Rowand44 Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Okay....Artest was wrong for AVOIDING conflict with Wallace... Can the guy ever win....Good god. I'm with ya greasy, I wonder if ben wallace would have thrown that punch if it wasn't artest?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwerty Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I'm with ya greasy, I wonder if ben wallace would have thrown that punch if it wasn't artest?? Didn't someone recently die in wallace's family? His brother or someone really close. That may have triggered him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted November 20, 2004 Author Share Posted November 20, 2004 I think Artest was very wrong for charging into the stands but I thought he handled himself pretty well with Ben Wallace, but he would have fought Wallace given the opportunity to do so (i.e. not having teammates and coaches getting between them). I think Artest was trying to avoid all conflicts at that point. He was doing the right thing. He knew was going to be an easy target for suspensions with anything like that taking place. The "fans" :rolly are what got him going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Alright, I'm out. Nice bantering with you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaSoxFan Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Alright, I'm out. Nice bantering with you guys. 1.) 2.) 3.) :puke 4.) :sleep 5.) Repeat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisox05 Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Pistons fans are just little b****es. This is the most disgusting and ludicrous event I have ever witnessed at an athletic playing field. Soon, there will be alot more protection for athletes in baseball and basketball. The Yankee-Redsox game 6 will just be a start of what will happen in the future for baseball. Sooner or later their will be something that prohibits the fans from interacting or touching a player. Although, as in most things in life, no change will be made until someone is hurt by it(9/11). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisox05 Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I think Artest was very wrong for charging into the stands Was he wrong yes? But put yourself in his situation. You are very angry and furious after getting into an interaction with Ben Wallace, you try to relax and an object is thrown at you, and you blow up. Has a similar experience to this ever happen to you before, it sure has ahppened to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisox05 Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I'm with ya greasy, I wonder if ben wallace would have thrown that punch if it wasn't artest?? If Ben Wallace wasn't trying to be a big shot by trying to pick a fight with Artest for a foul that was no where even near a flagrant, we wouldnt be talking about this. Ron Artest didn't instigate the start of this-it was Wallace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiff Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 On one hand, I was out all night and have only bits and pieces of what went on On the other hand, I'm intrigued as all hell. f*** the Pacers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonkeyKongerko Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I know one thing, after seeing that video, a number of fans will think twice before throwing s*** at an NBA player. The reason most people including myself would never do such a thing is called fear of retaliation. If fans can go watch a team they love lose to a team they hate and express their hatred by throwing s*** at visiting players without fear of retribution, that creates a scary situation for professional sports. As for the fans who went onto the court, they have none of my sympathy. The court is for the players and the officials, once you cross the line you deserve what you get. As for Wallace, he is only to blame for everything that happened before the cup/bottle was thrown at Artest. The Wallace/Artest fight was for all intents and purposes over before players went into the crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisox05 Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I know one thing, after seeing that video, a number of fans will think twice before throwing s*** at an NBA player. Many people can't think rationally period when they are drunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AssHatSoxFan Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Many people can't think rationally period when they are drunk. that sounds like a challenge to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiff Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Many veteran sportsfans I suspect will agree with me here. This is the most disturbing/scary thing that's ever happened in sports. A line has been crossed here, and I wonder whether we can ever go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwerty Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Many veteran sportsfans I suspect will agree with me here. This is the most disturbing/scary thing that's ever happened in sports. A line has been crossed here, and I wonder whether we can ever go back. I agree, 100%. They definitely need to move the seats back some, i am not saying that will help preven everything but it will be a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Ah, I love this > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I'm goin to add some more wonderful pics and animated gifs of the fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KipWellsFan Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Jeeze Jermaine O'Neal is going away for a long time. Idiot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Jeeze Jermaine O'Neal is going away for a long time. Idiot That is one of the best sucker punches of ALL TIME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I'm goin to add some more wonderful pics and animated gifs of the fight. Hell yeah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 I just read about this on yahoo. Players like these are why I avoid anything associated with the NBA anymore. I don't remember it being this way back 10-15 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted November 20, 2004 Author Share Posted November 20, 2004 The fans are a joke though. There's some players I don't like, but I wouldn't go to a game and try to start something with them. Hell, the same goes for the real world. I don't go starting fights with people I don't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 My cousin was at this game, I haven't talked to him since the fight but he was sitting on the Pistons side around 15 rows back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted November 20, 2004 Author Share Posted November 20, 2004 Tim Legler http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?id=1927415 Fans are to blame for Pacers-Pistons melee By Tim Legler ESPN Insider I was in a state of shock as I watched this horrific altercation unfold as I sat in the NBA Shootaround studio. I can honestly say I've never seen anything of this magnitude in basketball. Initially I didn't understand why this turned into the spectacle that it turned into until I saw the numerous replays. Though I can't justify or defend the actions of the Pacers, I can put myself into the mindsets of Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Fred Jones and Jermaine O'Neal. I understand what they were going through after an emotional on-court fight. These players were already emotionally charged and then they were faced with the unfathomable and truly indefensible actions of the fans. I blame the fans for the escalation of this incident because this all started with Ben Wallace's overreaction to Artest's hard foul of him. Wallace wasn't reacting to the foul but rather to the fact that the Pacers were beating him up all game and Artest had the nerve to foul him with less than a minute remaining. They were more physical and had taken the game right to him and he reacted by shoving Artest in the face. Artest reacted to that shove to the face exactly the way you'd want a player to -- he walked away and didn't respond. He's a lightning rod for the Pistons because he's had a number of flagrant fouls in the past and was involved in a flagrant foul with the Pistons during last season's playoffs when he elbowed Richard Hamilton in the face. That said, players overreacting is something that happens all the time. It's not a surprise to see players get heated and respond wrongly and badly to a situation. What was surprising and a complete overreaction was the fan's reaction to the situation. Usually the players, coaches and referees are able to sort out and deal with the situation. Tonight was different because the fans crossed the line. A fan made himself part of the altercation and that's why the reaction was so ugly. Once again, I'm not justifying the players' actions. In the end I feel sorry for the children who were at the game and had to witness this unfortunate situation, and I'm sorry for the children who will watch this terrible incident on the news and will be afraid to go to a sporting venue in the future. I know if my daughter saw this or were close to the situation she'd be terrified and would be scared to go to another sporting event. There's no doubt that suspensions will come down for this horrible incident. Wallace is going to get at least two games for the initial shove and Artest is going to get some games for going into the stands and grabbing a fan. But Jackson is probably going to get the biggest suspension because he threw the first punch in the stands at a fan, which triggered the aftermath of the initial altercation. I believe the on-court fighting between fans and players shouldn't result in punishment for players. The punches that Artest and O'Neal threw at fans on the court should be exempt from suspension because all bets should be off when a fan comes onto the court and goes after a player. When fans go after a player and threaten him physically, they deserve what they get. Artest will probably receive the brunt of the media condemnation from this situation because he's a lightning rod for controversy and that's not fair. It's not fair because he's not truly at fault for what happened and his responsibility will be extrapolated because of last week's controversy, which was finally starting to die down. This fight will obviously take the Pacers-Pistons rivalry to the next level. And neither team will truly miss its suspended players because they are both built for April, May and June and will see each other in the Eastern Conference finals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Thats so much bulls***, no Pacer player deserves to be suspended.. they were attacked and in a very hostile enviornment.. Its called Self Defense, and the fact that the fans threatened them, the defended themselves and their teammates.. Ben Wallace IMO deserves the longest suspension out of this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 That said, players overreacting is something that happens all the time. It's not a surprise to see players get heated and respond wrongly and badly to a situation. What was surprising and a complete overreaction was the fan's reaction to the situation. Usually the players, coaches and referees are able to sort out and deal with the situation. Tonight was different because the fans crossed the line. This is why the NBA is in the situation it is in: it's never the player's fault at all - it's always the other person in the fight. As soon as you throw a punch, some of the fault is on your doorstep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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