So last night’s Lakers–Rockets game was one for the ages. In other words, when the two teams meet next, probably someone’s gonna die. Hint: it won’t be Ron Artest.

You see, everything was fine for the first half. Close game and all, but bah, who am I kidding, I wasn’t watching it — it’s the NBA. But apparently the elbows started to fly in the second half, and Kobe Bryant and Artest were both in the middle of it — not a smart fight for Mr. Bryant to pick.

Artest was sent off the court by referee Joe Crawford with 6:57 remaining in the game after he pointed across the court at Bryant and made a gesture near his throat. Artest complained that he was elbowed in the throat by Bryant under the basket.

Artest had this to say about the situation:

I knew I was going to get a technical foul. The point was to let the refs know this guy was elbowing me. I know I went over there with no punches, no shoves to the face, just a confrontation. I told him, `You’re hitting the wrong person. Don’t you know you’re hitting Ron Artest’.

Seriously, Kobe, WTF? You’re hitting RON ARTEST! He’s actually insane! As we linked to above, he’s the guy who actually ran into the stands in Detroit to fight people — FANS! And you, Kobe Bryant, now want to fight him?

Apparently to Artest, though, the Wednesday incident was really no big deal. Why? Because he once saw a man get stabbed in the heart during a game of pick-up basketball:

After being ejected against the Lakers on Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets forward told reporters that he once watched as a player was killed during a game “back home in the neighborhood.” “It was so competitive, they broke a leg from a table and they threw it,” said the Queens native. “It went right through his heart and he died right on the court. So I’m accustomed to playing basketball really rough.”