After the 1997-1998 season schedule was released, I saw the first game was against the Utah Jazz, so I circled it on the calendar.
I had some unresolved issues with Ostertag. I didn't like how he ran his mouth after beating us in last season's playoffs, and I planned to settle that score with him.
During shooting practice, I found him, walked over, and confronted him. I told him, "You should shut your mouth, focus on playing, and stop yapping."
He said to me, "Fuck you, watch your mouth!"
I said, "You know how to watch your mouth, but what about your own mouth?"
We got into an argument, and he started cursing again.
So I wasn't polite and slapped him across the face!
The slap wasn't really that hard, but he went straight to the ground.
Like I had some kind of Chinese Kung Fu, with a slap that weighed a thousand pounds.
The guy was curled up on the ground moaning, "My contact lenses, my contact lenses!"
