“Just Take the Night Off, Bro”: After Shaquille O’Neal’s Ridicule, Gary Payton II Enjoys Banter With Anthony Davis Ahead of Game 6

Things could have been really bad for Anthony Davis. He inadvertently got hit in the head by a stray arm from Kevon Looney as they both tried to grab a rebound in game 5. And right after it, as Chris B Haynes reported, the man had to not only be taken to the back but also needed a wheelchair to get to the locker room. And yet, he is playing today, leading to some serious jokes ahead of Game 6 from Gary Payton II.

The general report on Anthony Davis’s injury, again as per Chris B Haynes once again, was that while he was extremely woozy right after the hit, it was later diagnosed that he had avoided a concussion, making him available for Game 6 vs Warriors.

Now, there is only about 1 hour left before the game begins, and players from both teams are getting onto the court for some pre-game warmups. And apparently, Gary Payton II saw that as an opportunity to have a little banter with the dominant big man.

 

Gary Payton II asks Anthony Davis to take a day off after his blow to the head

Despite putting together their own wins in this series, the Warriors have struggled to keep Anthony Davis at bay. And given that the man was not having the best game before he got injured in game 5 means that he is due for yet another dominant display.

Knowing that almost painfully well, when Gary Payton II saw Anthony Davis all geared up to play, he must have groaned just a little bit. And as per Dave McMenamin’s tweet, the man couldn’t help but ask the Brow to take a day off. Take a look.

The Warriors may have survived game 5, but this is a whole different ball game. This game will take place in the Lakers’ home arena, where the crowd will be loudest when they either make a play or the Warriors mess up.

If they want to win, Golden State needs to tap into their desperation. And more than anything else, they need to make sure Daymond Green can play extended minutes. After all, he is seemingly the only guy the Warriors can throw onto him, and hope for a stop.

Coming away from the game a little bit though here, Anthony Davis’s little wheelchair report caused quite the controversy. And admittedly, it was all Shaquille O’Neal and his co-panelists’ fault.

Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Smith couldn’t stop laughing at Anthony Davis

We don’t want to jinx anything, but Anthony Davis has been on a bit of an ironman streak, something that was once thought to be impossible considering a papercut would probably have kept him out for 5 games last season. That on its own is very impressive.

It would have been a shame if this streak of his was stopped by a scary concussion. Yet, it’s not something that Shaquille O’Neal and his guys on Inside the NBA took very seriously. Take a look at the tweet by Gifd Sports below to see what happened.

Frankly, this was beyond inappropriate. We truly hope they are able to understand the gravity of what could have happened, and never repeat such inhumane behavior.