April 30, 1994 – The NBA’s modern day clamp down on physical play and fisticuffs isn’t without historic influence and origin. Among the chief examples of 90’s basketball gone wild came during the 1994 NBA Playoffs when the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat squared off—literally—in Game 2 of their first round series.
The trouble began in the third quarter when Hawks forward Danny Manning was assessed two flagrant foul penalties. When officials opted to keep Manning in the game (rather than removing him as was typically the case for those committing multiple flagrants), tensions escalated. And when Hawks forward Duane Ferrell cashed in a tough layup through contact then taunted Grant Long moments later, all hell broke loose. The subsequent three-minute brawl featured both benches emptying, multiple fists flying (and landing), and even a broken bone or two (Heat assistant Alvin Gentry broke his right hand and finger while attempting to restrain Long).
In the end, the bench-clearing melee resulted in a trio of suspensions and led to multiple rule introductions and clarifications prior to the start of the following season. Among them, ejections following two flagrant fouls were codified as well as the still-present automatic suspension rule for any player leaving the bench area during an on-court brawl.
Suspensions stemming for the event:
Keith Askins (Heat): Three-game suspension, $15,000 fine
Doug Edwards (Hawks): Two-game suspension, $10,000 fine
Grant Long (Heat): One-game suspension, $10,000
LA Times article on the brawl and Gentry’s injury: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-01-sp-52524-story.html
1994-95’s Rule Changes: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1994/11/04/nba-rules-changes-for-1994-95-season/5b275ea5-540f-4028-858d-1ac9ceeb2f3d/
The suspensions: https://lasvegassun.com/news/1997/may/16/nba-playoff-suspensions/
Box Score: https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199404300ATL.html
31 Comments
this is way worse than the malice at the palace incident
who woulda thought of a Hawks-Heat rivalry at one time if u wanna call it
The perfect example of why the NBA had to tighten up on foul calls! Everyone saying that the modern league is weak: please explain to me why brawls of this nature made for a better game of basketball!?
Let ‘em fight
The entire Hawks franchise should have been suspended for:
– traded Nique to the Clipps
– authorized the hairstyles of Ehlo and Koncak.
No wonder they changed some rules after that, and rightfully so! Also funny to think that about 6-7 months later, the Steve Smith/Grant Long for Kevin Willis trade happened, so players involved in the melee here became teammates not too long afterwards.
no wonder the Heat 🔥 wanted to make the Hawks 🦅 a chicken barbecue at their table plates 😅
Strange But True:Steve Smith And Kevin Willis were traded for one another days into the 1994-1995 NBA season then years later, won a championship together in San Antonio in 2003…..
The commentators those days needs to know how to see a fight and name what kind of punches thrown. Now they only know flagrant fouls like a gwadamn perfume.
Side note: Bulls and Knicks engaged in a brawl during those same playoffs.
Commentators turned into boxing analysts real quick 🤣
Steve Smith with the great fighting technique of squatting over a guy with your nuts in his face
A Good ol fashioned Brawl.
Malice at the Omni, 90s version
I was born in Seattle in 1973, where I grew up. Sonics and Blazers fan. Japanese-American. Male. (these show you where, when and HOW I grew up) I cannot believe, that Grant Long and Duane Ferrell, two of the NICEST guys, were the ones who started all of this! Grant Long: Intangibles: AAA. Duane Ferrell: Intangibles: AAA. One of the nicest, coachable players. If you had 10 Duane Ferrells on your team, coaching in the NBA would be an easy job.
fantastic quality
That's Keith Askins for trouble.
Grant Long was suspended for Game 3, the Heat won that game but dropped the series in 5. Grant Long then played 2 more games for the Heat and then traded to the Hawks early in 94-95 playing the following 2 seasons. Two seasons for the Detroit Pistons. Another 50 games for the Hawks in 1999. He finished his career with Vancouver, Memphis and Boston. Steve Smith also played for the Hawks too.
Wow.
I remember this series being a bloodbath.
Keith Askins was always such a dirty player
I wish some of y'all stop questioning Ehlo's toughness but the boy was tough. He wasn't my favorite, I'm the greatest MJ but I respect Ehlo
Did y'all see that cute officer at the 1:51 mark about 2:01 mark she's beautiful
Hitting someone on the head from behind is the lowest form of human life
"The game is getting too rough." And yet, you have all of these people questioning the physicality of that era.
3:00 – dang, it's not that often you see serious punches land in a sports fight
I remembered some basketball fans back in the 1990's were constantly complaining about how violent the NBA was becoming. David Stern at that time implemented the rules which to a degree has affected today's game. And now fans clamor and wish that the NBA can be the way it was during the 1980's & 1990's – SMH.
This is when basketball was so so entertaining ✌🏾
Wait a minute. Some fans recently are trying to tell me the league got super soft after 89/90 and that's the only reason MJ won his first ring. 😀
"this is nothing to get excited about…", me automatically replaying the punch from Doug Edwards several times VERY excited…
God 90s nba fights are so beautiful lol