Ja Morant dropped 30 points against the Heat to give the Memphis Grizzlies a much-needed win as they look to stay afloat in the Western Conference playoff picture, but that wasn’t the most ruthless thing he did in Miami on Thursday night.
Morant was seemingly looking to make a statement in his first game since making headlines earlier this week when the NBA warned him about doing a finger-gun celebration in a game against the Warriors. The former All-Star, whose past suspension for brandishing a gun on social media is likely what caused the finger points to irritate the league, did not seem to care, as he did the celebration again in the very first quarter.
But while we’ll see if anything comes of that discipline-wise, I’ll tell you what: I’d rather have Morant doing finger guns at me after scoring than what he did to first-year Heat big man Kel’el Ware later in the evening.
First, he sent Ware stumbling to hit a cold-blooded, game-winning stepback on the rookie standout to silence a Miami crowd who booed him throughout the night…
…then, in his walk-off postgame interview with TNT sideline reporter Taylor Rooks, Morant said what he saw on the final possession was “a pigeon guarding me” while crediting the Miami fans for “waking him up” with their jeers:
For those unfamiliar, a “pigeon” in basketball parlance essentially means a weak link in the defense, like a clay pigeon to get target practice with a rifle on.
Rooks certainly didn’t appear to need that definition, given that the look on her face when Morant dropped the trash talk appeared to be that of someone who knew their interview was about to go viral:
Image via TNT broadcast
The NBA, regardless of the context, choosing to get its hackles up over a finger gun celebration that tons of players do was always stupid, but if Morant took it personally and has re-unlocked the superstar level of his game that has been dormant at times this season, that will end up being a great thing for him, the Grizzlies, and the league.
Really, it would be a win for everyone… except the pigeons he may be about to go hunting for.
