5 of the weirdest NBA games ever played

NBA games are full of surprises. We are used to expecting highlight reels from specific players, however, some events are simply weird. Manu Ginobili using his reflexes to catch a low flying bat on the court, or the regular season game between the Clippers and the Grizzlies being paused because there was a t-shirt on top of the backboard are examples of weird stuff that happened mid-game.

With the above information in mind, we have come up with a list of NBA games that were weird due to certain hilarious and unusual events. Some of these games will remain in the memory of most NBA fans.

#5 Lakers vs Cavaliers, February 5, 2014

There are a few bizarre NBA rules that are situational and remain unexploited. Whenever they come into effect, it comes as a surprise to some coaches and referees. In the game in question, Robert Sacre of the Los Angeles Lakers fouled out but had to keep playing because there were no more available players on the roster due to in-game injuries or foul disqualification.

The rule states that no team will be allowed to field fewer than five players. The lack of a replacement player means the affected player shall remain in the game and will be charged with a personal and team foul. The team will get a technical for every subsequent foul committed by the player.

#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets, January 16th, 2014

The James Harden era for the Rockets has not always been fun and games. It was marked by extreme inconsistencies before they finally matured into a Western Conference force.

In a game between the Rockets and the Thunder in 2014, in the first half, the Rockets outscored the Thunder 73-59. In one of the worst cases of reversal, they only managed 19 points in the entire second half, losing the game 104-92 as a result.

Fun fact: The Thunder shot worse in the second half of the game (42.5%) than they did in the first (50.0). The Rockets were just unable to make a shot and ended up setting an unwanted NBA record for the biggest point differential between halves.

#3 Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers, April 15th, 2015

The post LeBron heat were riddled with injuries and decided to tank. Both teams in question were fighting for a lottery pick and both needed to lose to keep the pick.

The Sixers benched Nerlens Noel and elected Joel Embiid as coach for the night. Miami, on the other hand, rested every potential star and went with the last bunch of five on their 15-man roster.

The only unprecedented substitution for the Heat came when Zoran Dragic (Goran Dragic’s younger brother), got into foul trouble early in the first quarter - one to get him out, and one to get him back in the game. The rest of the bunch played all the 48 minutes. The Sixers still lost the game.

#2 Malice in the Palace, November 19th, 2004

The hard fouls endured back in the day are today’s flagrant fouls. Ron Artest (Metta World Peace) of the Indiana Pacers, with the reputation of a hardman, fouled yet another tough defensive player, Ben Wallace on his way to the basket.

In retaliation, Wallace gave the wild Artest a hard push, (I hope you notice no blows or elbows, yet). The events that transpired made this a memorable game in NBA history, playing a role in developing the league’s no-nonsense attitude towards violence.

As the referees were trying to take charge of the situation, a fan threw a paper cup and hit Ron’s face as he was lying on the scorer’s table. The moment a second bottle hit him in the face, all hell broke loose. Artest went after the fan in the stands and started punching him. Other Pistons fans joined the fight forcing Pacers to engage in the subsequent brawl as well. The would’ve-been blow-out game was called off as a result.

#1 Warriors vs Blazers, April 14th, 2010

The Warriors managed to beat playoff-bound Blazers with just six active players going into the game. Steph Curry and Monta Ellis finished with 42 and 34 points respectively for the Warriors, who were down to just five players because of injuries.

Starting center Chris Hunter hurt his knee in the opening five minutes of the game, meaning the Warriors were down to five available players.

Devean George fouled out - the Warriors had no available healthy players - and this is where things got weird. George was eventually allowed to return, taking advantage of a weird NBA rule, but it cost the Warriors a technical for every subsequent foul on top of the personal foul.

The injured center, Hunter, was at some point thrown into the inferno until he couldn’t take it any longer. Guess what? The Warriors won in overtime.