The New York Knicks franchise reached its comic nadir Wednesday night, as former Knicks forward Charles Oakley was ejected and arrested after allegedly verbally accosting owner James Dolan and then getting into an altercation with Madison Square Garden security.
It was just the latest embarrassment for a franchise that has devolved into backroom sniping, public shaming of superstars and a power struggle that will envelop headlines until either Carmelo Anthony or Phil Jackson departs.
Oh, and somewhere in between this mess, the Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers played basketball.
Blake Griffin scored a game-high 32 points, and DeAndre Jordan added a double-double, as the Clippers came from behind in the fourth quarter for a 119-115 win over the Knicks.
Anthony missed a game-tying field goal with eight seconds remaining, and Kristaps Porzingis failed to keep the game alive with a tip-in. Griffin hit one of two free throws after being fouled with five seconds remaining to salt away the win.
The Clippers trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter but went on a 17-8 run in the final five minutes. Jordan, who finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds, scored a game-high 10 in the fourth. Mike Wise of The Undefeated offered his thoughts on the full-circle nature of the night:
Nine of Jamal Crawford's 20 points also came in the fourth, and he knocked down three of his four field-goal attempts.
Griffin, who also had eight rebounds and five assists, did most of his damage early. The NBA provided video of Griffin's 18-point first quarter:
J.J. Redick (14 points) rounded out the double-digit scoring for Los Angeles, which benefited from slight advantages beyond the arc and at the free-throw line.
Anthony, Porzingis and Derrick Rose each scored 20-plus points, as the Knicks got 97 of their 115 points from the starting lineup.
Anthony had his second straight strong offensive game, scoring 28 points and adding nine rebounds. He has shot 20-of-37 from the field over New York's last two games after starting the month on a 12-of-42 bender. Seth Rosenthal of SB Nation made a good point when Anthony was in the midst of a hot streak:
Porzingis added 27 points and was responsible for half of the Knicks' eight makes from distance. It's the first time Porzingis has scored 20 points since Jan. 6.
Rose also added 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. He scored 10 points in the third quarter, which saw New York outscore the Clippers 28-20 and take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter. Kyle O'Quinn also had one of his best games of the season, scoring 18 points while adding six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
No reserve scored more than five points.
But the basketball itself proved but a mere backdrop to the mess going on in the stands, which took place midway through the first quarter. According to Frank Isola and Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News, Oakley was ejected from the game after refusing to stop screaming at Dolan from his seat. Video of the incident shows Oakley shoving a security guard before being dragged out of the arena by security and arrested.
SportsBlogNewYork provided video of security and police surrounding Oakley on the ground:
As to be expected, social media took the ball and ran with the incident:
"Charles Oakley came to the game tonight and behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner," the Knicks said in a statement. "He has been ejected and is currently being arrested by the New York City Police Department. He was a great Knick and we hope he gets some help soon."
Wednesday's incident was the apex of a yearslong feud between Oakley and Dolan. In February 2015, Oakley called Dolan a "motherf--ker" and told reporters he was a "bad guy." The defensive enforcer played for the Knicks from 1988 to 1998 and placed the blame on Dolan as to why he does not have a role with the franchise.
The Knicks are likely nearing another sour ending with Anthony. Jackson tweeted out praise for a column that was largely critical of Anthony by Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding on Tuesday. The article hit on a number of points but largely centered on Anthony's desire (or lack thereof) to win compared to building a brand.
It was Jackson's first tweet of the year and first regarding basketball since last July. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported Jackson's tactics have begun hardening Anthony's preference to stay—essentially as an act of defiance.
With two weeks remaining before Feb. 23 deadline, it's unclear which direction this circus is heading next. The Knicks will have to just hope it doesn't get any lower than this.
New York will try to have a less eventful evening Friday when Anthony's old team, the Denver Nuggets, come into town.
The Clippers have two days off before playing the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
Postgame Reaction
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek spoke to reporters after the game, though his thoughts on the Oakley incident were not made public. Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated provided an edited transcript of his comments other comments:
Clippers coach Doc Rivers did offer his thoughts on Oakley:
Rose was impressed with Porzingis' play: