Re: Walker / Potapenko "brawl"

[Mark Piotrowski <pio@nwu.edu>]

The brawl was part of an overall physical game.

What happened (as I could see it from my barstool at the sports bar) was
that someone on the C's shot the ball and Vitaly Potapenko went up for the
rebound and sort of fumbled it.  Eric Riley (not Antoine) was BEHIND him
and as the ball bounced up off of Potapenko's hands Riley tried to grab it.
Potapenko also reached for it, so you have Riley over the top of Potapenko.
Basically a jump ball.

However, since the ref hadn't yet called the jump ball, Potapenko (who
looks like scary w/o the mask, but absolutely psycho with it) started
twisting and turning trying to wrest the ball away from Riley.  I think
Riley took an elbow or two in the upper chest but wouldn't let go of the
ball.  After about 2-3 seconds of real physical wrangling (and I'm assuming
a whistle, the sound was off at the bar) Potapenko let go of the ball,
wriggled out of Riley's hold and it looked like he threw (and landed) a
punch on Riley.  Up until that point I think Riley was willing to let the
whole thing go, but you saw him really change demeanor when Potapenko threw
the punch.

I was really surprised Potapenko didn't get thrown out of the game or at
the very least a Technical.  I was curious if the TNT people said anything
during the replays b/c it really looked like Potapenko punched Riley in the
jaw.  BTW it was real close to the Cavs bench and it looked like a few of
them (brevin Knight and others) "left the bench".  I doubt there will be
any significat fallout though, since the refs didn't seem to think it was a
very big deal.

mark

>I only saw highlights (or lowlights, as it were) of a seeming brawl
>between Antoine and Vitally Potapenko.  "Coverage" was limited to about
>a five second clip of Potapenko striking Walker after being tied up on a
>rebound.  As the scuffle began to escalate (in TNT's patented slow
>motion, of course), they cut away and showed the final score. I see
>from the paper that neither Potapenko nor Antoine got thrown out of the
>game.  Does anyone know what happened?
>
>Ryan

-------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Piotrowski
Registrar,
Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotic Center
345 E. Superior St.
Room. 1712
Chicago, IL 60611

(312) 908-8006
pio@nwu.edu
www.repoc.nwu.edu/nupoc/nupoc.html
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