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Andre Drummond gave the refs a round of applause after they ejected him
Way back in the long, long ago of 2013, Roy Hibbert — then the All-Star-caliber, rim-protecting heart of an Eastern Conference finalist-to-be Indiana Pacers squad — told reporters that he used to like Andre Drummond, but had soured on the young Detroit Pistons pivot because “it seemed like he was running his mouth a little bit” when they squared off. Back then, Drummond said he was trying to get into his opponent’s head; on Tuesday night, he decided to just clock Hibbert in the cranium instead.
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With just over four minutes remaining in the first half of a nip-and-tuck battle between Drummond’s Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets, the team Hibbert joined on a one-year deal this summer, the two big men were battling under the basket as Hornets star Kemba Walker lofted a 3-pointer. As the shot dropped through the nylon, Drummond took exception to Hibbert’s attempt to spin around him into rebounding position, and whistled an elbow at the back of Hibbert’s head.
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It didn’t look like much in the moment — which, of course, is easy for me to say when I didn’t just get elbowed in the back of the head by a 6-foot-11, 275-pound monster — but it was enough to prompt a video review by the officials. They determined that the contact was unnecessary, excessive and merited a flagrant foul-2, triggering an immediate ejection that Drummond, for his part, seemed to find laughable:
One suspects Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy didn’t find the prospect of battling a deep and tough Charlotte team without his starting center quite so hilarious!
Drummond, who entered Tuesday second in the NBA in rebounding, finished with three points on 1-for-6 shooting with six boards, one assist and one blocked shot before his exit. Hibbert stayed in the game, living to fight another day — and maybe, just maybe, enjoying having gotten the best of that gigantic jabberjaw, even if it meant suffering some slightly scrambled brains in the process.
Unfortunately for Hibbert’s squad, the Pistons didn’t miss a beat without their All-Star center. Detroit steamrolled to a 112-89 victory behind a big night from forward Tobias Harris (24 points on 9-for-12 shooting, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks) and 18 points apiece from Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. That firepower proved too much for a Hornets team that started slow and seemed to run out of gas while playing its fourth game in five nights, allowing Drummond’s teammates to get the last laugh … even if he wasn’t there to join in.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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