Golden State Warriors: Jordan Bell dunk causes unnecessary controversy

Golden State Warriors rookie Jordan Bell caused some unnecessary controversy with his late-game, fast break dunk against the Dallas Mavericks.

The fact that Golden State Warriors rookie Jordan Bell is now under fire for throwing the ball off the backboard for a fast break dunk is the perfect example of how soft the world has become.

Like, really? Since when did everyone take offense to every little thing so easily?

Unlike the sitting President of the United States, Bell didn’t break any laws, say anything inappropriate or do anything unfitting of his position. He didn’t incite violence or intentionally turn a blind eye to those in desperate need of help.

What Bell did do was give the people a reason to be entertained in the middle of an expected blowout. He saw an opportunity to do what every rookie dreams of doing, and he got the top spot on NBA.com’s Top-10 Plays of the Night for doing it.

If you’re not sure exactly what play I’m referencing, check it out:

With just under three minutes left in the game, the Golden State Warriors were able to secure a 25-point lead, and they had Patrick McCaw, Nick Young, Omri Casspi, Jordan Bell and JaVale McGee in to close out the night.

As Dallas Mavericks big man Dwight Powell lined up for a 3-pointer, Bell was able to block the shot, subsequently taking off on the break in anticipation of McGee batting out the ball. The ball found its way to Bell, who lobbed it off the backboard for an alley-oop to himself, hanging onto the rim as he regained control of his momentum.

And for whatever reason, people got mad.

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Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle certainly wasn’t happy. According to Warriors beat writer Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Carlisle completely ignored an attempt at an apology by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.

In some media availability after the game, Kerr stated that he conducted a conversation with Bell after the game concerning the rookie’s late-game dunk; however, Kerr also mentioned that Bell is a “young guy” and that he was just “having fun out there.”

Kerr was sure to acknowledge the older guys on the team, who apparently felt that Bell’s dunk was a form of showboating. On a side note, it kind of makes you think whether this new generation of NBA players — players used to watching highlight mixtapes on Youtube — will also develop some sort of unspoken law prohibiting garbage time showboating.

But the main takeaway from Kerr’s postgame media availability: the 22-year-old rookie hadn’t even realized he had offended anyone.

Personally speaking, I’m not even sure how he had offended anyone with his actions — or if he had actually offended anyone at all. People will find any reason to act offended nowadays, so it’s entirely possible that people are just seeking attention or trying to play victim.

Which makes this entire situation even more ridiculous — it was a garbage time dunk that had absolutely no effect on the outcome of the game. There was no way the Mavs were going to make a 30-point comeback with less than three minutes left in the game. All anyone had to do was just sit there and wait for the inevitable.

Instead, people all of a sudden decided that the NBA was subject to CYO rules, citing Bell’s alley-oop to himself as unsportsmanlike conduct. In a professional basketball game. With grown ass men.

Basketball is a game, and games should never be that serious.

Next: Warriors blow out Mavs (RECAP)

Bell took a chance to do exactly what he’s dreamed of doing since he was a kid in front of guys he’s idolized all his life. If you think what Bell did was wrong, then congratulations on taking the moral high ground. You’ve officially taken the fun out of sports.