Pacers-Pistons brawl

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The Pacers-Pistons brawl was an on-court altercation at a National Basketball Association game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, which quickly spread into the stands. The incident took place on November 19, 2004 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Also known as "The Malice at the Palace," the disturbance has led to serious repercussions for those involved from both the NBA and the legal authorities.

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[edit] The disturbance

The incident took place in a game that many had looked forward to for some time. Five months earlier, the Pistons had defeated the Pacers in an intense Eastern Conference Finals series on their way to the NBA title. The November 19 contest, televised nationally on ESPN, would be the first rematch between the two rivals, and emotions figured to run high on both sides.

Artest about to punch Doug Overturf, the man he thought was responsible for throwing the cup at him.
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Artest about to punch Doug Overturf, the man he thought was responsible for throwing the cup at him.

The brawl began with 45.9 seconds remaining in the game, with Indiana leading 97-82. Pistons forward/center Ben Wallace drove to the basket and was about to put up a shot when Pacers forward Ron Artest fouled him. Upset at being fouled hard when the game's outcome had effectively been decided, Wallace responded by shoving Artest. Several players from both teams joined the fray, resulting in an altercation.

The focus of the on-court scuffling gradually moved away from Artest. He then climbed up on the scorer's table and laid down on it. Angered by Artest taunting him and pretending to give a radio interview while lying on the table, Wallace threw a towel at him. A spectator, John Green, then threw a cup at Artest while he was lying on the table. Artest responded by charging into the stands and confronting the man he mistakenly believed was responsible, triggering a violent response from nearby spectators. Pacers Stephen Jackson and David Harrison followed Artest into the stands, resulting in more punching and grappling with spectators.

Several spectators were struck by Pacer players, while a few retaliated with punches of their own, including Green. Others threw cups of beer and soda at Pacer players. Two spectators angrily walked onto the court. One of them, A.J. Shackleford, confronted Artest, who was making his way back to the court. Artest punched him, which started another melee that eventually included several Pacer players, most notably Jermaine O'Neal, who was shown on video striking another fan, later identified as Charlie Haddad.

A Palace administrator called the game with 45.9 seconds remaining, and the Pacers were awarded a 97-82 win. More beer, soda, ice, popcorn and even a chair were thrown at Pacer players and other personnel as they were escorted from the court. No players from either team spoke to the media before leaving the arena.

It was estimated that nine spectators were injured, though none of the injuries were thought to be serious. Two of the injured were taken to a local hospital.

[edit] The ESPN call

The game was broadcast on ESPN, with Mike Breen calling the game alongside former NBA player Bill Walton. The following is Breen's call of the events after Artest was hit by the beer:

"Now Artest has jumped over the scorers' table, and is trying to get down to the bench! Artest is in the stands! Oh, this is awful! Fans are getting involved! Stephen Jackson's in the fans! Rasheed Wallace going into the stands! The security's trying to somehow restore order! Fans and players are going at it, and the players are trying to help each other out!"

Added Walton: "This is a disgrace."

Walton's description of the incident as the Pacers were escorted to their locker room:

"This is a low moment in NBA history...certainly no winners in this circumstance at all."

[edit] Public reaction

Commentators, and those familiar with the event outside the sports media, were divided over the issues of who should primarily be blamed for the incident. A commonly-voiced opinion is that there is never any valid excuse for a player to go into the stands, no matter how intense the provocation may have been.

Some have also articulated the view that the more physical style of play that prevails in the NBA's Eastern Conference (to which both the Pistons and Pacers belong), as opposed to the faster, "show-time" style favored by most Western Conference teams, may have been a contributing factor in the melee.

Initially the Detroit fans took a lot of heat for instigating the melee, most notably from the NBA correspondents for ESPN, with John Saunders calling them, "a bunch of punks." The incident was compared to some of the worst fan behavior incidents in American sports history, such as Disco Demolition Night. However, the correspondents changed their opinions the next day. He did mention that the NBA is the only one of the four professional sports leagues in the United States -- the others being Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and the National Hockey League (NHL) where fans have easy physical access towards the players.

[edit] Suspensions and charges

The NBA handed down suspensions following the incident. They included:

  • Ron Artest: Remainder of the season (73 games in the regular season and Indiana's 13 playoff games, for a total of 86 games).
  • Stephen Jackson: 30 games.
  • Jermaine O'Neal: 25 games (later reduced on appeal to 15 games).
  • Ben Wallace: 6 games.
  • Anthony Johnson: 5 games.
  • Reggie Miller, Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell, Derrick Coleman: 1 game each for leaving their respective benches. (Violation of NBA Rule 12-A-VII-c, "During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $35,000.")

The suspensions of Artest, Jackson and O'Neal were appealed by the NBA Players Association; only O'Neal's appeal was successful.

The league said that it would review security procedures and alcohol policies at all arenas, and Commissioner David Stern vowed to impose lifetime, leaguewide bans on spectators who cause trouble.

The Auburn Hills Police Department and Oakland County Prosecutor's Office were also investigating and were considering filing criminal charges against the players and spectators involved. In addition, legal actions may be filed in the civil courts; at least two injured spectators filed lawsuits claiming monetary damage. The final legal consequences of this incident for those involved may take months to determine.

On November 30, Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca announced that he will seek charges against all players involved in the melee, "Whoever was involved in fisticuffs will be charged, regardless if they were wearing a jersey. It's obvious there were several Pacer players and fans that dealt blows."

On December 2, Green and Haddad were banned indefinitely from events at the Palace, and Artest filed restraining orders against both Haddad and Green. The order rules that the fans cannot come within 60 feet from Artest, which is the believed distance from where Green threw the cup at Artest.

On December 8, five Pacers and seven Pistons fans were charged, O'Neal was charged with two counts of assault and battery; Artest, Harrison, Jackson, and Johnson were charged with one count each. Five of the fans, including Green, received one count of the same charge; Bryant Jackson, a 35-year-old fan with prior criminal convictions, was charged with felony assault, for throwing a chair. The two fans that were on the court (Shackleford and Haddad) were charged for trespassing. Gorcyca showed the incident in a press conference, to explain why they were being charged.

Later in December, the union's appeal of the longest suspensions went before a federal arbitrator. In a decision handed down on December 22, the arbitrator upheld the full length of all suspensions except that of O'Neal, which was reduced to 15 games. The NBA appealed to federal court; on December 24, a judge issued a temporary injunction allowing O'Neal to play before a full hearing on the NBA's appeal.

O'Neal played in two more games, against the New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats, before the NBA's case was brought before the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on December 30. Judge George B. Daniels upheld the arbiter's view, stating in his 21-page decision, "Fighting with or striking a fan has never been characterized as conduct on the playing court." The heart of the NBA's argument against O'Neal was that under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Commissioner David Stern had absolute authority to pass out suspensions and hear appeals for all on-court incidents. But because O'Neal's behavior was classified by the arbiter and the judge as an off-court incident, arbitration was allowed under the CBA, and thus the arbitrator was within his rights to hear the case. This led to a change in the rule under terms of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

While the Pacers therefore regained the services of O'Neal earlier than expected, no further appeals were made to reduce Artest's and Jackson's suspensions. The distinction cited by many was that while Artest and Jackson had entered the stands to fight, O'Neal had remained on the court. Jackson returned to the Pacers' lineup on January 26, 2005.

On February 17, 2005, the NBA imposed a new alcohol policy for all NBA arenas. The rules imposed a size limit of 700 mL (24 ounces) for alcohol purchases and a hard cap of two alcoholic beverage purchases for any individual person. Alcohol sales were also banned after the end of the third quarter.

On March 29, 2005, Bryant Jackson pleaded no contest to a felony assault charge for throwing the chair. On May 3, he was sentenced to two years probation.

On March 27, 2006, a jury found John Green guilty on one count of assault and battery for punching Artest in the stands, but acquitted him of an assault charge for throwing the cup. On May 1, 2006, Green was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years' probation. [1]

On November 7, 2006, John Ciszewski, executive vice president of the Pistons, issued a letter to John Green informing him he was banned for life from the Palace for Pistons home games (and any other venue at which the Pistons are designated as the home team) [2], although this ban does not extend to other Palace events or other venues owned by William Davidson.

[edit] Pacers-Pistons games after the brawl

After the brawl, the Pacers and Pistons next played on December 25 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with the Pistons winning 98-93 without further incidents. Wallace played, as he had completed his suspension. O'Neal, who had already served 15 games of his suspension, also played due to the injunction. Artest and Jackson were still under suspension and unable to participate.

On March 25, 2005, the Pacers played at the Palace for the first time since the brawl. The game was delayed 90 minutes after a series of bomb threats aimed at the Pacers locker room. No explosives were found. Two of the key figures in the original incident missed the game, as Artest was still suspended and O'Neal had an injured shoulder.

The Pacers and Pistons meet during the 2005 Playoffs. The Pistons fell behind 2 games to 1 early, but then clinched the series with three straight wins. The series was mostly memorable for the valiant exit of Pacers icon Reggie Miller, who scored 27 points in his final professional game as the Pacers were eliminated from the playoffs. He received a standing ovation not only from the home crowd, but also by the Pistons players and coaching staff. Larry Brown even used the team's final time out so that Miller could be acknowledged. He retired at the end of the season. The Pistons would advance to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. It is believed that the successful finishing of the playoff series without incident has laid the controversy to rest.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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