Martin fired back, and Eason immediately got in his face, then started showing off the natural gifts Black people were known for.
A rapid-fire stream of rhythmic, skillfully delivered trash talk poured out of his mouth, directed at Martin without pause.
With the conflict on the verge of escalating, the referee on the baseline immediately stepped in between them, using his body to separate the two players, who were worked up and running on adrenaline.
But one man alone clearly wasn't enough to stop the situation from escalating.
More importantly, professional referees were still a little slower to react than professional players.
On the other side, Powell, eager to stand up for his teammate, was even quicker than the referee. He rushed over and shoved Eason half a step backward.
That alone was enough to make the conflict flare up again.
Hart, Drummond, Vincent, and the others immediately crowded around them.
Fortunately, there were still a few players on the court who could keep their cool.
Love and Kawhi, along with Ingles—players with more experience and steadier tempers—all reacted at once and tried to pull their teammates apart.
At the same time, the arena staff quickly rushed in and joined forces, finally preventing the confrontation from escalating any further.
Meanwhile, Chen had only just gotten back to his feet...
To be fair, that fall had been a nasty one. Even he needed a while on the floor to recover.
Fortunately, he had adjusted his posture in time before landing, hitting the floor in the best position to absorb the impact. Combined with the physical conditioning he'd built up over time, he'd managed to take the hit without serious damage.
So although it hurt, it probably hadn't caused any major injuries.
Seeing his teammates all either talking trash or breaking up