Rasheed was involved on the floor. He came off the other side of the floor and went after Artest. When the players realized it was out of control, then they tried to play peacemaker, but it was too late. I dont think Rasheed did anything wrong in the stands. All this incident does is show that there has to be better security at these events. The fans and players have to be kept apart. There was not enough security in Detroit tonight. This incident would have been ugly if it had stayed on the floor, but it would have not gotten out of control. I do not want to see them put up a plexiglass barrier around the court like we have at hockey games. There just has to be more security at the games to control the crowd and keep the players from going into the crowd and the fans from getting on the court.
I think Artest was 100% justified in going after that fan. From Artest's POV, the Detroit security has lost total control of the situation. If you watch the tape, you can see that most of the security were still on the floor trying to separate the players when the bottle was thrown. For all Artest knew, he was fighting for his life. This was not a matter of retribution, this was self preservation.
No, tinman. we're better than that. If we saw one guy do that, he would be a lone fool. A mob would not have formed. you saw some of those guys. by themselves those guys would have never dared do that. but in a group, in a mob, they become animals, cowards. troublesome stuff.
3) Who is most to blame for Friday night's brawl in Detroit? 53.5% Detroit fans 31.8% Ron Artest 8.6% Ben Wallace 5.5% Detroit security 0.7% Referees Total Votes: 12,688
What the hell was that one guy thinking putting his fist up in the air in front of Artest? You know he will try to sue him but all Artest was doing was protecting himself.
The refs get a big F for this one too. Understanding these 2 teams playing each other, and the temperments of Artest and Wallace, the time of the game and the score, they should have been there to step in. I knew this game was over but instead of turning it off, I knew that this was a tremendous rivalry and I wanted to see what happened at the end, to see the response of the two teams towards one another, to see if there was any jawing or dirty play. To tell you the truth, I was expecting maybe a hard foul by Rasheed or Ben on one of the Pacers just to get in their heads for their next meeting. If I knew that, the refs should have known. Horrible job. They should get suspended too without pay for terrible game management.
I tell you guys what I think. Artest got what he deserved. He's a cheap shot artist and his act is getting old real fast. I think fans of Detroit feel a close bond with Wallace like Houston has with Dream. I dont justify anybody throwing objects on the court. But, going into the stands should be totally unacceptable and the NBA should get rid of this "fake tough guy" for good. Yeah he laid down cause he knew he had went to far and Ben Wallace was fixing to put it on him.
No it wasnt justified. Artest should have keep his cool. Coolers heads woiuld have prevail in this situation. Artest is nothing but a trouble maker. If the league wanted really to clean the THUGGISH NBA . Artist should the first person to go. Oh yeah Artest walked away after he got a cheap shot at Ben Wallace. How is that justiified? I agree it wasnt a hard foul. Although still a cheap shot. Besides you dont push someone who is off balance airbound. What if Ben Wallace landed awkwardly on the back of his head. I dont blame Ben for reacting the way he did. I hate the PACERS, couldnt care less about them. Go Fans.
I feel bad for the NBA, Ron Artest had every right to retaliate, his teammates had every right to protect him and themselves, fans need to be prosecuted, the Pistons need to be punished. I feel bad for the NBA because the players will be blamed, not the fans, and us remaining good fans will be screwed because of one idiot Detroit fan. Throwning chairs?! Players were abused, especially the ones leaving the court, this is pretty much disgusting. It's really too bad for us NBA fans....
