Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg declared his team will become the “remodeled Bad Boy Pistons” after a chaotic second-quarter scuffle with the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. The Golden State squad has played 10 games so far this season, and the rookie believes their physical style matches that of the legendary Detroit teams of the late 1980s. Lendeborg made these comments in response to a fight in which players grabbed jerseys and exchanged heated words near the nine-minute mark of the second quarter.
Draymond Green was involved during the tussle, which started when Georges Niang pushed Wendell Carter Jr. off him after a pass went over Green’s head. Niang was seen reaching into Carter Jr.’s groin area, sparking an immediate reaction from the Warriors players. Green, who is the only player on the roster ejected from a game this season, grabbed Carter Jr.’s jersey and added his own words to the mix. The Golden State Warriors eventually won the game 126-119, with Stephen Curry scoring 41 points to secure the victory.
The Bad Boy Comparison
Lendeborg drew a direct line between his current teammates and the physical defenders of the past. “Y’all ever heard of the Bad Boy Pistons? Yeah. That’s damn near us,” Lendeborg said in an interview following the incident. He specifically cited Draymond Green’s playing style as a key reason for the comparison, noting that Green does not shy away from physical contact or from dunking on opponents. “Draymond’s like Ben Wallace; he just don’t be dunking that s—t. You know what I’m saying?” Lendeborg said.
Despite the bold claim, the rookie may need to study his NBA history a bit more closely. According to reports, Ben Wallace did not belong to the Bad Boy Pistons teams of the 1980s, although his physical style defined a subsequent era. Lendeborg checked his knowledge before making the final declaration, asking, “If that was the Bad Boy Pistons era?” He then solidified his stance by stating, “All I know is, that’s us. We finna be the remodeled Bad Boy Pistons.”
Predicting Ejections
The rookie went further than just comparing styles; he predicted exactly how many ejections his team would rack up this season. Lendeborg believes the current Warriors squad has at least “10 ejections in our nearby future.” He singled out Draymond Green for having “two more” ejections in him, while admitting he might have “two in me” as well. Lendeborg noted he would cap his own total at two because he is a rookie and “can’t do this crazy stuff.”
Lendeborg also projected that teammate Graham Ike will have “three to four total” ejections this season. He did not think Georges Niang would receive an ejection but predicted the veteran forward would pick up a couple of technical fouls. The Saturday scuffle reached such intensity that every player on the court halted their actions to attempt to separate the fighting teammates and opponents. The incident happened near the 9:17 mark of the second quarter during a game against the Magic.
Setting a New Tone
This new identity seems to be taking hold quickly for the Golden State Warriors. The team has already seen one ejection from Draymond Green, which is the only one recorded for the franchise this season so far. Lendeborg’s comments suggest the team embraces the physical nature of the game rather than trying to avoid it. The rookie phenom has given the team a new identity after just 10 games of the season, according to the New York Post.
The scuffle involved multiple players from both teams, with Georges Niang and Wendell Carter Jr. at the center of the initial push. The tension was high enough that Tristan Da Silva’s pass over Draymond Green’s head served as the catalyst for the entire sequence of events. The Warriors managed to overcome the chaos on the court to win the game by seven points, with Curry’s 41-point performance leading the way. This victory marks the second time this season the star guard has scored over 40 points.
