Fight Club Friday – Danny Ainge v Mario Elie
I know I’m breaking the first rule of Fight Club, but currently the Suns are fighting to establish an identity in the league, so why not remember one of the best Suns moments from years past?
Today, NBA fans recognize Danny Ainge as the mastermind who has helped construct the current Celtics team. Boston has been successful the past couple of seasons and is chalk full of young talent, assets, and All-Stars, a position the Suns hope to be in shortly.
Ainge has established himself as a successful GM in the league, but he can also be remembered for his solid 15 year NBA career, which concluded with three seasons with our very own Phoenix Suns. He was 33-35 years old at the time, but Ainge still managed to average 9.6 ppg and 2.9 apg as a Sun (courtesy of http://basketball-reference.com). Danny was known to grind a few gears during his playing days, which is highlighted in this post from Uproxx.
While he had many memorable moments, there is one in particular that I want to remember on this, Fight Club Friday.
The date was May 13, 1994. Charles Barkley and the Suns had advanced through the first round of the playoffs by eliminating the Golden State Warriors 3-0. Next up was the Houston Rockets, lead by Hakeem Olajuwon. The Suns came out the gate hot, winning the first two games in the seven game series.
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With heightened emotions in the second round of the playoffs, this is where things get interesting. During the game, Mario Elie made a great play in which he was able to create contact from Ainge, draw a foul, and make the basket to setup a three-point opportunity. In celebration, Ellie got in Ainge’s face to talk a little smack, as players often do during the playoffs. Danny didn’t care for those antics, and as he had proved multiple times during his career, he wouldn’t roll over for anyone.
With six seconds left, and a lead of 116-102, the Rockets pushed the ball up the court. Olajuwon concluded the play by slamming the ball down hard in an effort to close the game out with authority. In a moment of rage, due to the unnecessary dunk as time was expiring, Ainge proceeded to throw the ball in after the basket, baseball style, directly off of Mario Ellie’s noggin. Hilariously enough, the ball bounced right back to the sideline and went out of bounds for Ainge to inbound it one more time, as if nothing had happened. While the Suns went on to lose the series in seven, it doesn’t diminish this moment in Suns history.
It was stated during the 2016-2017 season that the Suns needed a physical presence to protect the young players and set the tone for the team. Maybe Earl Watson should look no further than the film of the former Sun, Danny Ainge, for a few pointers.