So Metta World Peace/Ron Artest just did this, which is way less funny than when he did this but not as scary as when he did this.   It’s also bound to make people say stuff that calls to mind Buzz Bissinger’s article in The Daily Beast from a year ago, which I just got done ripping to shreds in another, longer piece:

 But a major problem with the NBA, one that is virtually never spoken about honestly, is the issue of race. I have no hard-core evidence. But based on my past experience in writing about sports, I know that whites ascribe very different characteristics to black athletes than they do white ones. I also make a habit of asking every white sports fan I know whether they watch the NBA. In virtually every instance, they say they once watched the game but no longer do. When I ask them if it has anything to do with the racial composition, they do their best to look indignant. But my guess is they felt very differently about the game when Larry Bird and John Stockton were playing.

I’m going to withhold judgment in this blog post, though, because I want to know what everybody else thinks.  Was Metta/Ron Artest, who has himself witnessed some crazy shit go down on the basketball court, just carried away with enthusiasm?  That’s what he’s claiming:

During that play I just dunked on (Kevin) Durant and (Serge) Ibaka and I got really emotional and excited and it was unfortunate that James had to get hit with an unintentional elbow. I hope he’s OK. The Thunder, they’re playing for a championship this year, so I hope that he’s OK and I apologize to the Thunder and to James Harden.

Did James Harden step into Metta/Artest’s elbow?  Or is the NBA, even with an influx of foreign talent, still a haven for vicious thuggery?

You tell us.