Chapter 544: Chain of Evidence

Headbutt? The headbutt was just an appetizer.

Before almost everyone could react, Sakuragi Hanamichi had already rushed towards Artest who was falling backwards, grabbed Artest's collar with one hand, and punched him with a sandbag-sized fist.

At this time, everyone saw that Artest's face was covered with blood, his nose was bleeding wildly, and even his nose bridge seemed to be tilted to one side.

The headbutt just now really made him a little dazed. Not only did his nose hurt a lot, but his whole head was buzzing and roaring. In an instant, the world was spinning as if he had a concussion.

It was not until Sakuragi Hanamichi grabbed his collar and his fists rained down like raindrops that he woke him up.

Artest was once a street thug. He couldn't say that he was a professional in fighting, but at least he could be called a professional.

But according to Phil Knight's arrangement, he should have provoked Sakuragi Hanamichi and forced him to make the first move, and then he would fall down after being hit, and then Matt Barnes would come out to fight with Sakuragi Hanamichi, and then lure other Supersonics players to make a move, and punish as many as possible, and try to let Barnes "change" as many as possible.

They are all bad guys, and it is normal to make trouble. No one would think that there is any conspiracy behind it. This is just an emergency.

But who would have thought that this guy would be completely crazy after losing his mind, and there is no reason at all. Not only did he not mean to stop and let himself "lie down", but he felt that the other party rushed up with the mentality of killing.

The violent murderous aura all over his body made Artest feel a threat of death directly, not to mention that Sakuragi Hanamichi grabbed his collar, and he was not allowed to fall down... At this time, there was no time to care about Phil Knight's arrangement.

Artest was also mad. He tried to block Sakuragi Hanamichi's fist with his right hand, and clenched his left hand to fight back at Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Boom!

He punched Sakuragi Hanamichi in the face, but the furious lion seemed to have no feeling at all. He stared with red eyes and grabbed his right hand, and then hit him with a crazy headbutt.

Come on! Hurt each other!

Bang!

Artest was hit hard on the nose again. His broken nose bridge felt like he had lost consciousness. Stars appeared in his eyes and his ears were buzzing, as if he was dying.

He was not as tall as Sakuragi Hanamichi, and he was not as strong. He was obviously inferior to Sakuragi in terms of strength and resistance to blows. What's more, he was hit by a very fierce headbutt right at the beginning, which made him dizzy and swollen. How could he still be Sakuragi's opponent at this time?

Damn... Artest had a thousand horses galloping in his heart.

He simply couldn't imagine what kind of person would hit something with his head so hard. This wasn't a fight, this was a fight for life, to take the other person's life and his own!

It is said that the aggressive ones are afraid of the stupid ones, the stupid ones are afraid of the arrogant ones, the arrogant ones are afraid of the desperate ones, and the desperate ones are afraid of the crazy ones.

Artest felt that he was just the "arrogant" one at most, but this Japanese red-haired man was simply a lunatic!

At this moment, Artest finally felt a sense of fear.

There are many fights in the NBA, and Hanamichi Sakuragi may not be the best fighter in the NBA in Artest's eyes, but...

Whether it is Barkley who made Bird cry; or Aunt Johnson who is known as the best player in boxing and the best boxer in basketball; or Laimbeer who defeated Rodman;

All these people will fight for a certain purpose on the court, and they are measured in their actions. Even Kermit Washington, who punched Tom to paralysis, was just because Tom was too weak, and he deeply repented afterwards. How could he really have the idea of ​​killing?

But this guy in front of him is different. This guy is really here to kill himself!

She is just a woman, is it so important...

At this moment, Artest was really scared, his head was buzzing, as if he really had a concussion, and his hands began to subconsciously protect his head. Seeing that Hanamichi Sakuragi's heavy punch was about to fall again, a figure next to him had already flown over and kicked Hanamichi Sakuragi.

Matt Barnes!

Barnes' eyes were red. He had no grudge against Sakuragi, the Sonics, or Artest, but he had to take action.

His father was a hot-tempered black retired navy man, and his mother was of Italian descent. Like most of the lower classes in American society, Barnes' family was full of domestic violence, drugs, and chaotic relationships between men and women that his father had hooked up with by relying on his retired navy status. Who would care about him?

He was a mixed-race black and white man who was bullied at school since he was a child. No one cared about him at home, so he could only use his fists to protect himself.

Joining the NBA was not just because he loved basketball, but also because he wanted to get rid of that bad family and environment. So money was far more important to him than dreams.

When Phil Knight went to the Kings to recruit him and gave him two big contracts as an endorsement and a player, he knew exactly what he was doing in the Cavaliers.

This kick might end his career, but with his own strength, even if he stayed in the NBA for a few more years, it would be difficult for him to earn the $17 million, and he might even be eliminated early.

But everything has been clearly marked, and he will do things for money, no ambiguity!

At this time, with a tattoo all over his body and a fierce face, the kick he gave to Sakuragi Hanamichi was quite heavy, almost knocking down the 209-centimeter Sakuragi.

But Sakuragi suddenly ignored him, and didn't even look at him. All he could see was Artest with a nosebleed.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

At this time, Sakuragi Hanamichi had already pressed Artest to the ground with red eyes, not caring about Barnes' kick at all. His fist as big as a sandbag fell on Artest's head, making him hold his head and bleed all over the floor. Barnes was stunned. Only he knew how powerful his kick was, and it was kicked on the ribs. If it were someone else, he would definitely not be able to get up, and several ribs would be broken, but this madman actually ignored it...

What did Artest say to him? How big a grudge is this?

At the same time, the other people on the court finally reacted.

Chandler was standing closest, and immediately rushed towards Barnes who was about to attack Sakuragi, and pressed him to the ground.

Wade and LeBron rushed up to pull Sakuragi away, but were stopped by Lin Dong and Payton.

No matter what the cause of the incident was, and no matter what the consequences of Sakuragi's action were, he had already taken action, so what else could he do?

Of course, he was helping his own people and taking sides. He didn't need to take action, anyway, it was Ron who was beaten now...

At this time, the people on the bench of the Cavaliers and the bench of the Supersonics also stood up on the side of the court, shouting that they were about to rush to the court. Both sides were obviously unwilling to be outdone, but the reactions of their bosses were the difference.

Lola obviously had never experienced such a scene. Although she had known that something would happen today, the sight of Artest being beaten and bloodied and carried away on a stretcher still made the rich daughter a little pale.

Yang Dong was holding a camera and recording something nearby. He looked quite calm and had no intention of touching her folding stool.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

And until this moment, the referee's long whistle finally sounded.

"Stop! Stop!"

"Security! Security!"

Bavetta wanted to make the scene bigger, but he didn't expect Sakuragi Hanamichi to be too brutal and the situation developed too quickly. If it was any slower, Artest would be beaten to death by Sakuragi Hanamichi, so he finally blew the whistle.

The security guards on the sidelines and the assistant coaches of both sides had also rushed onto the court at this time. They finally pulled Sakuragi Hanamichi away from Artest, but Artest seemed to have fallen into a coma at this time...

The game was forced to be suspended.

The medical staff hurried up to check on Artest's condition and even irradiated his pupils on the spot.

Artest had really been knocked unconscious at this time. The medical staff saw that his pupils seemed to be a little dilated, so they were frightened and quickly carried him to the hospital on a stretcher.

At this time, after a brief shock, the entire stadium burst into a large number of curses. The fans who were already extremely frustrated finally found an opportunity to vent and began to throw various beverage bottles at Sakuragi Hanamichi's position in the field. Of course, few of them hit it accurately, but many other people nearby were affected.

The entire stadium was in chaos. Bavetta immediately sentenced Sakuragi Hanamichi to a second-degree malicious offense, and then the security quickly protected him and temporarily controlled the situation.

But at the same time, the debate about punishment in the referee's seat was not over yet.

It was not only Sakuragi Hanamichi who took action, but also Chandler and Barnes. If you want to count more carefully, Lin Dong, Payton, LeBron and Wade also participated in the "pushing".

To be honest, almost all the people sitting in the referee's seat at this time were Nike people.

For this kind of thing, even without Phil Knight's instructions, Bavetta is quite clear about which side to judge.

The most favorable situation is of course to whistle a few more people from the Supersonics, such as Chandler who directly participated in the fight, which is the best result for the Cavaliers.

But Chandler just held down Barnes, which is the same as Lin Dong, Payton, and LeBron. If you want to blow Chandler out, then these people will also have to be punished. But if you blow these people out together, not to mention that the league and fans will not agree, the sponsors will not agree.

And if only Sakuragi Hanamichi is blown out... Frankly speaking, Bavetta thinks that the Cavaliers still have no chance in this game, after all, they are already behind by so many points.

Maybe Phil Knight thinks that losing a game doesn't matter, but Bavetta doesn't think so. Every "normal" win of the Cavaliers will reduce the possibility of being exposed because of black whistles.

Although he took Phil Knight's money, which is enough for his retirement, wouldn't it be better to get the money without being exposed?

We need to find a reasonable reason to get Chandler out too!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium.

David Stern looked at the farce on the court coldly, then took the phone from the assistant coach with a smile on his face: "It seems that you have captured something."

"The HD camera can clearly see every word that guy said through his lip movements, and it is exactly the same as the confession you provided before." A woman's voice came from the other end of the phone: "As long as this video and the confession you provided are made public, plus the various evidences you have collected, the chain of evidence of Phil Knight's manipulation of the game will be closed, and no matter how eloquent he is, he can't change it."

"Thank you again for everything you have done for the league. Some cancers should have been removed long ago, but..." David Stern laughed: "This game is missing a general, and I will not interfere with Bavetta's penalty for the time being. He is also an important part of the evidence. The Supersonics may lose another person because of this... Aren't you worried about the outcome of this game?"

"I will be back in the next game, what are you worried about?" The woman on the phone said with a smile: "Besides, we are still leading by 18 points now. Don't forget that my son is the king of this league."

She paused and said lightly: "Although I don't know much about basketball, the real king of basketball will never let a game with an 18-point lead slip away from his hands!"

…………

…………

The game was temporarily suspended. Although the DJ played the more soothing "My Heart Will Go On", the stadium did not calm down at all because of the music, but the buzzing noise of booing continued.

In the history of the NBA, there are actually many similar events, but the one that has the greatest impact in another world is the Palace of Auburn Hills, and the protagonist is also Artest.

But in this world, Artest was traded to the Magic after leaving the Wizards in the 2003 season, so he naturally did not become the fuse of that game.

But it seems that there is a kind of destiny in the dark. What is coming will come. This guy still caused trouble, but the target changed from the big Ben who could intimidate him with his size to Sakuragi Hanamichi, so the incident also changed.

Sakuragi Hanamichi is not Big Ben. They are also head-to-head, but Big Ben showed his deterrence by showing off his muscles, while Sakuragi Hanamichi directly took action.

At this time, let alone the fans at the scene, almost all of America has been excited.

Whether it is supporting the Cavaliers or the Supersonics, no matter which side the fans are on, the emotions at this moment are all excited.

The national ratings have already risen from 103 million at the start of the game to 140 million, which has surpassed Michael Jackson's Super Bowl halftime show that year, and this number is still soaring.

This has obviously gone beyond the scope of basketball and has become a phenomenal performance. When it crosses a certain threshold, when everyone around you is watching this game, you will naturally join in.

For the fans of the Supersonics, it can be imagined that Artest must have done something excessive, but being able to beat someone in his home court is undoubtedly a symbol of a real man. Fans support real men!

As for the fans of the Cavaliers...

"I don't know what Artest said to Sakuragi at that time, but I can imagine that it must have been very unpleasant," Doris in the live broadcast room was obviously a representative of the Cavaliers fans. At this time, she was excitedly saying to the camera: "But according to the video playback at that time, there is no doubt that Sakuragi Hanamichi started it first. He is still too young. The momentary impulse may bring huge trouble to the Supersonics."

"The league has previously punished on-site fights. Sakuragi Hanamichi's behavior is probably not just a matter of first-level malice, but it is likely to be a suspension of more than ten games. The Supersonics lost this defensive stalwart, and the original advantage against the Cavaliers may be broken!"

"Yes, I just don't know how serious Artest's injury is, but with his physical fitness, if he needs to be carried down, then he may not be able to participate in the subsequent series."

Even if Artest is really injured and can't play, the Cavaliers losing an Artest is completely different from the Supersonics losing a Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Barkley tried his best to help the Sonics, but to be honest, he was a little pessimistic. This kind of thing seemed unexpected to the fans, but in the eyes of these players who had been tested by the league for a long time, it was obvious that someone was making trouble.

"The camera at the scene couldn't hear what Artest said at the time, and the camera didn't seem to shoot it very clearly. Although we can guess that it was definitely not a good thing, there is no evidence. Artest can completely deny it, otherwise he might be able to organize a wave of online public opinion to put pressure on the league to punish him."

"Whether the league will impose additional penalties, at least a second-level malicious intent is definitely inevitable," Doris said with a smile: "Without Sakuragi Hanamichi, the Sonics' inside and outside lines will no longer be so easy to connect. O'Neal and LeBron can turn the tide in the inside... The penalty is out!"

"Chandler and Barnes also received a second-level malicious intent each and were expelled from the game!" Doris became excited, as if she was witnessing the rise of the Cavaliers: "The Sonics lost two generals in a row. Although the Lakers lost Artest, the four main offensive players are still there!"

"The Cavaliers' chance is here!"