NBA Week 22 Takeaways

Grizzlies fire Jenkins, T-Wolves/Pistons brawl, and Celtics break 3pt record

Wild Brawl in Minneapolis Sees 5 Suspended

Last Sunday, the Minnesota Timberwolves hosted the Detroit Pistons. Amidst the Wolves’ 123–104 victory, a punch-up which spilled into the stands was the story of the night. It was an extremely physical start, with players being separated by teammates and officials numerous times before the fight eventually broke out.

With 8:36 left in the second quarter, Ron Holland II was called for a foul on Naz Reid. After going face to face with a lot of talk involved, Donte DiVincenzo – who minutes earlier had gotten into an argument with Pistons centre Isaiah Stewart – grabbed Holland’s jersey and eventually threw him to the ground. This sparked players and coaches from both teams to enter the skirmish and made the replay centre’s job extremely difficult. As the players were being separated, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel.

The officials ultimately ejected J.B. Bickerstaff, Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II, Marcus Sasser, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.

J.B. Bickerstaff didn’t back down after the game, stating that “obviously things went too far… but what you see is guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other’s backs… Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”

The 12 technical fouls distributed in this game were the most in an NBA game since 2005.

Four of the five players – Ron Holland II, Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Marcus Sasser – received a one-game ban, while Isaiah Stewart received a two-game ban due to his “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.”

The Grizzlies Fire Head Coach Taylor Jenkins

In an extremely surprising move, the Memphis Grizzlies, currently 5th in the West with a 44–31 record, have fired their head coach of six years. It was announced by the front office that the team had nothing to do with the decision and were not even aware until the news broke publicly. Firing the winningest head coach in franchise history so close to the playoffs, especially with your team in a fantastic position, is an extremely confusing decision, and leads me to think there is something remaining unsaid – perhaps discontent, off-court controversy, or another impediment which has not yet been disclosed…

The Grizzlies replaced Jenkins with Tuomas Iisalo, a first-year coach who now has an impossible task ahead of him: to perform, produce, and find the form they had earlier in the season, which landed them in 2nd in the West. Over the past few weeks, the team underwent a rough patch, going 8–12 in their last 20. While this change isn’t necessarily a bad decision – especially considering the state of the Grizzlies over the past few years, featuring occasional shots at a deep playoff run – doing it amidst a rough patch in what has otherwise been a highly impressive season is extremely unprecedented.

Another interesting component is the morale of the team, especially their superstar Ja Morant, who not only is now uncertain of his security with the team but also has lost the only NBA coach he’s ever had. Interestingly, when asked about the adapted play style under the new head coach, Morant stated that “if that’s what it is, whatever coach wanna call, man, I’m fine with it.” Ja seems somewhat defeated by the move and the apparent lack of clear-cut communication between organisation and team.

With only five games left in the season, the Grizzlies have clinched at least a play-in position, and have a very short amount of time to switch gears and focus back on the playoffs under a new regime.

Celtics Setting Franchise Records

On their most recent road trip, the Celtics made franchise history with an impressive 6–0 record. The victories themselves were rather ordinary – with the team only beating one current playoff/play-in team – but it continues to prove the strength of this team’s ability to win on the road, extending their season record to a league-leading 32–7.

In another historic feat, Derrick White reached 246 made three-pointers, breaking Isaiah Thomas’ record of 245 set in 2017. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard both currently sit at 240 three-pointers made this season, meaning they will almost certainly break the previous record as well. There is now a three-man race for franchise history, yet Derrick White has a comfortable lead.