The on-court events left the celebrities by the sidelines stunned.
For instance, Paul felt relief, grateful that the Grizzlies hadn’t pulled such a stunt against the Lakers, otherwise he definitely would have been beaten up.
Of course, many were thrilled by it.
Like Anthony, who wished he were on the court right then; to him, fighting in the NBA Finals was more exhilarating than winning the championship itself.
And then there was Jackie Chan, fidgeting restlessly, eyeing the chairs beside him, almost instinctively wanting to pull off a stunt.
The fans on-site were both jeering and throwing punches, bringing back the rare sight of on-court brawls during the finals—it was incredibly thrilling.
Due to it being a crucial game in the Finals, not only were there fans and stars present, but also many related personnel.
For instance, Riley, the president of the Heat, Wallace, the general manager of the Grizzlies, and of course, David Stern, the president of the League, along with the vice president, Adam Silva.
Stern was clearly there to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
And now a genuine surprise had occurred, far beyond his expectations.
Over the years, he had dealt with violent incidents strictly and tamed the players, which was the basis of his bold control over the game.
Otherwise, given the NBA players’ temperament back then, a brawl would have erupted in the first half under such refereeing.
And things like biased refereeing were only hot topics at the moment; after many years, new fans wouldn’t know the details under the history and time.
In this regard, Stern and James were indeed in sync.
So the current scene was completely unexpected for Stern, and with it being a globally broadcasted NBA Finals, the impact was tremendously negative.
His face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He was already inwardly cursing the Grizzlies’ management and coaching staff for their inability to control their players.
He turned his head and gave Silva a few instructions before Silva left his seat.
Thanks to the efforts of the security and staff on-site, the conflict was eventually calmed, and the players were persuaded back to the bench.
As they left the court, Hansen patted Bibby and Faried on the shoulders.
Their strategy in the locker room was not complex—tables had to be flipped, but a season’s worth of effort and the game itself couldn’t be given up.
So the perfect solution was to do as their old rival, Popovich, did: use role players to stir trouble.
Originally, Bibby and Haddadi, both outside the rotation, were chosen, as their expulsion or suspension would cause the least detriment. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
But Faried volunteered as the troublemaker, not wanting to miss this rare opportunity, especially to get at James.
Bibby volunteered as well, as James was not the only one who deprived Wade of leadership.
Initially an old player looking to bandwagon for success, Bibby, like Jason Williams before him, played as a starter upon joining.
Recording the highest three-point percentage of his career, he could say he burned his last energy.
Wanting to retire gloriously, the final nasty treatment he received made a vengeful mindset inevitable.
As for Johnson, that was completely unplanned, just an instinctive reaction.
The game moved into a time-out.
Right then, Wallace and Silva approached the Grizzlies’ bench together, consulting with Joerger.
"I don’t know how things turned out this way," Joerger said, claiming ignorance.
In fact, he genuinely didn’t know Hansen and the others’ exact thoughts.
As for the substitutions, Faried was a normal rotation, and putting veteran Bibby onto the court during an unfavorable game situation made sense given his experience.
The Grizzlies played it slick, just like Foster refereeing—it puts you in a situation where you sense the issue but can do nothing.
That’s what made things interesting.
If it were a planned act by the Grizzlies’ coaching staff, pressuring Joerger would suffice.
But now it was clearly a spontaneous act by the players, making it harder to control.
There’s a saying, ’the law does not punish the masses’; it’s not about unwillingness, but impossibility.
Finally, they called Bibby, Faried, and Johnson over.
"I just wanted a fair playing environment," Bibby calmly explained his motive.
"I felt the same," Faried agreed when Silva turned his gaze towards him, the big Black man embodying the stereotype.
As for Johnson, he just nodded.
"I think such incidents wouldn’t occur if the officiating were normal, but that’s just my personal opinion," Bibby added, suggesting a "condition."
A veteran like Bibby might not have been much support on the court, but dealing with such situations off the court was their forte.
After all, with their retirement imminent, they were beyond threats.
"I feel the same," Faried continued to agree, fearless of anything.
Johnson kept nodding.
Silva frowned, feeling the threat—a real, effective threat.
Given that the Grizzlies dared to flip the table, they were obviously prepared to go all the way.
And even Silva had to admit the Grizzlies had artfully flipped the table, because excluding the starters and two inactive players, the Grizzlies still had six available players.