LeBron, Isaiah Stewart could meet again in a week unless the NBA steps in

22.11.2021 17:57

Considering it was the ugliest moment of the season, the league office is going to do everything possible to avoid it happening again.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons meet again in a week, and the NBA can prevent another incident between LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart with its discipline.

During their game on Sunday night, after the four-time NBA champion elbowed the Detroit big man in the face, a bleeding Stewart tried to fight LeBron. Both players were ejected — it was only the second time that LeBron has ever been ejected during his career — and we got a new meme of Russell Westbrook looking tough.

Now, fans are waiting to find out the verdict about potential further discipline for both parties. Realistically, if you were to set an over-under for how many games these players will miss, there is a number that feels realistic.

The Detroit Pistons are scheduled to face the Los Angeles Lakers a week from today, Nov. 28, at the STAPLES Center.

I can't imagine the intensity Isaiah Stewart — so long as his suspension is fewer than three games — would have against LeBron James.pic.twitter.com/LKE4yyLPcp

— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) November 22, 2021

The Pistons are scheduled to face the Lakers in six days, on Nov. 28, and both teams have three games to play between then and now. I don’t think Stewart will get his chance at revenge.

Considering it was the ugliest moment of the season, the league office is going to do everything possible to avoid it happening again. That’s why you should not expect to see Stewart and LeBron play each until next season when the Lakers and Pistons can meet up again. As long as either party is suspended for more than three games, next season is the soonest that the two teams will have each other on the schedule.

While I’m not advocating for this, if the NBA hits both players with suspensions of at least four games, there would be no lingering questions of how Stewart and LeBron would react to being on the same floor again.

Maybe that’s not the most exciting route the league could take or the one that is most fair to Stewart — who would presumably channel all of the anger he felt after getting elbowed in the face without a chance to retaliate into a very strong revenge performance on the court.

But otherwise, the game on Nov. 28 would feel a lot like when two baseball teams with bad blood face off and the pitcher attempts to intentionally hit the batter, then both benches clear to prepare for a brawl.

Even if neither party is actually trying to hurt the other, the league wouldn’t want to see how close it could get. Especially not considering it’s the Pistons — who have a bit of a past with fighting — and the league’s biggest star.