The Greatest Brawls in NBA Playoffs History (Video)

14. John Starks vs. the Bulls

Date: 5/29/1993
Teams: New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls
Round: Game 3, Eastern Conference Finals
Winner: The Bulls
John Starks is an All-Star at doing dumb !! like getting the opposing team's best player amped. He did it with Reggie Miller and he did it with Michael Jordan. Against the Bulls, he first got into it with Pippen and then went at Jordan a few times until the refs had enough and ejected him. Starks had already picked up a tech for kicking the ball in the stands after he turned the ball over. The Knicks lost the game and eventually the series, even though they had a 2-0 lead.
13. John Stockton vs. David Robinson

Date: 4/28/1994
Teams: San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz
Round: Game 1, Western Conference Quarterfinals
Winner: John Stockton
John Stockton was one of the dirtiest players in NBA history. How dirty? So dirty that 7'1" U.S. Naval Academy graduate David Robinson was too shook to f!ght Stockton, who stood a full foot shorter. OK, so maybe Robinson's Christian background had something to do with the fact that he stayed on the ground when Stockton tossed him to the floor. But maybe not.

12. John Starks vs. Reggie Miller

Date: 5/4/1993
Teams: New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers
Round: Game 3, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Winner: Reggie Miller
Reggie Miller ushered in the era of flops. He was the master of getting under his opponents' skin and coaxing them into making irrational decisions based on emotion. Earlier during the '93 season, Michael Jordan was suspended for a game because of a punch he threw at Miller. But later that season, John Starks would become his favorite target. Starks felt Reggie was throwing elbows all game and he wasn't having it. He purposely sought Miller out and head-butted him for it. Starks was ejected, the Knicks lost the game (but won the series, 3-1) and John was fined $5,000.

11. Ralph Sampson vs. Jerry Sichting

Date: 6/5/1986
Teams: Houston Rockets vs. Boston Celtics
Round: Game 5, NBA Finals
Winner: Ralph Sampson
It was a pretty idiotic move on Sampson's part. He was 7'4" and one-half (along with Akeem Olajuwon) of the Rockets' Twin Towers. Sichting was a 6'1" reserve guard. The f!ght resulted in Sampson's ejection, but it served to fire up the Rockets, who went on to win the game going away to pull the series to 3-2. Boston prevailed to win in six however, and Sampson's career was subsequently plagued by injuries (unrelated to the f!ght).
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10. Robert Horry vs. Steve Nash

Date: 5/14/2007
Teams: San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
Round: Game 4, Western Conference Semifinals
Winner: The Spurs
This series was the Suns' last chance at making folks believe their style of basketball would translate into a title. Robert Horry was having none of it. The grizzled vet checked Steve Nash into the scorer's table as if they were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Horry and Raja Bell tried to grab each other, but the scuffle was diffused quickly. Boris Diaw and Amar'e took only a few steps off the bench to tend to Nash and were still suspended a game each. Robert Horry was suspended for two games and the Spurs went on the win the series in six games. The next year, Steve Kerr traded Shawn Marion for Shaq and spelled the end of "Seven Seconds or Less" in the desert.

9. Larry Johnson vs. Alonzo Mourning

Date: 4/13/1998
Teams: Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks
Round: Game 4, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Winner: The Fans
LJ and Alonzo never got along. The two had been beefing since the Hornets drafted Alonzo Mourning with the second pick in the 1992 Draft. It started when 'Zo didn't like a contract offer from the Hornets, so he was dealt to the Heat. Johnson always held that against Alonzo, so when Larry became a Knick, it created the perfect storm.

The tension reached a climax when the two met in the 1998 playoffs. With literally seconds left in the fourth quarter, Mourning didn't like how physical Johnson was getting for a board and took a swing at him. The two continued to f!ght the air until Jeff Van Gundy came in to save the day. Larry and Alonzo were each suspended for two games and fined a combined $32,500. The only winners of this f!ght were the fans.

8. Bill Laimbeer vs the Celtics

Date: 5/23/1987 & 5/26/1987
Teams: Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics
Round: Game 3 and Game 5, Conference Finals
Winner: The Celtics
Everyone hates Bill Laimbeer. During Game 3 of the '87 Eastern Conference Finals, Laimbeer put Larry Bird into a sleeper hold while Bird was attempting a layup. A flagrant foul was called and Bill was fined $5,000.

In Game 5, Robert Parish was fed up with Bill's antics and punched him three times in the head after Laimbeer came down with a rebound right in front of an official. At the time, only a foul was called on the Big Chief, but upon further review after the game, the league suspended Parish for Game 6. The Pistons lost in seven games.

7. Akeem Olajuwon vs. Mitch Kupchak

Date: 5/21/1986
Teams: Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Round: Game 5, Western Conference Finals
Winner: Earl Strom (referee)
The Lakers were the reigning NBA champs; the Rockets were the young guns with the Twin Towers, Ralph Sampson and Akeem Olajuwon, gunning for that No. 1 spot. Houston was up in the series 3-1, and about to send the Lakers packing on their home court, when Mitch Kupchak (as in current Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak) objected to a swipe from Olajuwon and hit The Dream with an arm check. Olajuwon most definitely objected to the arm check, and swung on Kupchak with the quickness, only to have referee Earl Strom put his life on the line to break things up. If Strom was six inches taller, the Rockets likely don't win their back-to-back titles in the '90s because Olajuwon would've been locked up on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
6. Kevin McHale vs. Kurt Rambis

Date: 6/6/1984
Teams: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Round: Game 4, NBA Finals
Winner: Kevin McHale
This is the most famous takedown in NBA history. Kevin McHale straight clotheslined Kurt Rambis which led to the clearing of benches. This was a mere personal foul in the '80s but surely would've gotten someone tossed in today's NBA. No one was suspended or fined. That's vintage basketball, folks. Boston won the game and the series in seven.
5. P.J. Brown vs. Charlie Ward

Date: 5/14/1997
Teams: Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks
Round: Game 5, Eastern Conference Semifinals
Winner: The Heat
Charlie Ward took boxing out seriously. He damn near took P.J. Brown's legs from under him which made P.J. angry beyond belief. Brown was so annoyed that he flipped Charlie with one arm like he was a little kid. Unfortunately, the NBA got their Big Brother on and took all video evidence of this brawl off of YouTube, but the Internet is a big place. Check out the scuffle here.

Allan Houston, Patrick Ewing, and Charlie Ward were suspended for Game 6, while Larry Johnson and John Starks were out for Game 7. P.J. was out for both. The Heat ended up winning the series, overcoming a 3-1 deficit with the aid of the Knicks' suspensions. This is the stuff real rivalries are made of.
NBA f!ght: P.J. Brown Flips vs. Charlie Ward - Frequency

4. Derek Harper vs. Jo Jo English

Date: 5/13/1994
Teams: New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls
Round: Game 3, Eastern Conference Semifinals
Winner: David Stern
The brawl broke out only a few rows from Commissioner Stern, which led to the "Leave the Bench" rule. Before this f!ght, players who left the bench were fined. The next season (1994-1995), players who left the bench were automatically suspended for one game. Derek Harper took Jo Jo English uptown and slammed him on his back into the front row. Harper was suspended for two games and Jo Jo was out for one. Each player was fined $20,000. No more legal bench-clearing brawls after this one.
3. Tree Rollins vs. Danny Ainge

Date: 4/24/1983
Teams: Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics
Round: Game 3, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Winner: Tree Rollins
In retaliation for being called a sissy, Tree Rollins elbowed Danny Ainge in the face. Never one to back down, Ainge tackled Rollins to the ground and the two began to wrestle. Tree then bit Ainge's middle finger requiring a couple stitches. The crazy part? Ainge was ejected and not Tree. The Celtics went on to win the series, 2-1. Yeah, you read that right, the top two teams in each conference had first round byes in those days.

2. Grant Long vs. Duane Ferrell
Date: 4/30/1994

Teams: Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat
Round: Game 2, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Winner: Grant Long
You know you've choked a man good when the gum flies out of his mouth. The eighth seeded Heat were appearing in the Playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and coming off the first postseason win in franchise history. Not feeling the upstart Heat beating them again on their own court, the Hawks got chippy, and when Atlanta's Duane Ferrell put his finger in Miami's Grant Long's face after a dunk, things got really chippy. Long calmly removed his goggles and put both hands on Ferrell's neck, resulting in the aforementioned gum expulsion. Both benches cleared, with Miami's Keith Askins and Atlanta's Doug Edwards landing punches (on each other). Long and Askins were suspended for Game 3; Atlanta won the series in five games.


1. Maurice Lucas vs. Darryl Dawkins

Date: 5/26/1977
Teams: Portland Trailblazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Round: Game 2, NBA Finals
Winner: Maurice Lucas
This was a bout between two Gs. Darryl Dawkins and Mo Lucas (RIP) were known to throw the hands every once in awhile. Some might remember Mo as the dude in White Men Can't Jump that promised to shoot everybody after Sidney and Billy hustled him. Dawkins and Bob Gross battled for a rebound and had some words. Gross must've said the magic words to Dawkins, so Darryl popped him, but hit his own teammate, Doug Collins, instead. Mo slapped Darryl in the back of the head and challenged him to shoot the one. This led to fans trying to get on the floor to get in the action and players on both teams had shoving matches. Both Lucas and Dawkins were ejected and Dawkins was fined $2,500. No suspensions. The Blazers lost the game, but went on to win the series in six games.

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Can you read it says playoffs
that wasnt a playoff game
damn you stupid mutha!!a read before you post

Mostly fines and half of em werent even ejected...and rarely any suspension..NBA was a mans game back then.

god damn...nba is just pathetic now. filled with divas and drama queens. old time basketball needs to come back

i watched every video and i saw maybe 6 techs givin and a couple ejections[pic]

its been 20 techs in the grizzlies/clippers series theu 5 games[pic]

Doc Rivers vs Kevin Johnson

Pat Riley was in damn near all those vids lmao

:agreement6::agreement6: BLOW ON A nicca HEAD BAND TOO HARD YOU GETTIN EJECTED niccaS FLOPPING DUMB HARD.

REFS PROTECTING PLAYERS THAT'S CALLED KING

niccaS GET TECHS FOR TALKING BACK. CORNY !! MAKES THE GAME SO BORING THATS WHY THESE wimpS JUST MAKE MILLIONS OF THREADS ON CORY DUNKS. [pic] [pic]

No Ron Ron/JO vs Pistons fans?

Real talk keith, some of the acting, weak calls and flopping is just to much these days.
Love the NBA but def wish it was a bit more physical like back in the day.

i remember watching those 90's brawls.... the good old days

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dumb non reading muthafuca #2
i will refer you to post #4 you ignorant son of a !! or maybe you are just fucin illiterate

Where's 'malice in the palace'/ Ron vs. the city of detroit?????



















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def the good old days. rarely see anybody even talkin !! these days.

Bull!! thread because the nicca said Mo Lucas played in White Men Cant Jump when everybody who has seen that movie knows it was UCLA great Marques Johnson that played Raymond and promised he would come back and shoot everybody's a#s. [pic]

Oh yeah, some of these weren't f!ghts or brawls

I wish the NBA was still like this [pic]

lmao man these f!ghts are cla#sic man now a days you get a tech for just thinking about f!ghting

Can you read it says playoffs
that wasnt a playoff game
damn you stupid mutha!!a read before you post[pic][pic]

People always say they wish the NBA would go back to this,then when some !! pops off they get called cla#sless thugs and all other types of bull!!