It started with a few shoves and the next thing you know; the crowd is working to stop an all-out brawl. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons saw seven ejections occur in the second quarter. Naz Reid, taking exception to Ron Holland’s physicality, led to an altercation in the courtside seats. The magnitude of the incident itself was shocking. But it was also an inevitable outcome.

The Pistons thrive off playing with physicality and toughness. Isaiah Stewart, who often leads the line, was among the main protagonists of the fight. The game was intense from the very beginning. DiVincenzo and Stewart came face-to-face multiple times before the event. So Chris Finch didn’t blame the emotions, but rather the leeway on physicality, which the players were allowed as the reason for the outburst.

“It just kept escalating and escalating uh mostly from their side to be honest with you. I thought leading up to that that the game was way too physical I thought it was a little lopsided in its physicality um and I thought that you know it was bound to happen…We knew they were a super physical team. They hit you, they hold you all the stuff that you want your physical teams to do. But I just thought it had got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands and you don’t ever want that,” Finch said about the brawl.

The “super dangerous” incident took nearly a minute to calm down. At the end of it all, Stewart, DiVincenzo, Holland, Naz Reid, and Marcus Sasser saw their nights end early. It left both teams with a difficult job. They lost some key players and having depth became the key to winning tonight’s matchup.

The Timberwolves found a way to turn the heat and animosity in their favor. They took control in the second half. The Wolves outscored the Pistons 69-44 led by Anthony Edwards and Randle’s 54 combined points. Rudy Gobert’s dominant double-double also helped them turn the tables.

But it was a game to forget for both teams. Nobody wants to see competitive juices amount to such violent incidents no matter what the history. For all you know, the Pistons may have had the ability to protect their lead had they not lost two pivotal defensive players. The heightened physicality definitely played a part. However, it seemed the players’ intent was always to push each other’s buttons.

Tonight it went in the worst possible direction.

The coaching staff didn’t miss out on the action either

Keeping the tempo of the game aside from where J. B. Bickerstaff saw the game, he didn’t blame any of his players. Finch may have thought they instigated the scene. But the Pistons head coach saw the squad’s loyalty bleed in those moments. Moreover, he also took exception to one of the members of the Wolves’ coaching staff.

Notably, along with Bickerstaff, Wolves assistant Pablo Prigioni was also ejected from the game. The former Cavs coach was livid with his actions. He told the media, “There were things said by their assistant coach, and I’m in the same boat that my guys are in, we’re gonna defend each other. I’m not gonna let people say belligerent things about my guys,” about Prigioni’s actions.

But from Finch’s vantage point, his assistant player was doing the same thing and looking after his players.

The Wolves HC didn’t name the player in question, but he did admit that Prigioni did try to speak to the referee about the player’s conduct. However, it was only for precaution and not to slander any player. “From my understanding he was trying to have a conversation with the referee about one of their players who’s you know kind of prone to these situations. And then their men and JB in particular had an issue with it and they exchanged words,” said Chris Finch.

According to him, Prigioni’s actions didn’t warrant an ejection. He wasn’t involved in the scuffle nor did he try to prolong it. But because there was a heated dispute between him and Bickerstaff both, them getting the same punishment seems to be the just outcome. What are your thoughts on the incident? Let us know your views in the comments below.