With MVP candidate Kemba Walker struggling from the field on Wednesday night, and a pair of Detroit Pistons defenders rushing the Hornets star PG on the climactic possession of the game, Jeremy Lamb came through in the clutch with a game-winning shot. But that story-book ending almost didn't happen. Second-year sharpshooter Malik Monk played goat in front of the GOAT, showing NBA fans what it's like when a sociopath like Michael Jordan is your boss.
With the score knotted at 106, Lamb knocked down a contested 22-footer with 0.3 seconds left to give the Hornets a 108-106 lead with 0.3 seconds left.
But replays revealed Monk and teammate Bismack Biyombo celebrated the shot prematurely by rushing the court, leading to a tense standoff while the officials sorted out how to proceed. Hornets owner Michael Jordan, like a disappointed dad whose son got pinched tagging the domineering AP physics teacher's car (hypothetically speaking), voiced his displeasure by slapping Monk on the head.
Monk's sheepish smile says it all. He knows he messed up and he knows it's freakin' MJ, so he's gonna hear about it. But MJ told the AP—through a text from his spokeswoman, Estee Portnoy—"It was like a big brother and little brother tap. No negative intent. Only love!"
The officials awarded the Pistons a single foul shot for having too many men on the court, and the Hornets secured the victory even after Langston Galloway knocked down the FT to make it a one-point game. MJ's annoyance with Monk, disguised as brotherly love, was likely further exacerbated by the fact that when Monk was a freshman at Kentucky, he beat MJ's beloved Tar Heels in spectacular fashion.
