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Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija celebrates after a made shot. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Breakout Portland Trail Blazers star Deni Avdija lost his cool and shoved Stephon Castle to almost start a fight towards the end of Game 4 in their first-round series. Members of the San Antonio Spurs and Trail Blazers held them apart before things got violent, but it was a tense moment between two young stars. Castle offended Avdija by putting the ball to his chest after scoring on Deni and drawing the foul for a three-point play.

Avdija claimed that Castle disrespected him and warranted the tense moment:

“I think he’s a good player. I have a lot of respect for him. But the thing at the end with shoving the ball in my chest is unnecessary. I don’t play those games. That’s not who I am.

You can be tough, you can be physical, but there’s a level of disrespect I’m not going to accept. He’s done a lot of provocation throughout the whole game. At one point, it was just disrespectful. And as I said, I’m not playing like that.”

The claim from Avdija is that Castle tried to disrespect him by putting the ball at his chest right after scoring. Timing also played a factor in Deni’s anger since the Spurs destroyed the Trail Blazers in fourth quarter to put a close game out of reach.

Does Deni Avdija Have A Fair Point?

Most players would have the same level of anger towards an opposing player shoving the ball in their chest during one of the lowest points of their NBA career. Avdija is playing the first playoff series of his NBA career since he spent four seasons with the woeful Washington Wizards before traded to Portland.

Frustration over the game result inspired Deni to react faster and have no tolerance for disrespect. However, some fans have commented that Avdija also showboats when things are going his way with the Blazers winning.

Both perspectives are fair, and the altercation didn’t even get too physical to warrant suspensions. Deni will get away with pushing Castle, but the comment after the game proved he took it quite personal.

Potential New Rivalry Building After This Series

Portland and San Antonio players have had a few chippy moments throughout the series. The Trail Blazers gave a great core of both veterans and young talents, but they are expected to be far better next season when Damian Lillard returns from injury.

Both teams will likely be in the postseason over the next few years to make it easier for them to continue facing off in the playoffs. San Antonio is expected to be a perennial title contender with a solid roster built around franchise superstar Victor Wembanyama.  Portland will have to figure out a path towards getting past the Spurs for any chance at success in the upcoming seasons.

Avdija offered respect to Castle by calling him a good player, but there is now some hostility between the two moving forward after the shoving. Game 5 will be worth paying close attention to in case this escalates more with the Blazers playing with their playoff lives on the line.