With Donovan Mitchell, Dillon Brooks, Austin Rivers And Mo Bamba, Are NBA Fights Making A Comeback?

There were two fights in different games this week that led to plenty ejections

During a recent episode of HBO's "Game Theory," host Bomani Jones wondered what happened to fighting in the NBA. 

Time was, the league was full of fisticuffs during games, even between Hall of Famer and Miami Heat players. 

"There's an entire generation of basketball fans that have never seen their favorite players get into a fight," Jones said. "I once saw Dr. J and Moses Malone double-team Larry Bird. These kids are being deprived."

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Vintage NBA fights were an experience #bomanijones #nbamoments

♬ original sound - Game Theory with Bom

  That wasn't the case this week. NBA fans witnessed two fights this week that nearly turned into bench-clearing brawls. It began with Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell getting chippy after a receiving a cheap shot to the groin from Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks. The altercation led to ejections for both players, with Mitchell fined $25,000 and Brooks handed a one-game suspension. 

"He and I have had our personal battles for years," Mitchell said of Brooks. "Quite frankly, I've been busting his ass for years. Regular season, playoffs ... It's tough. When you can't guard somebody, you gotta resort to that. That's what he does to a lot of players."

On Friday, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers and Orlando Magic forward Mo Bamba threw punches in the second half. They were among the five players ejected. 

"I'm not trying to portray myself as a wanna-be tough guy," Rivers said. "That's not my MO. But for anyone who knows me, I'm not going to let somebody disrespect me or talk crazy. I just feel back I got thrown out of the game. I felt I let my team down.''

This was one month after 11 players were suspended after a bench-clearing ruckus between the Magic and Detroit Pistons. It started when the Pistons' Killian Hayes shoved Moe Wagner into the bench. During the melee, Wagner was briefly knocked out. 

While these are hardly brutal as the fights from the 1980s and 1990s, they have given flashes to the past. The Miami Heat were perhaps involved in one of the league's most infamous brawls in 1997 playoffs. 

Heat forward P.J. Brown body-slammed New York Knicks guard Charlie Ward, causing another brawl in Game 5. Three Knicks players were suspended for the next game for leaving the bench, allowing the Heat to eventually win the series. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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