Happy Anniversary of the infamous Pistons-Pacers Brawl at the Palace. Here is a little recap to refresh your memory.
On November 19, 2004, Artest was main problem during a fight among players and fans during a game in Auburn Hills, Michigan between The Pacers (Whom Artest Played For) and the home team Detroit Pistons.
The melee began when Artest fouled Pistons center Ben Wallace as Wallace was putting up a shot. Wallace, mad at being fouled hard when the game was effectively over (the Pacers led 97–82), responded by shoving Artest, leading to an altercation near the scorer’s table. Artest walked to the sideline to do what you would naturally do, lay down on the scorer’s table. Reacting to Wallace throwing something at Artest, Pistons fan John Green threw a cup of soda at Artest, soaking him. Artest jumped into the front-row seats and confronted a man he incorrectly believed to be responsible, which in turn erupted into a brawl between Pistons fans and several of the Pacers. Artest returned to the basketball court, and clocked Pistons fan A.J. Shackleford, who was apparently taunting Artest verbally. The brawl resulted in the game being stopped with less than a minute remaining. Artest’s teammates Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jacksonwere suspended indefinitely the day after the game, along with Wallace. Ron Ron ended up getting suspended for 73 games that season.
