 2010-11 performance, hitting all three of his treys and finishing with 18 points and four rebounds on 7-for-8 shooting .
3. Sunday's Best
Chris Paul, Clippers: With home-court advantage in danger of slipping away, Paul took control in the fourth quarter. He finished with 33 points, 13 assists and 8 steals in a 107-98 comeback win over the Hornets.
4. Sunday's Worst
Metta World Peace, Lakers: His elbow to James Harden will likely be remembered as the low-water mark of the season. Wishing a speedy recovery to James Harden. Here's hoping Harden is healthy and ready for playoff action next weekend.
8. Ignominious Exit
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
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