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Metta Sandiford Artest was one of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ key role players during their 2010 championship run. After most thought his career would be over for his role in “Malice in The Palace” Artest had risen to the mountaintop and won his first and only NBA title.
But old chickens seemingly came home to roost for Artest during the 2012 season. In a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Artest was celebrating a dunk, and while he was celebrating elbowed James Harden, who was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder right in his head. Artest had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals before getting ejected in the second quarter.
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Metta Sandiford Artest Sounds off on His Elbow to James Harden
Artest was suspended for seven games for elbowing Harden, which was his third suspension of at least 7 games in his career. Whether it was intentional or not is up to the court of public opinion. But Artest says that it wasn’t. He told Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson of Bally Sports that he didn’t even know it was Harden who was behind him.
“It wasn’t meant for James,” he said to Bally Sports. “I didn’t even know who was behind me. I just felt someone push me; I didn’t know who it was. It was very unfortunate.”
He also said that after the incident he didn’t call Harden directly to check on him because the Lakers and Thunder were slated to meet in the playoffs. But he did reach out to a third party to confirm that Harden was okay after taking the blow.
“Through a third party, I got wind that he was OK, we’re probably going to see each other in the playoffs, potentially, so I really didn’t want to do any direct calls. Stay competitive. But, through a friend, he said he was doing OK,” Artest said to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in 2012.
“It was bad timing for me and then, physically, it was bad timing for Mr. Harden. Who can write up a left-hand dunk and then all of the sudden somebody is right behind you? It’s hard to draw that up and to plan something like that. It was just the worst timing for me.”
James Harden Is Zeroed in on NBA Title
2012 was the lone season that Harden made it to the NBA Finals, although he came very close in 2018. This year he will be looking to make a return trip to the biggest stage in basketball, this time with the Brooklyn Nets. He cites his focus to win a championship with the Nets as one of the main reasons he has yet to ink an extension with the franchise.
“I got to focus on trying to bring a championship to this city. As far as the extension, I’m just being patient with it,” Harden told reporters during Nets media day per NetsDaily. “I went through a lot last year and I want to make sure I’m in the right mindset and knowing long-term that ultimately I want to be in Brooklyn for the rest of my career. There’s no rush and we’re going to have fun with it.”
The Nets will kick off their preseason against the Lakers on October 3, a matchup that most expect to see in this year’s NBA Finals. The time for talking is over, it’s time to see what this Nets team will look like on the court. Buckle up!
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