Andray Blatche threw his headband at a ref in China
As the Washington Wizards prepare to welcome a new mercurial power forward into their midst, it feels only right that we check in with a Ghost of Wizmas Past.
[Follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]
Andray Blatche, a longtime Wizard who last played in the NBA in 2014 with the Brooklyn Nets, has spent the last two seasons with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, helping lead them to the No. 2 seed in the current CBA playoffs and a matchup with Stephon Marbury’s Beijing Ducks in the first round. During the second quarter of Game 2 of their matchup, Blatche appeared to get walloped on the way to the basket, but didn’t get the benefit of the whistle from the referee.
This displeased the man who brought us Lapdance Tuesday, and he communicated as much through the international language of headband-throwing. That, of course, will get you a technical foul in just about any league in any land, and it earned Blatche one in this instance, too.
Blatche, however, would regain his composure and take out his frustrations on the Ducks in the second half. He scored 16 points in the third quarter to lead Xinjiang back and helped propel them to a 104-101 win that gave them a 2-0 lead over the defending CBA champion Ducks. Blatche has dominated Beijing, rolling up 76 points, 29 rebounds, 10 assists and six steals through the first two games of the series, continuing a stellar season and bringing the Flying Tigers within one game of advancing to the second round.
One can only hope that if Blatche is able to lead Xinjiang to a title, like Marbury before him, Chinese fans will erect a statue in his honor … and that that statue depicts Blatche throwing a headband at an official, in an act demonstrating his unbridled passion for fair play and justice.
Hat-tip to HoopsHype.
More NBA coverage:
– – – – – – –
Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
Stay connected with Ball Don’t Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, “Like” BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.
