In the closing seconds of a shocking Dallas Mavericks sweep of the first two games in the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals, Ron Artest added injury to insult by attempting to dislodge the head of the man that killed his team all fourth quarter long.
(via nbavideosnow)
Artest is likely to earn himself a game off, and at the worst possible time with Dallas up 2-0. Artest went to the head of Jose Barea, a move that has generally warranted a one-game suspension in every other instance during these NBA Playoffs (Zaza Pachulia and Jason Richardson come to mind). Artest's streaky history also does him no favors here, despite being the recent winner of the Kennedy Citizenship Award.
Artest's likely suspension means Matt Barnes probably starts for LA on Friday night in Game 3. It does not solve the worrisome issue the Lakers have with trying to stop Barea, who exploded for 10 points and 4 assists and took advantage of lame Laker pick and roll defense all night long.
For more on the Lakers, check out Silver Screen and Roll. For more on the Mavs, head to Mavs Moneyball.