Larry Brown and Stephen Jackson = NBA History
“Stephen Jackson Punches a Fan In The Face There. . .”
-Steve Levy, ESPN Sportscenter Broadcast – Nov 19, 2004
Five years later, the NBA continues to work toward forgetting the Pacers-Pistons Brawl of 2004. Feel free to take a look at the video of the catastrophe and enjoy the camera time given to Coach Brown (then with the Pistons) and Stephen Jackson (instigating as much as possible).
Shortly after this mess, the Pacers dismantled their squad and began their present “whitening” campaign (see : Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Travis Diener, Josh McRoberts, Tyler Hansborough). Ron Artest had to serve a suspension and then probation via the Sacramento Kings. Stephen Jackson’s suspension was shorter, but his punishment continued with time served as a member of the Warriors and now with the Bobcats. As for the the Pistons, they continued on that season as the reigning NBA Champs and reached the 2005 Finals. Coach Brown’s team eventually lost the series to the San Antonio Spurs by one game.
Maybe back in November of 2004, fifteen days after the Bobcats’ entered the NBA, a basketball fan could have wondered “Hey, what if one of those thugs for the Pacers had to play for the Pistons coach?”
MANNN!!!
that was one of the worst showing of class in history. but you have to admit, the punches O'Neal and Artest got were pretty nasty. almost pacquiao-like.
but it was vicious. it should be the lowest of the lows, and i think the NBA has done a better job of officiating and preventing showings like this, so props to the NBA.
Ben Wallace started this whole fight. Jackson and Artest needed to stand up for themselves. Rasheed Wallace actually tried to stop the fight instead of start one like he normally does.
1) 5 years removed, actually not as bad as I remembered…
2) Wallace may have started the fight, but Artest's flagrant foul was a goon move that started it all, then his provocative laying on the scorers table in the opponents arena ignited the fan involvement
3) best thing is Walton: "this is a disgraccce"
Dr E,
i have to disagree.
1) yes, Wallace did start the fight, but was the foul really that much of a flagrant? i understand that i wasnt playing in the game and that the foul may have been worse, but really? what did we see from Artest that would have pissed Wallace off that much?
as far as Artest laying on the scorers table–that should be a non-factor. if anything, he was removing himself from the fight, and as soon as it was cooling down, the fan tossed his beer (which i find completely stupid). so i dont think that was a deliberate "look at me laying on your table"
2) the fight was that bad.
3) the best thing about the video is the commentary by the SC people period. as stated "there's jackson punching a fan there…" or my favorite: "you can see a chair flying in…"
this was a complete mess for both fans and players of the NBA.
The Jermaine O'Neal slide punch was awesome. This was way better than any hockey fight I have ever seen.
As I recall Dr. E, your favorite part of that fight is when Jermaine O'Neal decks the fat guy. It's my favorite part too. A close second, is when Artest confronts the skinny white dude who threw the cup and thrashes him.
–Yeah, Jermaine O'Neal punching that "Turtle from Entourage" lookalike is pretty great. Frankly, it serves him right for coming onto the court.
–Remember, the skinny white kid is not the dude that threw the cup. It's the fat white dude in the Piston's shooting shirt that Artest bypasses.
–Sorry, Reggie: Artest's lying down on the table in the opposing arena still very near the scrum was a dick move that fanned the flames of the whole incident. It was meant to be petulant and provocative (though I'm not saying he was actively thinking it through, that was just automatic for him). If he really wanted to remove himself from the situation, he would have went back to the bench area and sat on a chair.
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