"Big Baby" Is Up Against a Big Baby

You have all seen it by now. The Boston Celtics Glen "Big Baby" Davis hit a game-winning shot against the Orlando Magic and in his follow-thru/celebration, he bumped into a kid standing baseline.

Now the dad of the kid (by the way, the dad didn't see it as it happened) demands an apology from the Celtics and Davis.

Who's the big baby?

This was Glen Davis' biggest shot in his young career. Before that shot, Davis' most remembered career moment was him crying on the bench after Kevin Garnett reemed him. Davis, on a team with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, just hit a shot that pretty much kept Boston's season realistically alive. A 2-2 series is a lot different than a 1-3 series.

The kid was standing courtside. Not sitting. The kid was less than a foot away from the field of play. Sometimes people get bumped, stepped on or even run over. Remember those funny moments when Shaq stumbles into the stands as he dives for a loose ball? Or Kobe Bryant giving high fives to fans after he hits a big shot.

The dad is wrong in this situation. You and your kid paid for those tickets because you wanted to be so close to the action that you could touch it. You got up out of your seats (despite the fact that you were in the first row and didn't need to do so) waving towels. He's lucky that Davis didn't just bowl over his kid instead of nudging him.

Colin Cowherd said something during his radio show this morning. This dad may screw you over. Because of this complaint, NBA teams may actually consider moving the stands away from the court. Some arenas (I remember the old Charlotte Coliseum did so) have the "front row" behind the benches. Of course, teams don't want to do this because it costs them money, but they will look at it if this complaint goes any further.

I don't think it will. For one thing, the dad even said he didn't want to incite this. Another is the fact that I haven't seen anyone actually agree with his stance. Other fans have even said that having courtside seats comes with the responsibility and the understanding that the white lines aren't magical boundaries that create a forcefield between you and the court. Just like a foul ball or stray puck going into the stands (or even broken glass and bats), basketball fans must know that the basketball and the players fighting for it will sometimes wonder into your domain.

Hopefully Davis will defuse the situation by sending the kid an autographed jersey, ball or something that will say "my bad." But he doesn't owe them anything.