Sam Cassell’s Banned ‘Big Balls’ Celebration Ended Kevin Garnett’s Championship Dream in ’04

Nithin Joseph | 01/08/2023
Sam Cassell's Banned 'Big Balls' Celebration Ended Kevin Garnett's Championship Dream

The NBA has strict rules when it comes to certain things, especially potentially offensive or lewd celebrations. One of the many celebrations banned in the league is the infamous “Big Balls” celebration. The likes of LeBron James have faced hefty fines for doing the celly. However, all that is nothing compared to what Sam Cassell had to pay for the celebration. The 2004 Championship.

Cassell used the celebration during the 2004 Playoffs. While he didn’t have to pay a fine, his actions cost the Minnesota Timberwolves the NBA Championship that year.

He was an All-Star guard back in 2004. Led by the reigning league MVP Kevin Garnett, the T-Wolves were the first seed in the Western Conference and the favorites to win it all.

Players like Wally Szczerbiak, Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, and of course, Kevin Garnett made them a force to be reckoned with.

Things were looking good for Minnesota in the playoffs. They breezed past the Denver Nuggets in Round 1. But things took a turn for the worse in Round 2. In Game 2 against the Sacramento Kings, Cassell hit a jumper to hand Minnesota the win.

However, after hitting the shot, he decided to go with the “Big Balls” celebration, which would prove to be his downfall. It just so happened that the dance aggravated a fracture in Cassell’s hip.

While he played out the rest of the Kings series, the Conference Finals were a different story. Cassell barely played against the Los Angeles Lakers as they fell 2-4 to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Therefore, it led to one of the biggest “What Ifs?” in NBA history. Could the Minnesota Timberwolves have won it all if Cassell had just contained his excitement?

Perhaps, Kevin Garnett could have won his first chip in Minnesota if Cassell didn’t worsen his injury. But at least KG did win a chip before retiring with the 2008 Boston Celtics.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
LeBron James Sam Cassell

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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