You guys seem like you really know what your talking about unlike myself.. If you really want to critique a fight, watch it in slow motion and decide who is at fault and what sort of penalty they should get. Go here :
http://www.mixmakers.net/showthread.php?t=61 .. It has the video of the Haywood and Davis fight in a better view than shown on tv. Then tell me what you think. Your gonna have to register because people leech all their basketball videos. Enjoy

Cheers

There should have been about 4 of them ejected, Bulls included.

Why eject anyone? It's the NBA, not a basketball game. They are concerned with marketing players, not playing basketball. Fights get on the news, not crappy preseaon games. I've said for a few years now that they get closer to professional wrestling every year. No disrepect to people that like the NBA, I just personally don't feel like its even basketball at this point.

How about because it's a violation of the rules? :(

It is a violation, but the NBA doesn't seem to follow much of a rule book. Are there any traveling violations that aren't called in a normal game (granted, fighting is a world different, but it is a violation)? On this website a couple of years ago we had a posting with an interview with the head of officials in the NBA. There was a quote in it that, to paraphrase, the right call is not the best call. To me, once rules are applied in this way, its not a sport, but entertainment. I used to enjoy the NBA, but every year it seems to move farther and farther away from the way I believe the game should be played.

Link that doesn't require you to register: http://home.comcast.net/~sham/bullswizardsbrawl.mpg

NBA will be even better when they take out the 3 pt shot too... maybe all these guys that think they can shoot them will move in to their actual range!!!

If nothing else, "Brenda" Haywood should've been ejected for punching and running like a pansy.

Different angle:

Did you see the officials try and control the situation by getting between these big guys?

That's NBA...let's talk H.S.

I know we have some officials here that say get away from the fight and just take numbers.
We have some that say try and break up the fight.
We probably even have a few that would grab the little hoodlums by the collars and drag them both off the floor.

I'm of the "Stop the fight" if you can camp. I didn't say get physical with the young adults (read minors)...but, use force neccessary to protect the players.
You may have one father that is upset you touched little Johnny...and then again you may have a father happy you saved little Johnny from getting his a** kicked.

Yeah, I know...some of you are ultra paranoid of getting sued...then do what you have to do...but in my game I'm going to do what I can to stop the nonsense and get on with what we are being paid to do...Manage the game!

Forget getting sued! I'm worried about getting hurt.

Me too. Humans are often torn between having to look tough and not having to hurt someone else (not unlike animals that posture for dominance). Almost always an authority figure stepping bewteen chest-thumping young males is enough to get them both to back down without losing face.