Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was so irate after his confrontation with LeBron James that he appeared ready to go after the Lakers star in the tunnel.
James was ejected during Sunday night’s game in Detroit after he took an apparent shot at Stewart’s face while the two were competing for a rebound (video here). The confrontation left Stewart bloody and irate, and the Pistons center basically wanted to take on the entire Lakers team in response.
Stewart was assessed two technical fouls for his reaction to the incident and was subsequently ejected. He seemed to have calmed down as he began moving toward the tunnel, but TV cameras caught him breaking away from his teammates and charging into the tunnel as if pursuing someone.
It wasn’t clear who or what Stewart saw. It makes sense that he might have been looking for James, though the Lakers star had not yet left the floor and could be seen around the bench area. It may have been that Stewart wanted to use the tunnel to go around and get to the Laker bench, which their players appeared to be aware of and looking out for.
It’s not unprecedented for on-court conflicts to spread into the tunnel. It’s a pretty solid indication of just how angry Stewart was, and how unwilling he was to calm down and let it go.
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