Pippen Ain't Easy
Fansided

Bulls Center Joakim Noah Clashes With Cavs Fans in Game 2

Paul Steeno|

In April 2010, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah uttered the infamous phrase, “Cleveland really sucks” during the Bulls’ first-round matchup against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2010 Playoffs.

Five years later in 2015, Joakim Noah continues to get under the skin of fans in Cleveland. In a 106-91 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, Noah was the central figure in not one, but two conflicts that involved Cleveland fans.

According to Comcast SportsNet Chicago reporter Chuck Garfien, Joakim Noah told a security guard that a Cavaliers fan spit on him as he was walking off the court following Game 2.

Video of the incident confirms that a fan aimed his mouth towards Noah as he was walking off of the court. While the spitting part is undetectable in the video, Noah does give the fan a light shove, which suggests that something went down that the Bulls center took exception to. The fan in question shouts something at Joakim Noah, although in this video the exact words that he says are indecipherable.

In an impressive display of maturity, Joakim Noah refused to talk about the incident with reporters instead opting to move on and forget about it.

Noah’s eventful night was not done. The Bulls center found himself in a verbal altercation with one of Ohio’s most famous residents. According to the New York Post, the 2015 National Championship winning Ohio State Buckeyes football team was honored in a timeout during the game in Cleveland. In typical Joakim Noah fashion, he had to trash talk.

Noah is an alumnus of the University of Florida, a team that plays in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Buckeyes play in the Big Ten Conference. Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones took exception to Noah’s trash talk and let out his frustration on twitter.

Shortly after the incident occurred, Noah denied that any ill-will existed between himself and Jones.

"I heard about it [Jones tweets] this morning,” the 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year said after practice on Thursday when asked about Jones’ tweets. “I didn’t know who he was until this morning. I wish him nothing but the best. I like [former University of Florida football coach and current Ohio State coach] Urban Meyer, I guess?"

Noah also denied that he had spoken to Jones during the game.

"I’m not talking to people during timeouts. I’m trying to focus on winning. I’m serious. I have never talked to Cordell? Cardale? I’m just getting ready and focused for these games."

Bleacher report took to twitter to try to promote a fight between Joakim Noah and Cardale Jones dubbing the hypothetical fight as the greatest thing since Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.

Although Bleacher Report clearly tweeted this for hypothetical entertainment purposes only, it is clear that a fight of any nature (physical, verbal, on Twitter) is the last thing that Joakim Noah needs right now. 

Regardless of whether a fan really spat on him or if he said something to Jones, Noah handled both incidents in a mature manner. He refrained from doing anything that would warrant a suspension. Noah barely made contact with the fan, so a suspension for inappropriate conduct wouldn’t be a suitable punishment based on how the situation unfolded.

May 4, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts beside Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) in the third quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Noah avoided a potential distraction by choosing to dismiss Jones’ comments. A Twitter battle between the two would have retracted away from Noah’s ultimate goal of beating Cleveland and winning a championship because it would have served as an unnecessary distraction.

Despite his regression offensively, Noah is valuable to this team because of his defense and his leadership. Noah ensured his continued playing eligibility by not losing his temper over several potentially trying situations. The way in which both situations were handled shows how far he has progressed maturity-wise in his time with Chicago.

Next: Would Tom Thibodeau still be fired if the Bulls won it all?

More from Pippen Ain't Easy

Home/Bulls News