Harry How/Getty Images Don't mistake the NBA's peppering of suspensions as finality. We still have much to learn, digest and infer about Saturday's skirmish between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. Brandon Ingram (four games), Rajon Rondo (three) and Chris Paul (two, with one served) will all miss time for their roles in the dustup. No one has to like this decision, although some might. Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni is livid his team lost Paul at all. Carmelo Anthony is pleasantly surprised his bestie didn't earn a longer absence. Rondo deserved a heftier sentence. Or perhaps not. Ingram is lucky to only receive a four-game slap on the wrist. Or maybe he's being treated too harshly relative to the context of the game. These punishments seem arbitrary. And they might be. Kiki VanDeWeghe, the league's executive vice president of basketball operations, tried to explain them: Video Play Button Videos you might like In some ways, what's done is done. But curiosity doesn't conclude with official resolutions. Player beef doesn't, either. We have our own informal investigation to conduct. Why Was Ingram That Heated? Harry How/Getty Images Everyone is talking about Paul and Rondo, but let us not forget about the gatekeeper to what Charles Oakley would call a pillow fight. Tensions were flaring long before the main event. Players griped about calls and non-calls. They exaggerated contact. They stared at one another. A mild melee may have been inevitable. Ingram ultimately set the stage for the fight by shoving James Harden and getting in face of official Jason Phillips. He then returned to the scene after being escorted away by Lonzo Ball and Lance Stephenson so he could throw hands: "I was wrong for my teammates, but I also stepped up for my teammates and that's what I'm going to do 10 times out of 10," Ingram said, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. Everyone tuning in could sense Ingram growing frustrated. He spent time defending both Harden and Paul. Contact and whistles wore on him. He felt wronged. Harden and Paul were annoyed by his invasive reaching. They felt wronged, too. Harden and Paul have a way of getting under opponents' skin, but damn. Going full rage monster has never seemed like Ingram's style. Was he teed off by this game alone, or is something larger at play? Does he miss knowing what it feels like to make a three-pointer? Did LeBron James ground him for missing curfew earlier in the week? Did he just now realize Derrick Rose's haircut is better? Did Rondo Deliberately Spit at CP3? Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press Rondo truthers—or rather, CP3 protestors—need to cool their jets. Something clearly came out of Rondo's mouth. The video shows it: And the NBA knows it: Whether Rondo meant to shower Paul with his saliva is another matter. Some of Twitter's part-time mouthguard scientists would have us believe this is an unavoidable batter of drool and phlegm releasing itself when Rondo went to speak. Color me skeptical. This angle makes it look like Rondo casually hocks a loogie in Paul's face after checking to see whether Phillips was watching: Paul's reaction instantly becomes understandable if Rondo deliberately used his mouth as a spittle cannon. The "Macho-Person Code for People Who Aren't Macho" stipulates projectile slobber must be swiftly met with a boop in the face. How Long Have Rondo and CP3 Hated Each Other? Brian Babineau/Getty Images Doc Rivers has coached both Paul and Rondo. As a result, he isn't the least bit surprised they tried to smash in each other's faces. "They've had their run-ins," he said, per the Los Angeles Times' Andrew Greif. "I'm not actually sure what it's all over. I know at one point they both wanted to be known as the best point guard, but it's got to be more than that. There always is, and I don't know what it is, but there's no love lost, there's no doubt about that." Paul Pierce, a former teammate of both players, shares Rivers' sentiments. "I am not surprised at all," Pierce said on ESPN. "For you people out there who don't know, Rondo and Chris Paul have never liked each other. This dates back to maybe Rondo's rookie year or second year. They've had heated exchanges over the course of the years. I'm surprised this is their first fight, actually, because throughout Rondo's time in the league, him and Chris Paul have never got along." This mutual disdain has existed since at least 2009, Rondo's third season in the NBA. While talking trash, he apparently told Paul, "I've got a ring, and you're never gonna win one," according to Adrian Wojnarowski, then of Yahoo Sports. Something like that could easily stick with Paul. Or perhaps Rondo remembers how the Boston Celtics were willing to trade him for CP3 back in 2011. Or maybe Paul exacted revenge on Rondo at some point Saturday, telling him, "I've signed a bunch of max contracts, and you're never gonna get one." Whatever the trigger, reconciliation seems out of the question—mostly because Paul and Rondo don't have an actual relationship to mend. How Did The Crowd Manage To Go Viral, Too? Harry How/Getty Images According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, "a heated Paul told teammates and coaches in the locker room afterward that Rondo's girlfriend had sparked a verbal confrontation with Chris' wife in the stands." An eyewitness also told L.A. Sentinel's Lauren A. Jones that Rondo's girlfriend shoved Jada Paul, who was sitting next to Savannah James, LeBron's wife. As if things couldn't get any stranger, Houston-raised rapper and producer Travis Scott looked like he might join the fracas as well. Did Ingram Actually Tell Melo That JaVale Is Better? You decide. Did the NBA Consider Rondo's Past While Issuing Suspensions? Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press Multiple sources told McMenamin and ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk that the league "could take Rondo's previous suspension for directing an anti-gay slur toward referee Bill Kennedy in 2015 into consideration when determining his punishment." It's safe to say the NBA did no such thing. Three games aren't enough if it did. Ingram arguably warrants the longest suspension looking at this incident alone, but Rondo has a checkered history of on-court incidents. Before he ever hurled anti-gay slurs at Kennedy, Rondo received a two-game suspension in 2012 for throwing the ball at one referee. That same year, he was ejected from a playoff game for lightly and heatedly chest bumping another official. Rondo maintains he didn't spit on Paul. That could be the difference. But as VanDeWeghe noted, the NBA essentially determined that he did. A three-game suspension doesn't cover that, the punch he threw and his past actions. Maybe it doesn't need to. Maybe Rondo's previous issues shouldn't come into play. Either way, let's not pretend the NBA set a hard-line stance or sturdy precedent with these suspensions. Is LeBron a Terrible Teammate and Awful Person and Plotting a Trade Request to Houston After Holding Back Paul Instead of His Own Teammates? Harry How/Getty Images Just kidding. Cease contact immediately with anyone who is not. When Will the Red Hot Chili Peppers Drop Their 12th Studio Album? Funk rock isn't my thing, so I'm not sure. My guess is not anytime soon. Frontman and White Goodman lookalike Anthony Kiedis seems pretty busy at the moment. Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale) and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by B/R's Andrew Bailey.<doc-sep>After the fight on the court Saturday, there was reportedly a fracas in the stands. It appears Saturday's fight between Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul spilled into the stands at Staples Center, according to multiple reports. After the Rockets defeated the Lakers 124-115, Paul reportedlytold teammates in the locker room that someone close to Rondo made "inappropriate" comments to Paul's wife, Jada. Lauren Jones of the LA Sentinelreports Rondo's girlfriend was sitting behind Jada Paul and LeBron James's wife, Savannah, and Rondo's girlfriend shoved Jada Paul before security came and immediately broke the two up. The NBA announced Sunday Paul will be suspended two games for his role in the altercation and Rondo will miss three. Rondo's Laker teammate Brandon Ingram was given a four-game suspension. The 0-2 Lakers face the Spurs Monday and the 1-2 Rockets take on the Jazz on Wednesday.<doc-sep>You already knew that Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul and Brandon Ingram were ejected following the brawl between the Rockets and Lakers that went down at Staples Center on Saturday night. But did you know that Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis was also tossed as a result of the fight? Kiedis and several of his RHCP bandmates are avid Lakers fans and can often be spotted courtside at games in Los Angeles, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that he was in attendance for Saturday's highly anticipated game against Houston. But after the fourth quarter's saliva-launching, eye-poking, punch-throwing fracas, Kiedis got a little too passionate in support of his hometown team. As Paul was escorted off the floor by security, Kiedis could be seen yelling at the veteran point guard before eventually flipping someone the bird. It was a bizarre scene -- one that featured a rock icon basically acting like a crazed child. Staples Center security had to intervene and hold Kiedis back as he went on his tirade. Ultimately, they also handed him an early exit for his troubles. Rondo, Paul and Ingram were all suspended as a result of the fight, so hopefully Kiedis was able to escape the situation without any supplemental discipline or Scar Tissue. He was sent to the Otherside of the arena's walls, but let's just hope both sides can just forget about this incident and consider it water...Under The Bridge. (I'm very sorry.)<doc-sep>
The NBA suspended Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (four games), guard Rajon Rondo (three games) and Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul (two games), all without pay, for their roles in a fourth-quarter fight on Saturday night in Los Angeles. "Ingram has been suspended for aggressively returning to and escalating the altercation and throwing a punch in the direction of Paul, confronting a game official in a hostile manner, and instigating the overall incident by shoving Rockets guard James Harden," the league said in a statement. "Rondo has been suspended for instigating a physical altercation with, and spitting and throwing multiple punches at, Paul. Paul has been suspended for poking at and making contact with the face of Rondo, and throwing multiple punches at him." Rondo received one more game than Paul because he threw the first punch, NBA vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, who was in attendance for Saturday night's skirmish, told SportsCenter on Sunday night. "We try to judge each one of these [incidents] on the merits: who does what, who instigates, how dangerous the situation becomes and is," VanDeWeghe said. "And also the discipline is an act of deterrence. We want to make sure that we deter this further action and make a statement that this is not acceptable. Fighting's not acceptable in our league and never has been." Paul began serving his suspension on Sunday night, when the Rockets lost to the Clippers 115-112 at Staples Center. Houston coach Mike D'Antoni disagreed with the severity of Paul's penalty. "It's just not equitable,'' he said. "If you wanted to suspend him one [game] I get it, just to make a statement. Then you're talking monetarily, he's paying three times more than the other guys are paying for missing games? That doesn't seem to be right.'' Harden, for his part, said of the suspensions and fines handed down by the league: "It is what it is. "I don't know how to decide how many games.'' Eric Gordon, who started in place of Paul against the Clippers, defended his teammate, saying, "If somebody is attacking you, you got to somewhat protect yourself.'' With 4 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the game Saturday and the Rockets ahead 109-108, a fight occurred with multiple participants. The NBA was evaluating a video shot courtside that appeared to capture Rondo spitting into the face of Paul at Staples Center, league sources told ESPN earlier Sunday. The Rockets' video staff took the footage courtside during the game, and it was shared with the league office, sources said. When asked earlier Sunday if Rondo spit on Paul, Lakers coach Luke Walton said, "No." The Lakers met as a team on Sunday in their film room and discussed the brawl. Rondo and Ingram practiced Sunday but did not talk with reporters. "We've learned from the experience, and we're moving on," Walton said before the suspensions came down. "We learned -- everyone learns something differently, but we brought it up, we talked about it, the message was delivered. And now it's about next man up, moving forward, and keep positive, keep getting better."