I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve had a player with a fight and a game-winner in the same game. It’s probably happened plenty of times before, but this is a first for me, and I’m really excited. Fights and game-winners are two of the things that can happen in a basketball game that drive the most fan interaction. People love game-winners, obviously. They’re so exciting! Prince’s wasn’t a buzzer-beater, the Suns had a chance to win but failed to convert (gee, I wonder why), but it was still a really tough shot in a really tough situation.
And fights, I don’t know the full demographic situation, but I know that males for some reason get super pumped when fights happen. Like the adrenaline level goes through the roof and their vision starts tunneling. That’s why people go on WorldStar. So they can feel that primal rush of power and fury. That’s what we’ve got here. Two huge dudes getting ready to throw down, to defend their honor, before their teammates and the refs step between them.
To be honest, I don’t know why Prince would start talking after goaltending Josh Jackson’s shot. Like, what is there to say after that? Blocks are worthless if they’re goaltended. No reason to start talking crap, but Prince did, and Jackson didn’t like it. Most likely explanation is that Prince was getting tired of Jackson’s perpetually-smug face and couldn’t hold back any longer.
In the end, neither of them got ejected, but Isaiah Taylor and Elfrid Payton did. Weird.