Support NeoGAF

[BatiGOOOOOOL]

Yeah but the same people saying that Wallace over-reacted after getting bashed in the back of the head are saying that Artest was completely justified bum-rushing the stands after being hit in the face with a plastic bottle. Sounds like selective judgment to me. Both were reacting to being struck unexpectedly. And you're telling me you've never been volatile after the death of a friend/loved one? Cut Ben a little slack. What he did was wrong, but no more disdainful than Ron Ron bumrushing the bleachers.

EDIT: And another thing- Given Artest's rep, he doesn't deserved to be cut any slack by other players, just like Rasheed, Rodman and others weren't in their prime. When you make your reputation off of being chippy and antagonistic, players aren't gonna assume the best when you give them a hard foul. If Dirk Nowitzki or Grant Hill administered that foul, cooler heads will prevail because these guys are not malicious players. Ron Ron has always been a knucklehead and the fact is that any slack that other players are afforded in the given situation, he reeled in a long time ago with all his antics and flagrant fouls. The situation is very dependent upon the players involved, and Wallace and Artest both new that..

I completely understand your point, that's why I never defended Artest. I was just pointing out how wrong people were for protecting Wallace. I don't give a crap what has happened lately to him, he is also a pro and has to act like one. On the Spurs/Celtics game yesterday, late in the game, out of frustration, Paul Pierce dangerously pushed Duncan on the back when he was going to the basket, never making a play for the ball. TD just turned around and went to the FT line, not even glancing at Pierce. Artest foul wasn't worth that reaction from Ben.

As for the rest of the incident, there's absolutely no justification for attacking fans, especially into the stands. They may be asholes who deserve a good asskicking but as very well paid sportsman, who are role models to loads of kids and teens, these morons have to rise above that and not sink to their level.

 

[G4life98]

I completely understand your point, that's why I never defended Artest. I was just pointing out how wrong people were for protecting Wallace. I don't give a crap what has happened lately to him, he is also a pro and has to act like one. On the Spurs/Celtics game yesterday, late in the game, out of frustration, Paul Pierce dangerously pushed Duncan on the back when he was going to the basket, never making a play for the ball. TD just turned around and went to the FT line, not even glancing at Pierce. Artest foul wasn't worth that reaction from Ben.

As for the rest of the incident, there's absolutely no justification for attacking fans, especially into the stands. They may be asholes who deserve a good asskicking but as very well paid sportsman, who are role models to loads of kids and teens, these morons have to rise above that and not sink to their level.

the worst part in all this...is ron had no idea who threw the cup and just snapped and attacked the general area indiscriminately.

 

[Cloudy]

O'Neal wasn't even THERE-- he ran from like 20 feet away to throw that punch

Those 2 guys were double-teaming Artest and JO decked one of them. Sorry but if you're engaging players on the court, expect to get clocked :lol

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Two things I have to say about this.

That fan's 15 minutes of fame is getting decked by Jermaine. Imagine what kind of shit he is going to get from his friends and people that recognize him for getting downed like that.

The best result of this, by far, was watching ESPN go down the list of famous fan/team altercations, and they showed a 70s hockey game between the rangers and the bruins in new york where one of the bruins beats the shit out of a fan with the fan's own shoe. Now, how can anybody argue with that?

 

[MacGuffin]

What did Kimmel do exactly? Just say they would burn down Detroit...who would...the fans? Why would they if Detroit wins? I'm lost...little help.

 

[G4life98]

What did Kimmel do exactly? Just say they would burn down Detroit...who would...the fans? Why would they if Detroit wins? I'm lost...little help.

he basically made the statement that detroit would burn if the pistons won and the reaction in detroit was "who the fuck is jimmy kimmel?" and from there wackiness ensued.

 

[Miguel]

Wow lol, I really picked the wrong night to go out it seems.

You too? :lol

I got home and had a bunch of IMs and everyone on IRC was going nuts...

 

[Miguel]

The Kimmel thing was during the NBA Finals in July. This wasn't from last night. I said the city of Detroit should apologize to Jimmy.

 

[MacGuffin]

The Kimmel thing was during the NBA Finals in July. This wasn't from last night. I said the city of Detroit should apologize to Jimmy.

Oh, that makes more sense, thanks for straightening that out.

Yeah I went out to play some Hold Em last night and turn on the TV this morning and all hell broke loose on ESPN it seemed....crazy stuff...

 

[Bat]

the worst part in all this...is ron had no idea who threw the cup and just snapped and attacked the general area indiscriminately.

Apparently not. In today's Detroit Free Press (I think) the guy who first got attacked by Artest had an interview where he said that while Artest was throwing punches at him, he was asking if he's the one who did it. When he said no, he went after the next guy (if you look at the video, Artest's didn't even land any of his initial punches).

 

[AirBrian]

Holy crap! I went out last night to watch the Mavs, wake up this morning and all hell broke loose in Detroit. Everything's been covered already, so I'll just say...

+1 Artest
-1 Detroit fans

 

[Bowser]

Some retard from SI.com said this:

It will be interesting to see how the NBA responds to this. Wallace should get five games because it was his blow that incited the melee. Jackson should get seven or eight because he was one of the fight's biggest instigators and was one of the first to go into the stands. O'Neal should get double digits because it was his punch that seemed to connect with the most force and it landed on a fan who at the time was not involved directly in any altercation.

But Artest should be thrown out of the league. How many chances can you give a guy that blatantly doesn't care about the consequences? Time after time we have seen this man suffer meltdowns both on and off the court. Throw him out. He doesn't want to be there anyways. Earlier this season Artest hinted to reporters that if the Pacers won the championship this season, he'd retire. Let the NBA help him out the door. You think his teammates enjoy spending countless hours defending him not only on the court, but to the media as well? Let him go work on his music label. What's the NBA waiting for? Artest to kill someone? After last night does anyone out there not think something like that is out of the realm of possibility?

Yeah, okay.

 

[Cubsfan23]

Some retard from SI.com said this:



Yeah, okay.

I wonder what he would do if somebody came to his work and threw beer on him. I have no sympathy for any of the fans who came onto the court, even if Jermaine O' Neal sucker-punched the fan, the fact is HE WAS ON THE COURT, i.e. trespassing.

 

[Bowser]

I especially like that he thinks O'Neal should get double digits because his punch "seemed like it hurt the most." :lol

 

[Bat]

Yeah, if the guy was ON the court, then he is involved directly. Also, his friend was attacking Artest 2 feet away and was in the same crows.

 

[Cubsfan23]

http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/story?id=1927371

It's great to see an entire half-hour of SportsCenter devoted to this brawl, then at commercial break, the viewing audience is subjected to the new "Grand Theft Auto" video game. Try telling your son or daughter that the mainstream media doesn't condone violence. Bravo, ESPN. Bravo.

:lol

 

[sonicfan]

IndyStar Story

By Mark Montieth
mark.montieth@indystar.com
November 20, 2004


AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- An all-out brawl erupted Friday near the end of the Indiana Pacers' victory over Detroit, one that will likely result in long-term suspensions for some Pacers players.

Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson rushed into the stands to confront fans who were drenching the Pacers with beverages with 45.9 seconds left in their 97-82 victory over the Pistons.

About three hours following the startling finish, Auburn Hills police walked out of a television trailer with videotapes gathered from media outlets. Officers interviewed witnesses at the arena in suburban Detroit and planned to talk to the players involved.

"We'll put it all together, take it to the Oakland County Prosecutors Office and have them review it and they'll decide if there are any charges," Auburn Hills Deputy Chief Jim Mynsberge said. "I hope we can do it before Thanksgiving."

One of the half-dozen people treated for injuries at The Palace was taken to a hospital by ambulance and another sought treatment, police said.

"At this time, we don't have any indication of major injuries, Mynsberge said.

Artest did not appear to land punches, but Jackson did. Jermaine O'Neal later struck a fan after he was hit in the head by a chair as chaos reigned at the Palace.

Artest later punched a fan on the court who rushed at him and tried to land a blow.

Stunned Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, speaking with ESPN reporter Jim Gray in the hallway outside the team's locker room afterward, said, "I felt like I was fighting for my life out there."

Fan Mike Ryan, of Clarkston, Mich., speaking about Artest, said: "I have no idea what happened. All of a sudden he was on top of me, punching me, saying, 'Did you do it? Did you do it?' "

"I said, 'No, man, no.' Then he got off of me and moved on to the next guy."

Fred Jones, Eddie Gill and David Harrison were among the Pacers attempting to break up the fights.

Play was suspended while security personnel struggled to restore order, and both teams headed to the locker rooms. The Pacers were pelted with drinks and debris as they passed through the tunnel, and more confrontations erupted.

It was easily the worst incident in the 37-year history of the Pacers franchise.

"That was the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life as a coach or player," the Pistons coach, Larry Brown, said.

The incident began when Artest gave a hard foul to Pistons center Ben Wallace.

Wallace then shoved Artest in the chest and had to be restrained by Pacers players and coaches from attacking Artest.

Artest responded by lying on the scorer's table with his hands behind his head, smiling while Wallace was restrained.

But when a fan lobbed a drink squarely on his chest, he jumped up, rushed into the stands and began throwing punches. Jackson joined the melee, and other Pacers rushed into the stands to attempt to break up the fights.

Pacers radio broadcaster Mark Boyle, who had attempted to tackle Artest as he hurtled off the scorer's table, had a cut over his right eye. One Pistons official was taken out of the arena in a wheelchair, and several courtside personnel were drenched with beverages.

Reporters were not allowed into the Pacers' locker room after the game, and NBA officials gave the team permission not to make players available to the media.

"The NBA is withholding comment until it can review the incident," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.

Carlisle said: "It was an unfortunate incident -- that's about all I can say right now. I've never seen or been involved in anything quite like this.

The Pacers' plane landed about 1:30 a.m. today at Indianapolis International Airport. About two dozen fans showed up, several of them to support the players.

"This is awesome," said Bobby Large, 24, Greenwood. "This is the craziest thing I have seen in sports live in a long time."

This story will be updated.

Star reporters Sekou Smith and Tom Spalding and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Call Star reporter Mark Montieth at (317) 444-6406.

 

[DCX]

the worst part in all this...is ron had no idea who threw the cup and just snapped and attacked the general area indiscriminately.

Well, if you are in a war situation and someone shot at you from some said area, best believe I'm going to shoot every m'f-er in that area, guilty or not...just how shit goes down in NYC...it's the mentality....someone must pay!!

DCX

 

[Odoul]

You know the NBA is smiling out the side of their mouth about this. Their Christmas ratings are gonna do bonkers.

This didn't have to happen. Asshole didn't have to smack Ben's head. Ben didn't have to blow up. The fan didn't have to throw the bottle. And asshole didn't have to charge into the stands.

Along the lines of the kids on the court deserving to get suckerpunched(GTF outta here), if Artest would've got his dumb ass shanked cause his pride was SO crucial I wouldn't give a FUKK. And if the guy who was mistakenly grabbed was a relative and I'd have been there I'd throw my big 260 pound ass as hard as I could. And yes I'd fukken try to hurt him.

If there was ANY justice those retards wouldn't be facing a fine they'd be looking at jail time(players and fans).

 

[Kabuki Waq]

you would think that when players are making millions they would be above this shit. Im not saying the fans were right but i mean really was it worth it to clock them?


Sure they deserved it but it caused more problems for the players than anything.

 

[Odoul]

Exactly. Do they just not get why that wasn't acceptable? They lose money, endorsements, maybe a career. Artest could've seriously hurt someone the way he was stepping on people. He could've been injured. Is that price worth it? He incited a goddamn riot.

PS. I wish I would've been walking on the floor. PLEASE throw me a haymaker. Talk all that shit about leaving the seats and deserving what you get. You'll be talking to my attorney, see in court motherfucker.

 

[Flizzzipper]

Wallace started the whole throwing shit encounter...BAND! :lol

Artest/Jackson/Wallace will probably get 10+

No idea how they'll handle O'Neal

 

[Ninja Scooter]

the guys on the court got what they deserved. Saunders is right. You can tell the first guy that approaches Artest comes at him in a menacing manner, whether he throws the first punch or not. And JO clocked his buddy that was trying to double team Ron. Hell, even after that fight was broken up, ANOTHER guy comes up to Ron and tries to start shit. Put yourself in the players shoes, there are THOUSANDS of fans in the arena, ALL AROUND you. They can come at you from any angle. Once they are on the court, im throwing punches and asking questions later too. I doubt those guys will have a case as far as a lawsuit goes. NBA or the team might settle with them for a small amount, but i wouldn't be suprised if THOSE guys are the ones that get arrested.

 

[Flizzzipper]

I can see the Pacers lineup now:

PG - Tinsley
SG - Fred Jones
SF - James Jones
PF - Austin Croshere
C - David Harrison

Bench: Eddie Gil, that big white rookie

Injured: Bender, Miller, Pollard, Johnson, Foster :lol

 

[DCX]

He incited a goddamn riot.

Correction...Wallace incited the riot by his stupid " I'm tough " act, that made the fans react, made Artest basically tease the Pistons and the fans by lying down and putting on the headphones which in turn started the bottle throwing and the resulting "riot". I'm Odul, but if you were pushed and provoke you might act the exact same way. Especially when tempers are already at max level....and we all know Artest tolerance is non existent.

DCX

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Manu wants some too!

GINOBLIIIIIIIIII!

 

[Archaix]

Damn, CNN just reported that Artest, O'Neal, Wallace, and Jackson are being suspended "indefinitely". Didn't catch the story, just saw it at the bottom of the screen while they were going to commercial.

 

[Odoul]

I just don't get how Wallace is responsible for this. It's like I'm holding a globe and someone's telling me the world is flat. It just makes no goddamn sense.

 

[Loki]

Those 2 guys were double-teaming Artest and JO decked one of them. Sorry but if you're engaging players on the court, expect to get clocked :lol

I didn't see that at all. It didn't look like any player was even in the vicinity-- it just looked like some other fans were trying to help the guy up off the floor and then O'Neal came in throwing. I honestly didn't see any other player besides O'Neal in the area. If what you say is true, however, then that changes things, obviously.


And Piston, I just honestly don't think that a guy walking over to you talking shit can be construed as being "threatening" when Artest started winding up for his first punch before the guy got within 6 feet of him. I just don't see it. Again, besides all this, if somebody comes up to me talking shit and gets in my face-- even if he comes right up into my grill-- if I hit him first, believe you me, I'll be the one getting charged. I don't see why this should be any different. Now, if the law DOESN'T say that, and says that a person can throw a punch when they feel legitimately threatened (even just verbally), then it must be shown that Artest could feel "legitimately threatened" by a fan walking towards him just talking smack, enough to start winding up for his punch before the guy came anywhere close to him. I dunno...


Obviously, they'll try to make the case that there was a general climate of fear etc.-- but I don't see how that'll work, since prior to decking the guy on the court, Artest is just walking calmly across the court flanked by his handlers, with fans all around him running everywhere. Why didn't he feel sufficiently "threatened" by them? Why'd he pick that guy to go off on? It certainly isn't proximity, since Ron winds up for his punch when the guy was far outside of striking distance. And I'm pretty sure that "talking shit" isn't considered a legal justification for hitting someone. In other words, if any of us did that, I'm sure we'd be looking at jail time and/or a stiff fine (which should be made much stiffer since they're multimillionaires).


I'm not saying that I would have behaved differently, necessarily (though I hope I would), because you just don't know how you'd react in a chaotic situation like that. All I'm saying is that Ron's own actions (and inactions against other fans nearby) don't back up the assertion that he "felt threatened" by that fan on the court imo. The other thing I'm saying is that if we did the same, we'd be in big trouble, and I don't see why he shouldn't be either. Either that, or just change the rules for everyone else, too. And I'm almost certain that if a guy got in my face and was talking shit, that I'd be liable if I just went off on him-- never mind the fact that this guy wasn't anywhere near Artest when Ron started winding up for that punch.


Ditto for O'Neal, but if what Konex says is true, then that's different. I just didn't see any players in the area.

 

[Archaix]

I just don't get how Wallace is responsible for this. It's like I'm holding a globe and someone's telling me the world is flat. It just makes no goddamn sense.

How does it not make sense? If Wallace doesn't go ape-shit insane after a foul, Artest doesn't go lie on the scorer's table to calm down, the fans don't freak out, nobody throws shit, and Artest doesn't go meltdown on the fuckass who threw the shit.

edit: ESPN2 just reported it, too. They are all being suspended while the league investigates everything and decides what to do with them.

Something that hasn't really been mentioned is that the NBA has a manditory 1 game suspension for any player that leaves the bench during a fight, and at least a few players did that last night. I'd like to see a list of the players who jumped out onto the court.

 

[Poody]

Lets see, Wallace pushes artest, then throws a towel at him all while artest was laying down at the scorers table. Then he runs out onto the stands while trying to get at artest again.

 

[Cubsfan23]

You could even make a case that the fans saw Wallace throw his wristband or towel or whatever at Artest, and that motivated him to throw a cup.

 

[Matlock]

Damn, CNN just reported that Artest, O'Neal, Wallace, and Jackson are being suspended "indefinitely". Didn't catch the story, just saw it at the bottom of the screen while they were going to commercial.

 

[Cloudy]

The guy O'neal laid out was the buddy of the guy Artest had hit and both of them were hitting Artest who had just pushed them off. JO connected with that guy like 15 seconds after Arest had got them off him. Luckily, JO slipped on beer and the punch had less impact :lol

 

[Matlock]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/11/20/sports1420EST0429.DTL

The NBA suspended Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson of Indiana and Ben Wallace of Detroit on Saturday for taking part in one of the ugliest brawls in U.S. sports history.

The suspensions were indefinite, and the league was still investigating Friday night's melee, which commissioner David Stern called "shocking, repulsive and inexcusable -- a humiliation for everyone associated with the NBA."

The league issued a statement saying it was reviewing rules and security procedures "so that fans can continue to attend our games unthreatened by events such as the ones that occurred last night."

I hate pulling a Ripclawe, but this is just a press release, and it's only three paragraphs.

 

[Odoul]

The guy JO suckerpunched wasn't even near Ron. The guy was walking looking at Ron. Ron hit him twice and he tripped and his friend helped him up. Artest was dragged away. Security was pulling the guy who was punched when JO hit him. That's right the guy was blindsided while he was RESTRAINED by SECURITY. It's amazing how people see so many different things from the same video.

If it's like that then why isn't it Ron's fault for cheapshotting his head? I'm not being a homer here. Ben Wallace didn't go to the stands. He stood on the table looked and backed down.

 

[Cloudy]

Damn, this leaves the East wide open for Miami. BS!! >_<

 

[Ninja Scooter]

And Piston, I just honestly don't think that a guy walking over to you talking shit can be construed as being "threatening" when Artest started winding up for his first punch before the guy got within 6 feet of him. I just don't see it. Again, besides all this, if somebody comes up to me talking shit and gets in my face-- even if he comes right up into my grill-- if I hit him first, believe you me, I'll be the one getting charged. I don't see why this should be any different. Now, if the law DOESN'T say that, and says that a person can throw a punch when they feel legitimately threatened (even just verbally), then it must be shown that Artest could feel "legitimately threatened" by a fan walking towards him just talking smack, enough to start winding up for his punch before the guy came anywhere close to him. I dunno...

true, but you have to look at the context. This wasn't just some guy coming up to Ron on the street talking shit, this was a FULL BLOWN RIOT. Like i said, there were thousands of fans in the arena, you don't know who is trying to help you or hurt you (which is why the stupid fans should have kept their asses off the court), so i don't blame Artest for what he did on the floor (not neccesarily jumping into the stands).

as for Wallace, he instigated the whole thing. Got hot headed. Hell, he probably would have faced a suspension regardless of the riot, it wasn't just some simple push he threw at Artest, he went straight for the neck/head, and if there's one thing the NBA has shown (anthony peeler getting suspended in the playoffs for an elbow at KG's mug) its that they don't tolerate going at a players head. IF i had to predict the lenght of suspensions, it'd be:

Artest-10 games
Stephen Jackson-7-10 games
J.O'Neil-3-5 games
Ben Wallace-3 games
Derrek Coleman-1 game
Fred Jones-1 game

 

[Miguel]

Earlier Today:

<MiG> Shin/CK: Now we can all laugh at Konex when the Heat end up in first place
<Shinobi_AM2> haha
<Shinobi_AM2> it's funny as fuck seeing kobe getting a quality triple double and lose

 

[Loki]

Konex, I just saw that O'Neal clip again on ESPN, and there were NO players in the vicinity. The guy that got decked was being helped off the floor by some other guys and then O'Neal comes out of nowhere and lays him out. Now, whether that guy hit a player prior to that, I have no idea.


EDIT: It looks like that guy had got into it with an assistant coach or something. Prior to the punch, you can see a guy in a suit backing away from man on the ground, and this guy in the suit can be seen being restrained by others. So maybe that would explain it. Maybe.

 

[Poody]

Something that hasn't really been mentioned is that the NBA has a manditory 1 game suspension for any player that leaves the bench during a fight, and at least a few players did that last night. I'd like to see a list of the players who jumped out onto the court.

That rule should not apply to last night's melee. I mean if fans start going ape shit- throwing drinks, chairs, punches, and running out on court how the fuck are you gona stay still on the sidelines.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

That rule should not apply to last night's melee. I mean if fans start going ape shit- throwing drinks, chairs, punches, and running out on court how the fuck are you gona stay still on the sidelines.

some players (Coleman, McDyess) came onto the floor during the initial melee between Ron and Ben. I can see those guys getting a game suspension.

 

[Archaix]

That rule should not apply to last night's melee. I mean if fans start going ape shit- throwing drinks, chairs, punches, and running out on court how the fuck are you gona stay still on the sidelines.

I know, but it's a zero-tolerance rule in the NBA. Was it Artest that was suspended because he ran two steps onto the court, realized what he was doing, and immediately sprinted back to the bench? I'm pretty sure it was a Pacer...anyway, that was clearly not in the spirit of the rule, but he was suspended anyway.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

I know, but it's a zero-tolerance rule in the NBA. Was it Artest that was suspended because he ran two steps onto the court, realized what he was doing, and immediately sprinted back to the bench? I'm pretty sure it was a Pacer...anyway, that was clearly not in the spirit of the rule, but he was suspended anyway.

shit, the once suspended Brian Shaw for being out on the floor because a fight broke out AFTER a timeout had been called (and like when most timeouts are called, teh players start to walk out on the floor)

 

[Loki]

How does it not make sense? If Wallace doesn't go ape-shit insane after a foul, Artest doesn't go lie on the scorer's table to calm down, the fans don't freak out, nobody throws shit, and Artest doesn't go meltdown on the fuckass who threw the shit.

...and if Artest's mother didn't have sex, she wouldn't have given birth to Artest, and none of this ever would have happened.


That sounds a bit too much like determinism to my ears-- you're extending the "causal" chain too far back here. Further, not all of those acts are contingent (or necessarily contingent) on the previous ones. Players have fights on the court all the time, but nothing like this has ever happened, and that's because one does not cause the other. The FAN was the one who set this off by throwing a drink, and then Artest was at fault for exacerbating the situation. Period. Not Ben Wallace.


Hell, if you wanna go that route, it was still Artest's fault for giving a hard foul when the outcome of the game was already decided, with 45 seconds left in the game. Do I agree with that opinion? No-- but it works under the theory you're advocating.

 

[Matlock]

If this piglet and this tiger can live in peace, why can't the Pacers and Pistons?

 

[Miguel]

Konex, I just saw that O'Neal clip again on ESPN, and there were NO players in the vicinity. The guy that got decked was being helped off the floor by some other guys and then O'Neal comes out of nowhere and lays him out. Now, whether that guy hit a player prior to that, I have no idea.


EDIT: It looks like that guy had got into it with an assistant coach or something. Prior to the punch, you can see a guy in a suit backing away from man on the ground, and this guy in the suit can be seen being restrained by others. So maybe that would explain it. Maybe.

Guy 1 goes after Artest with his "clenched fist/head fake" thing, and Artest clocks him. Then Guy 2 (apparently with Guy 1) went back after Artest. I don't know if Guy 2 went after a coach afterward, but Guy 2 then got clocked by J'Oneal.

 

[Miguel]

NEW YORK, Nov. 20 -- NBA Commissioner David Stern issued the following statement today:

“The events at last night’s game were shocking, repulsive and inexcusable -- a humiliation for everyone associated with the NBA. This demonstrates why our players must not enter the stands whatever the provocation or poisonous behavior of people attending the games. Our investigation is ongoing and I expect it to be completed by tomorrow evening.

The NBA has taken the following actions, effective immediately:

1. Indiana players Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal are suspended indefinitely, the length to be determined upon completion of the investigation.

2. Detroit player Ben Wallace is suspended indefinitely, the length to be determined upon completion of the investigation.

3. Review of rules and procedures relating to altercations and security have been undertaken so that fans can continue to attend our games unthreatened by events such as the ones that occurred last night.”

 

[DMczaf]

If you have NBATV, watch it on Thanksgiving Day. 24 hours of Jordan/'Nique.

 

[levious]

would Artest's original foul have been called a flagrant had the insuing madness not happened? I still haven't seen the footage, only read it in articles described as a hard foul. But it seemed pretty ridiculous to me, giving a hard foul like that with less than a minute left and the game out of reach in your team's favor.