Scenario: 45.9 seconds left in the 4th Quarter
Involved: Pacers vs Pistons
Before the Brawl
On November 19th, 2004, the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons squared off in a classic NBA matchup on ESPN. The game was dominated by physical defense, which both teams were known for. The Pistons, fresh off of the Bad Boy era and a NBA Title run, continued to be aggressive on both sides of the floor with G Chauncey Billups, F Tayshaun Prince, and C Ben Wallace. The Pacers were also very athletic and played tremendous defense, led by G/F Ron Artest and C Jermaine O'Neal. The Pacers had a 6-2 record coming into the game, while the Pistons were 4-3. The Pacers, obviously looking like the better team coming into the year, were off to a great start. They were leading by 20 points with 7 minutes left in the first half, still pouring on points. The Pistons finished the half strong, however, still found themselves down by 16. In the second half, the Pistons showed fight and enthusiasm, but couldn't hold off the fast Pacers. With 3:52 remaining in the 4th quarter, things began to get out of hand, leading to what is called by many, "the most infamous brawl in NBA history".
The Brawl
As time faded away in the 4th, starters from both teams were still in. The starters for the game should have already been substituted out, due to the score. With 45.9 seconds left in the game and the Pacers leading 97-82, Ron Artest was fouled hard by Ben Wallace. Wallace turned around and shoved Artest, straight to the face with two fists. The two teams hurried to break up the fight. Artest then escaped from the group of players to lay down on the Scorer's Table. When things looked to have calmed down, a fan threw a cup directed towards Artest. Artest raced up into the stands and struck what looked to be a young adult. G Stephen Jackson followed, also striking a young fan. Turns out, both Artest and Jackson hit the wrong person. Members from both teams followed into the stands to break up the fight. After complete turmoil and chaos in the stands, fans started throwing drinks and players slowly started to return to the court. Then, things took another huge turn.
When Ron Artest returned to the floor, Mike Breen, ESPN announcer said, "Ron Artest has a look in his eye that is very scary right now". Everyone who was watching the game knew, it was a scary, tragic moment. Artest, still trying to be calmed down, breaks free and is confronted by two Piston fans on the sideline. One of the fans appears to say something to Artest. Artest, frustrated, hits the fan dead on in the face. The two eager fans fight back against Artest. Next, Jermaine O'Neal intervenes, swinging at the other member of the duo with a running start. He too hits the other fan straight in the jaw. With those swings, the arena erupted and there was no way of stopping it. After that scuffle, Piston and Pacer players were fired up, as were the fans. Pacer players had there heads covered, as fans threw their leftovers at them.
Aftermath
The game was called immediately. The Pacers were given the win by a score of 97-82. Multiple suspensions were handed out. Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the season (86 games). Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games. Jermaine O'Neal was suspended for 15 games. Finally, Ben Wallace was suspended for a mere 6 games. 5 other players also received minimal suspensions. Many players also took on probation, fines, and community service hours.
The Malice in the Palace forever changed the way altercations were handled. Security was increased and the distribution of alcohol was adjusted. Players would also receive larger fines and suspensions if something this serious would happen again. If the fans had never gotten involved, we probably wouldn't be talking about this crazy moment. If your interested in watching the fight, you can view it here:
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