A Perfect Night, A Terrible Morning
Last night was one of those organizational moments you wrap your heart around. Euphoria filled every crevice and cranny of Phillips Arena to the point that no one wanted to exhale. It was walking on air, seeing this best Hawks team ever perform the way they have all season. Being there was an elixir to the past in which the Hawks traded their best player, Joe Johnson, and then stabbed themselves in the back by saying the wrong thing about the wrong group of people which created a backlash and outcry.
But, here’s the thing. Excellence overwhelms mistakes which only seems fair. What you do wrong doesn’t tar and feather you forever. Forgiveness is an American ethic.
It’s been a breathless ride or die season and the 58th Hawks win, a franchise record, was a thank you gift to all the fans who have hung in there over the many, many lean years when going to a Hawks game meant going to see Lebron or Kobe or Durant or Carmelo.
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A few hours after that scintillating moment of record book nirvana, Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha were on the West Side of Manhattan. They had showered, dressed, got on the team plane for their game against the Nets and now here they were, in Chelsea, a funky, diverse neighborhood that drowns in bars, restaurants, galleries, lofts, celebrities who want to live normal and regular folk who just get up and go to their job. It was there, at nearly four in the morning, that Antic and Sefolosha ran into a bit of trouble.
The details have yet to be written in stone as the truth. Witnesses have to be formally interviewed, statements have to be taken, evidence has to be sifted through and then conclusions will be made. But, the sketch of what happened was not particularly unusual for the late night club crowd. Sometimes, things can go sideways.
Indiana Pacers long distance shooting specialist, Chris Copeland, and a female friend of Copeland’s, were the center of rage from an assailant. Antic and Sefalosha’s role, whether as innocent bystanders, peace makers or something in the middle, has not been made available for the public so soon into the investigation. But, both were arrested for obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct, a pretty legal way of saying they didn’t get out of the cops way quickly enough.
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Sefolosha was also charged with resisting arrest and Antic was reported to have pushed an officer. That will get you arrested for sure.
The facts will sort themselves out, the truth always finds a way to rise to the surface. But, it is the aftermath that tarnishes this golden year of celebratory success. On a night so wonderfully brilliant, the morning found two Hawks players in the glaring media light and their faces on CNN, not to mention every sports site that loves to relish in player misconduct.
In this social media landscape where you are forced to acknowledge every mistake in a publicly glaring way, a humiliation is just a few steps away if the wrong choice is made and sometimes, even, if you are the injured party.
Tonight, the Hawks are without their perimeter defender in Sefolosha who was seen limping as he exited the police station.
The irony is overwhelming when you think about it. Players go to clubs to relax and have a good time, yet at four in the morning, the odds of something tainting that experience is particularly high. Bad things happen to ordinary people, not just rich basketball players who stand out because of their height.
The Hawks Vice-President of Public Relations, Garin Narain, was quick to address the situation.
"“We are aware of the situation involving Pedro Antic and Thabo Sefolosha this morning. We are in the process of gathering more information and will have further comment at the appropriate time.”"
Not what the Hawks envisioned the morning after. This was not the type of hangover headache that could be cured with two aspirins and a smile.