IMO, the hard foul commited by Ron Artest wasn't really necessary. The game was already decided and it was just showtime for everybody. Ben wanted a highlight slam but was cloberred or was it hacked in the neck by Ron as he drived towards the rim. It was a higly emotional game and an unsportman (deliberate) foul like this could trigger a player to lose his control. Artest is a great player but His arrogance and temper makes him a player you'll love to hate.
Regarding the fan punching incident, I believe security was very lax. They could have prevented artest from climbing his way up to the bleachers. I guess they were caught off guard.
Hard fouls are a common place in the NBA, even more in the 80's, where big, strong, athletic men bump and grind for almost 3 hrs 82 times (or more) a season. Like they say NBA stands for No Boys Allowed, and Ben Wallaces acted like a boy, heck the Ron Artest foul wasn't that hard and am sure Ben Wallace can take a lot more punishment than that. IMO Ron Artest's reputation hurt him the most on this one, his behavior the past few weeks has been bizarre in the first place but am sure Ron woudn't mind the time off and spend more time with his wife and kids.
This is a disturbing but factual comment though...
"What's increasingly apparent is that even fans who pay to watch the game are growing sick of today's players, their arrogance, their sense of entitlement. It's a stunning reversal from the 1980s and 1990s, when the league enjoyed enormous acclaim and popularity that included a celebrated intimacy between players and the league's patrons.
It's also not easy to figure out the racial complexities in a situation where a predominantly black league is being financially supported by fan base that is predominantly white. Take a careful look at the videotape of the fight and you'll see black and white fans in suburban Motown taking dead aim on black NBA players. And these fans weren't just willing to fight, they were eager to fight.
Yes, a lot of this, regardless of race, has to do with "beer muscles" as players like to say. I'd like to see beer sales cut off at the end of the first quarter. There's no question some of those fools in the stands were emboldened by alcohol. And liquored-up fans are as big a danger to sports as anything the players do or don't do. What were those fools doing coming on the court to physically confront powerful professional athletes? Tell me that's not alcohol at work? Still, as long as the beer companies are major TV sponsors, the networks nor the NBA will dare require them to dramatically cut their sales inside arenas."
nice eyes kimps. nakita ko rin yun and was wondering why yun ang sinugod ni artest. me hawak pa syang plastic(unless dalawa hawak nyang drinks that time). for me understandable yung ginawa ni artest but not s.jackson. dapat inawat nya si artest. kung napanood nyo yung grizzlies-warriors kagabi, sabi nung isang commentator na ex-nba player, no matter what happens dont go to the fans. wala ka panalo dun sa gagawin mo. kahit binato ka pa ng beer. kaw lagi talo pag dating ng huli. yung ex-nba player nga nung may nangyari sa kanya dati minumura sya dahil sa likod lang ng bench nila yung fan, nakipag trash talk na lang daw sya kasi mayamaya dating na yung security para paalisin yung fan. but its good publicity for the NBA. tuwang tuwa tyak ang mga scalpel sa homegame ng pacers against the piston.
btw, i remember a similar situation where Vernon Maxwell of the Rockets charged into the stands and beat the crap out of a fan, incurring a 10 game suspension, a $20,000 fine and an undisclosed legal settlement (millions?) with the fan.
according to Maxwell afterwards, he lost his mind when the fan yelled out some racist slurs against him and his baby daughter (who had recently died).
like i said i attend 30+ US sporting events every year, and from what i observe i completely believe everything Mad Max said. where's the justice in that? i think Artest is a total psychopath, but i still understand his frame of mind at the time.
if i was David Stern i would do the following:
suspend Artest, S-Jax, Jermaine and Big Ben for 10 games (Mad Max set the precedent)
suspend all other players who left the bench for 1 game
fine the Detroit Pistons for their shitty security
put heavy pressure on the Auburn Hills DA to prosecute each and every fan who was involved in the violence or threw things (especially the fans who threw the cup, threw the chair, charged the floor and showered the Pacers with drinks and popcorn) and accept no less than jail time for each one
work with the Players Association and the NBA's own legal team to defend each player from any legal action from these disgusting "fans".
all future Detroit home games vs. Indiana this year will be played in Indiana instead.
kahit na nung papasok na sa dugout yung pacers, binubuhusan pa rin sila ng beer and drinks...
i also saw wallace pointing to the ground... as if saying that artest can't do that while they are on detroit's homecourt... sheesh... talk about arrogance... coming from the nba champs?
Too harsh a penalty. But a mistake is a mistake. It is sad though for the Indiana Pacers with only 6 players on their roster. I watched the Pacers vs. Orlando and I think the remaining 6 players played well beyond their capabilities. I salute them for their bravery.
You forgot to mention the Tyson vs. Golota. It was a melee too with the fans of Detroit throwing bottles etc in the ring. I think they are bit hot in the collar.
3-4 times na pinalabas yung game nung weekend eh. i downloaded the rumble sa isang link na nakapost sa thread na ito. pero wala na yung file (20mb) sa server eh.
all i can say is, i've got both artest and o'neal on my fantasy league team.
as a fantasy GM, you decide how best to pick up the pieces and move on -- which is probably what larry bird and donny walsh are doing for the pacers now.