Things got a little chippy in the third quarter of Miami’s 97-81 win over Minnesota on Monday. Heat sharpshooter Ray Allen and Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea got in an altercation, resulting in an ejection, after the two exchanged bumps.
Allen brushed back Barea with a forearm. Barea took exception to the push-off and retaliated with a shove that sent Allen (who may have used his acting skills to sell it) to the floor.
Both players were immediately restrained, but each got a chance to deliver verbal blows. While Barea was given a flagrant foul and tossed from the game, he didn’t hold back on Allen in postgame interviews, as reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“I’ve been playing in the NBA seven years,” Barea said. “I get hit harder than that every night. I don’t get up crying. I don’t want to fight. [Andrew] Bynum almost knocked me out for the rest of my life. I didn’t get up crying. It was just a little bump. It’s part of the game. Don’t be like that.”
Allen was also willing to talk about the incident following the win, calling it “uncalled for.”
“There’s no place for that in this game,” Allen said. “That’s not the type of player I am. I’ve never been a trash talker. I don’t really need to resort to those type measures. To continue to go on like that, you’re not scaring me, you’re not going to force me to back down from you.”
Barea said he thinks his flagrant will be downgraded by the league, according to the Tribune.
Check out the altercation in the video below.
