DALLAS -- There was drama on and off the court during Game 4 of the Mavericks-Nuggets Western Conference semifinals series on Monday night.The girlfriend of Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony had to leave her seat because fans where bothering her. Family members of Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin had to call security during the first and second half after getting into it with fans. In the fourth quarter, there were three security guards guarding Martin's mother, Lydia Moore (pictured).
The fans distaste for the Nuggets and their families started after last Saturday's game at the American Airlines Center when Mavericks owner Mark Cuban got into a shouting match with Moore. Cuban said a fan yelled that the Nuggets were thugs and he looked at Moore and said, "That included your son."
But following Game 4, Cuban apologized on his blog to the Nuggets for what happened to their families and for exchanging words with Moore.
"So at this point I would like to apologize to you and your mom KMart for my comment," Cuban said in a post timestamped 1:34 AM Central Time. "I should have not said anything and I was wrong. Hopefully you will accept the apology and we can move on.
"When the series comes back to Dallas, your family, and the family of other Nuggets players are welcome to stay in my suite, with my family. Its amazing how tempers mellow when real people talk to each other and realize that its still just a game."
"If that isn't acceptable, I'm happy to provide a suite, free of charge to them as well and place whatever security is needed to make them feel comfortable."
Earlier on Monday, Martin said he was going to take care of Cuban personally for getting into a disagreement with his mother. Martin's coach George Karl said he hoped the two would settle the issue after the season.
But clearly it was not over.
After the Mavericks' 119-117 victory, which made the series 3-1 with the Nuggets still in control, Martin walked off the court and yelled expletives at Cuban.When approached by reporters after the game, Martin said, "All you (expletives) trying to do is keep trouble up. Keep away from me."
Martin's business manager Brad Morris told FanHouse that security did a great job at making sure nothing serious happened in the stands.
The Nuggets said the incidents in the stands didn't distract them. If anything it made them angry. Several players talked to each other about being called thugs but felt the fans were acting out of line.
"I would probably use an uglier word than hostile," Karl said when asked if Game 4 was hostile. "But I'm not going to do that right now. But I'm not going to do that right now. I don't think it was very classy. I've been in hostile buildings, but you can do it in a classy way."
Mavericks president and chief executive officer, Terdema Ussery spoke to the Martin family outside of the locker room following the game and it appeared as if the conversation was pleasant.
Martin left the locker room and walked to the bus holding hands with his girlfriend as fans jeered him.
Anthony said his girlfriend is OK and that he's not concerned.
"Do we think Mark Cuban is wrong? Yeah," he said. "Should he apologize, yeah we think that, but that's not something we're going to focus on, we're trying to win basketball games."
Guard Chauncey Billups said he was surprised to see Martin, who went to high school in Dallas, get criticized so heavily by the fans. He was also concerned that several family members were involved in a few incidents.
"It's bothersome sure, that's definitely bothersome," Billups said. "They're coming out here cheering and rooting us on and travel to town to see us. Everybody's family is here and they have to go through that, its not right. But what can you say."
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** RETRANSMISSION FOR ALTERNATE CROP OF DNA126 ** Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony (15), left, and Dallas Mavericks forward Brandon Bass (32) battle for a rebound in the second half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference semifinal, Monday, May 11, 2009, in Dallas. Dallas won, 119-117. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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DALLAS - MAY 11: Head coach Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 11, 2009 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rick Carlisle
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J.R. Smith (L) of the Denver Nuggets goes to the basket past Dirk Nowitzki (41) of the Dallas Mavricks during the first half of Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference semifinal playoff basketball game in Dallas, Texas, May 11, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL IMAGES OF THE DAY)
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Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks looks at the scoreboard during the first half of Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference semi-final playoff basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Dallas, Texas May 11, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL IMAGES OF THE DAY)
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Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin (4) gets a hand on the ball as Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41), of Germany, takes a shot in the second half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference semifinal, Monday, May 11, 2009, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)
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In this Feb. 12, 2009 photo is shown Chris Mullin at a St. Mary's basketball game with his daughter Kiera, 8, in Moraga, Calif. On Monday, May 11, 2009, the Golden State Warriors let Mullin go as the team's executive vice president of basketball operations, nearly a year after the former NBA basketball star apparently lost his authority to run the troubled franchise. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks looks at the scoreboard during the first half of Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference semi-final playoff basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Dallas, Texas May 11, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)
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Rapper Lil' Wayne sits in the stands during Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference semifinal, Monday, May 11, 2009, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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DALLAS - MAY 11: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots over Kenyon Martin #4 the Denver Nuggets during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Center on May 11, 2009 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dirk Nowitzki;Kenyon Martin
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DALLAS - MAY 11: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots over Kenyon Martin #4 the Denver Nuggets during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Center on May 11, 2009 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dirk Nowitzki;Kenyon Martin
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-12-2009 @ 6:40AM
sdulie said...
Typical Dallas. I live in Texas, but I am rooting for the Nuggets now. Mark Cuban should stay in his suite and shut up!
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5-12-2009 @ 11:10AM
Debra said...
I, too, am from Texas. I live about 2 and 1/2 hours from Dallas, BUT I drive 6 or 7 hours several times a year to watch the San Antonio Spurs....the REAL TEXAS TEAM! The team has class and it starts with Buford and Pop. I can't EVEN see any other owner but Cuban getting into a shouting match with a player's MAMA!
I've been to the Mavericks arena when they were playing the Spurs. The Maverick fans are CLASSLESS!
I've been to the Spurs arena when they were playing the Mavs, and nothing is EVER said by the Spurs' fans. NOTHING EVER!
Cuban should be FORCED by the league to sit in his damn box and shut the hell up!
The Maverick fans should be given a TECHNICAL and let's see Denver shoot a couple of free throws. THEN, maybe they would leave the Nuggets' families alone!
5-12-2009 @ 4:14PM
bennroman said...
I am from Louisiana and have always been a Denver Nuggets fan, as I'm an avid snow skier and fan of the city of Denver. However, while watching the first two games at Denver I was shocked at the vitriol hatred the Denver fans showed Dirk N everytime he made a play, good or bad. Perhaps the Mavericks fans felt a little payback was in order. There is a law in life called "the law of the harvest". Denver fans and players appear to me to be reaping what they sowed, They were the initial transgressors, not Dallas.
5-12-2009 @ 8:03AM
obamaizadope said...
at least Cuban didn't call her a hood rat..
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5-12-2009 @ 10:24AM
Mike said...
Leave the women out of it. They are there just for support and to watch a game with their kids involved. They may be grown men but they are still just kids to the moms. If you want to get on players or coaches, you have the right to say whatever you want, you paid for that ticket. But, leave the moms, girlfriends, and sisters or whatever alone. Show some class to the ladies. And, even if Cuban pointed at Martins mom,,,,so what,,no biggie, leave it be. If he touched or threatened her at all, then, do what you need to do. Otherwise, be the bigger man and laugh it off. It's what your mom did.
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5-12-2009 @ 10:52AM
noconadan said...
Mavs Rock!!! Denver sucks!!!
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5-12-2009 @ 10:55AM
Willie said...
THEY ARE ALL THUGS
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5-12-2009 @ 10:58AM
spikeritz said...
Class of an organization begins with its leadership. Mark Cuban lacks class, sportsmanship and basic manners. All Dallas fans, come to Denver, be welcome, spend your money and watch the Mavs season end. You are all Welcome here.
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5-12-2009 @ 11:02AM
B.O stinks said...
I have seen over the years from having two boys that played sports that most of these idiots who do things like harass the other team or its fans are frustrated jocks.they never made more than a bench warmer if that on any team they played on as kids and when they went to school and had to make a team they became arm chair quarter backs and obnoxious fans and terrible little league or any kids coaching because they was never there for the kids they was there to be a winner for their own personal satisfaction.
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5-12-2009 @ 11:20AM
Chelsea said...
OK, so here goes. I am a huge Mavs fan and I was at Game 1 in Denver. I was treated so poorly by Nuggets fans that I was tempted to just leave, but I opted to stay. The woman next to me would elbow me in the rib everytime the Nuggets scored, and other Nugget's fans would hit me with their "terrible" towels. They would also attempt to engage me in shouting matches, and they kept shouting over and over that Dirk was a "Nazi". Which I feel is completely over the line. Security came up to me and spoke to me multiple times, and they had the head of security stationed right in front of my section. Finally, in the 3rd quarter as the game heated up on the court, some fans behind me lunged at me when I stood up and tried to yank me backwards by my Dirk jersey. These 2 fans, a man and a woman, were told to leve the stadium, however the jeering and yelling, and whirling of towels in my face persisted until the game's end. And keep in mind this was ALL IN GAME 1!!!! After the game, a man from security came up to me and said "thankyou for demonstrating such resrtaint, I don't know how you did it." I did not attend Game 2 in Denver, but there was a halt in the game to deal with an "altercation" in the stands. I can only imagine that a Mavs fan was getting harrassed by some irrate Nuggets' fans. I would have to say that if anyone is a "thug" it is the Nuggets' fans, and at the very least the 20 or so fans sitting around me. I mean there were 2 LITTLE GIRLS sitting on the other side of me, and I felt so bad for them. The terrible words they must have heard, and the bad behavior from adults, those little girls are the real victims in the scenario.
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5-12-2009 @ 2:22PM
red79225 said...
Get real you're just making up stories to try to make dallas look better as for the fans anyone can make up a story like u did..see my turn i went to the game the other nite I had a Mav fan try to stab me with a knife it was crazy..lol i did it too...Get some proof funny Denver had no trouble getting proof Nugget fans are the ones that started all this...face it Dallas has the Thugs they're the ones that has the owner that has to get into it with a son's mother...if he felt that way why didn't he get into the son's face..b/c he knew he'd get beat like the little sissy he is..takes on a woman but not a man..
5-12-2009 @ 6:18PM
Chelsea said...
@ red79225: You don't know what you're talking about. I was at the game. I was sitting 5 rows up in the section near the Nugget's tunnel. I was also pretty much the only Mavs fan in the area, and I am a 20 year old girl who was there by myself. Of course your fellow classless Nuggets' fans were going to take advantage of such an easy target. What they didn't count on was that I was not going to go down easily, and security was on my side. Believe me, I don't need to make up some story about how Nugget's fans are a$$-holes, there are plenty of examples out there. And for the record, I hope KMart does get suspended for threatening our team owner. Seriously, get the phuck over yourself, this series should be tied up 2-2.
5-12-2009 @ 11:28AM
r. freeman said...
KMart acts like a gangster (which he'd probably be if not for basketball). Cuban is a big mouth, hothead but we all knew that already. A player with some brains and class would ignore this stuff but Kmart has neither. George Karl is unable or unwilling to control him.
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5-12-2009 @ 11:29AM
Rick said...
Let me get this straight, Tatted up,gangsta rap listening NBA thugs are taking exception to being called thugs!!! That has to be the funniest thing I've ever heard!!!
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5-12-2009 @ 3:47PM
Austin said...
So, just because someone is tatted up and plays in the NBA they are thugs? Also you assume because they are black they listen to gangsta rap? Pathetic excuse of ignorance...
5-12-2009 @ 11:48AM
Jill In D-town (Denver) said...
What a sorry excuse of a man, Mark Cuban, him and all his pretty ponies!!! I live In Denver but I call Texas Home. I am a Nuggets fan who is very excited that the Nuggets brought it back to Denver. I think The Mavs AND their fans should be eaten alive. Oh yea, be ware of
THA BIRD MAN cause Nowit aint chit when THA MAN is in play!!! YAhhooo Go Nuggets.
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5-12-2009 @ 12:00PM
kvkrimm said...
Typical NBA garbage. You should all come to Philli and root for the opposing team of any sport and you are immediately a potential victim. At a Flyer's game they score a hat trick and you throw a hat that belongs to the guy two rows down. Beer, soda and popcorn showers are not uncommon at Eagle's games. Even got hit with a hot dog once. Won't ever where a Cowboys jersey there again. As for the Sixers, if you have any sense you would stay home and watch. Also you would not believe the words that are exchanged, I'm 37 and still can not digest some things I have heard. One last thing though, when the buzzer sounds at the end, Its all but forgotten until next time.
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5-12-2009 @ 1:00PM
Dvdfrnzwbr said...
Most dispicable team,owner, and fans in the league. PIGS!
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5-12-2009 @ 1:19PM
Big Blue said...
Dallas pro sports teams have to be the BIGGEST let down in sports...I have never seen a bunch of whining losers in all my life. The only thing that will help the Dallas teams is that, Texas does secede from the Union and then and only then can Dallas teams win championships..Dallas teams have gone the way of the right wing Republicans. Their numbers just keep getting smaller and smaller...Its hard to root for any team that lives in the past with "glory days". Just like the OLD Grand Party is doing. They want to live in the past and talk about the future...Bye Bye Dallas. Don't let the cabin door hit y'all in the ass on the way out.
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5-12-2009 @ 2:06PM
Sandy said...
Actually, Mark Cuban didn't post his apology until after Game 4.
As of yesterday, before Game 4, he made no apologies and even boasted about his actions.
It wasn't until he realized how insane these redneck Mavs fans are that he realized he needed to step in.
Like owner, like fan.
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