NBA playoffs 2017: The nine pettiest moments of the first round

Nick Birdsong

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NBA playoffs 2017: The nine pettiest moments of the first round image

Postseason petty is peaking. 

From on-court spats between foes to epic post-game rants from players and coaches to in-game trash talk with celebrities, the NBA playoffs are as much a reality show as they are an athletic spectacle. 

MORE: NBA scoreboard | Playoff schedule

They're the height of competition. So tempers, emotions and words flare every night. Let's take a look back at some of the most entertaining moments of the first round. (Shoutout to @World_Wide_Wob for bringing #PettyWarz into the national lexicon.)

John Wall asks pertinent question to Dennis Schroder after dunking on him 

Wall isn't a father, but the Hawks point guard is his son. 

Wall, a four-time All-Star, owned Schroder while leading the fourth-seeded Wizards to a 4-2 series win against No. 5 Atlanta. Wall bested the native German in the head-to-head matchup, averaging 29.5 points, more than six above his regular season output, and 10.3 assists per game while Schroder went for 24.7 ppg and 7.7 apg, and boasted about it all series long. 

MORE: Wizards, Celtics renew rivalry with much more on line

No play epitomized Wall's display of superiority more than his breakaway dunk during a Washington win in Game 2. 

It wasn't just that Wall boomed on Schroder, though that was bad enough. It wasn't simply that he stared him down as he trotted back up the court. It was the question he posed to him afterward. It was at that point, the adoption occurred. 

Twitter kings @dragonflyjonez and @LaJethroJenkins explained the gravitas of Wall's inquiry in a classic intro to their podcast  a day later.

Wall's distaste for Schroder dates back two years  when, according to Wall, Schroder told teammate Kent Bazemore to go slap Wall's injured hand while guarding him, a claim Schroder denies. Oddly, Schroder has gone on record as saying he'd like to work out with Wall  during the offseason. 

After burying Schroder on the court, Wall made sure to body him on social media once the series was over. 

 

Pick and choose cause the REAL will never lose !! #5Deep #BYB #WallWay!! DC let's get it !!!!

A post shared by johnwall (@johnwall) on

Schroder probably shouldn't be waiting on Wall to hit him up to get in the gym this summer. 

Russell Westbrook's response to recording the first 50-point triple-double 

Westbrook is  a machine. 

The Thunder point guard became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double in the regular season, going for 31.6 points, 10.4 assists and 10.7 rebounds per game while breaking "The Big O's" record for triple-doubles in a season. 

MORE: Did Tyronn Lue criticize the Thunder for not playing Westbrook enough?

Westbrook recognized the uniqueness of his accomplishments late in the regular season as he led the Thunder to the sixth-best record in the Western Conference in their first season without longtime running mate Kevin Durant. But asking him about his stats, following a loss, even if he went for 51 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, isn't the move. It's lesson a reporter learned the hard way after Oklahoma City fell 115-111 in Game 3 of their series against the Rockets. 

Cover your children's ears. 

David Fizdale's infamous "Take that for data" rant 

Put the Grizzlies coach's quotes from a tirade about the disparity in foul calls between his team and the Spurs during Game 2 right up there with the late great Dennis Green's "They are who we thought they were," Jim Mora's "Playoffs?" and Mike Gundy's "I'm a man. I'm 40." 

It actually might have more staying power, especially among the advanced stats and analytics crowd. 

GREER: Best ways to use Fizdale's phrases in daily life

What made it so potent is the Grizzlies coach eased into the rant. You couldn't tell he was fired up until he was all the way turned up.

Westbrook's refusal to allow Steven Adams to answer a reporter's question 

The question wasn't posed to Westbrook. But that didn't stop him from shutting it down. 

Westbrook took umbrage  with a reporter asking teammate Adams about the team's inability to produce points with Westbrook on the bench following a Game 4 loss to the Rockets. It exposed the obvious, but it was what most would expect during a run-of-the-mill postgame news conference. Westbrook could've taken a step back and let Adams feed the media some cliche answer about how it's everyone's job to hold the fort down while the MVP candidate takes a breather. 

MORE: Westbrook says OKC is "a place I want to be"

But when has Westbrook ever exhibited chill when there's an option to go in? Of course, he let the dude have it. 

The Jimmy Butler-Marcus Smart beef

Butler and Smart got into a shoving match beneath the hoop during the Celtics' Game 4 win over the Bulls. It ended when a referee and players from both teams rushed to break things up after the two stood toe-to-toe in each other's faces and exchanged unpleasantries. 

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The drama spilled over into the post-game news conference  when Butler proclaimed Smart, who's been known to step to anyone who has an issue with him on the court throughout his brief career, is a "great actor" and added he's "not about that life." 

Smart clapped back , and Boston won the series. So, while we may never get to the bottom of who's tougher between them, we know who got the last laugh. 

Markieff Morris and Paul Millsap's war of words

If the Wall-Schroder matchup was the main event of the series between the No. 4 Wizards and No. 5 Hawks, the battle between Millsap and Morris was more than a worthy undercard bout. 

Morris scored some points on nostalgia alone, pulling out a grade-school insult when he referred to Millsap as a "crybaby" after the Hawks forward griped about the Wizards playing, "MMA" early in the series. (Note: Morris also called Millsap out his name , following a free-throw attempt during a game in Washington.) 

MORE: Morris injury could swing Wizards-Celtics series

Millsap dissed and dismissed Morris with the aplomb of a player set to earn well beyond the $21 million he garnered this season on the free-agent market. He gave Morris a half a bar that would've made Jay-Z proud after dropping 29 points to go along with 14 rebounds and five assists in a Game 3 win at home. 

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg complaining about Isaiah Thomas carrying

Let's be honest. 

Complaining about carrying in the NBA is like bemoaning the sunrise after staying out clubbing until 4 a.m. You can do it, but it's not going stop it from happening. It's also extremely passive-aggressive and disingenuous to shower someone with compliments before taking a shot at them. Down south, we call that being "nice nasty." 

Nonetheless, that's the route Hoiberg took after Thomas put 33 points and seven assists on Chicago in Game 3, the first of four straight Celtics wins to close out the series. "He had a hell of a game (Sunday), but when you're allowed to discontinue your dribble on every single possession, he is impossible to guard," Hoiberg said . 

Maybe, Hoiberg was just trying to influence officials and gain a competitive advantage. He's not exactly wrong (here's a frame-by-frame breakdown  of Thomas' dribbling habits courtesy of Bball Breakdown if you're interested). It's funny how Hoiberg didn't say anything about Thomas' carrying when the Bulls were taking a 2-0 series lead in Boston. 

MORE: Thomas doesn't need all his teeth to lead Celtics past Wizards

Thomas didn't pay Hoiberg's hating any never mind saying, "That's not the reason I'm an impossible cover." He knows the truth. If it were, Hoiberg could just instruct all his players to carry, and they'd be just as hard to guard. 

Hoiberg didn't want to face the music after a reporter asked him about Thomas following the Bulls' loss in Game 4 to even the series. 

Now, the 5-9 All-Star has bigger things to worry about, namely the Eastern Conference semifinals. 

Patrick Beverley vs. Russell Westbrook 

You'd be hard-pressed to find two bigger competitors than Beverley and Westbrook. You'd also be hard-pressed to find two guys who like each other less. Their history goes back to to 2013 when Beverley collided with Westbrook's knee, resulting in a torn meniscus. 

Beverley's third-seeded Rockets bounced the No. 6 Thunder from the playoffs in five games, but the two didn't depart each other without exchanging a couple of verbal jabs, following a dust up in Game 5. 

DEVENEY: How Westbrook's Thunder can become Iverson's Sixers

Apparently, during their disagreement, Beverley went full Tony Allen and said something about being first-team All-Defense. Far be it from Westbrook not to remind him that's a feat he's yet to achieve. Westbrook finished with a game-high 47 points. So, Beverley chided his efficiency. 

John Wall and Bradley Beal's shot at Migos' Quavo

The stars came out for Game 6 of the Hawks-Wizards series. Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones was seated courtside next to Atlanta icons Quavo of the rap trio Migos and Gucci Mane. 

In the heat of battle, they dished some friendly trash talk Wall's way. He was more than willing to engage, serving up his best game of the playoffs as as he scored 42 points and ushered in the Hawks' offseason. After the game, Sporting News' Nubyjas Wilborn asked Wall what exactly he said to his famous friends. Wall and Beal took a not-so-subtle dig with a reference to Migos' latest album. 

MORE: Brandon Jennings walks back comments on Paul Pierce's retirement tour

Folks, it's only going to get better as conference semifinals kick into high gear. Makes sure you tune in. 

Nick Birdsong