Pistons vs. Pacers Brawl

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I can't believe this hasn't been brought up here yet. I am just catching the footage on ESPN. It's just jaw dropping. I've never seen a brawl of this scale and severity. Players in the crowd, punches flying everywhere, drinks and other objects being thrown everywhere.



if you haven't seen it yet I'd suggest tuning into ESPN. The ramifications of this could be huge.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 50
    I would love a download of this... If anyone happens to stumble across a place to get it, please post the link. Thanks!
  • Reply 2 of 50
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Jeremiah Rich

    I would love a download of this... If anyone happens to stumble across a place to get it, please post the link. Thanks!



    My friend saved the ESPN segment on sports brawls on his computer. He has a TV-in card. The best part of it is watching the '79 Bruins footage. I forget who the guy was, but a Bostonian friend always use to tell me stories about how this player got into the stands, took off a fan's shoe, and started beating him with it. I finally saw it. It was pure awesome.



    Send me a PM this weekend, and I'll try to get a copy of the footage online for you.
  • Reply 3 of 50
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Jeremiah Rich

    I would love a download of this... If anyone happens to stumble across a place to get it, please post the link. Thanks!



    From a similar thread over as MacNN:



    Real



    WMV



    I haven't seen a Quicktime link anywhere. Pretty crazy though. It reminds me of the late '80s when the Pistons were the Bad Boys. Now, it would appear that the Piston's fans are.
  • Reply 4 of 50
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Haha. I like how Artest didn't want anything to do with Wallace, but had no problem running into the stands to fight some middle-aged 5'8" guy with a beer belly.
  • Reply 5 of 50
    Hm. Artest acting like an asshole and out of control. I'm shocked.



    Q: How much longer will the NBA tolerate this guy? A: as long as he gets the ratings and fans in the stands. Unlike the NHL, the NBA can have fights every night and not be accused of anything more sinister than "guys being emotional."
  • Reply 6 of 50
    thttht Posts: 5,694member
    Heh. Just saw the footage. That was bad. As far as I'm concerned, the entire season for both the Pistons and Pacers should be cancelled.
  • Reply 7 of 50
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by THT

    Heh. Just saw the footage. That was bad. As far as I'm concerned, the entire season for both the Pistons and Pacers should be cancelled.



    agreed.



    I watched ESPN's special coverage last night and it was absolutely pathetic. The people they had on air defending these player's and supporting them and suggesting they did the right thing. The NBA has attracted the lowest of the low in terms of men with integrity, heart, and intelligence. Unfortunately it has been that way long enough that the retired players who do the commentary/anaylsis are also dumbasses.
  • Reply 8 of 50
    Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Ben Wallace have been suspended indefinitely.
  • Reply 9 of 50
    Another new low for the NBA, hardly surprising. Artest and Jackson should be suspended for the season from what I could see.
  • Reply 10 of 50
    eric_zeric_z Posts: 175member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by acollins

    I haven't seen a Quicktime link anywhere.



    .Mov link.
  • Reply 11 of 50
    this brawl was the best thing ever because now more people will see why i've hated the NBA for a number of years. definitely the worst sports organization around. ever since Jordan left (for the first time) the league has gone straight downhill. and now this...
  • Reply 12 of 50
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    Obviously I don't agree with what the players did, but they do have to defend themselves. The fans were crazy and out of control, they couldn't just stand there and put up with it.
  • Reply 13 of 50
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by EmAn

    Obviously I don't agree with what the players did, but they do have to defend themselves. The fans were crazy and out of control, they couldn't just stand there and put up with it.



    um...why not? a cup of beer, will not do damage. if they felt they were in danger, they should have walked off the court or demanded security to do something. they are suppose to be professionals. unfortunately NBA players tend to be ignorant wannabe thugs. Also, there is a difference between defending yourself and attacking fans in a manic rage. They were attacking in a manic rage. Also, the game before hand was plagued by the typical hotheaded egotistic bullshit that has become the norm in the NBA. Sadly I think Stern will pusy out and reinstate everyone fairly soon.
  • Reply 14 of 50
    Quote:

    Originally posted by applenut

    um...why not? a cup of beer, will not do damage. if they felt they were in danger, they should have walked off the court or demanded security to do something. they are suppose to be professionals. unfortunately NBA players tend to be ignorant wannabe thugs. Also, there is a difference between defending yourself and attacking fans in a manic rage. They were attacking in a manic rage. Also, the game before hand was plagued by the typical hotheaded egotistic bullshit that has become the norm in the NBA. Sadly I think Stern will pusy out and reinstate everyone fairly soon.



    Agreed. For the amount of money they get paid, you could throw beer and food at me all night long while calling my mom dirty names. I would just smile.
  • Reply 15 of 50
    Strangely, I agree with applenut. Despite the facade they put on, that they're all a bunch of inner city tought guys, the NBA is more of a bunch of pussies than is Italian soccer.



    If you want to watch some real men play sports, watch ice hockey, which is unfortunately on hold. Now, there's a sport were fights are regular, and bone-crunching injuries somehow only last a matter of periods, because the players aren't a bunch of sissies, and realize that they have to waste their youths in order to sponsor the rest of their lives.



    Until then, Bundesliga is on late night on Fox Sports World, as is Rugby Union. These guys are all serious. Artest and his band of sissy losers are all just a bunch of weak men lucky to be in the overpaid profession that they are.
  • Reply 16 of 50
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by applenut

    um...why not? a cup of beer, will not do damage. if they felt they were in danger, they should have walked off the court or demanded security to do something. they are suppose to be professionals. unfortunately NBA players tend to be ignorant wannabe thugs. Also, there is a difference between defending yourself and attacking fans in a manic rage. They were attacking in a manic rage. Also, the game before hand was plagued by the typical hotheaded egotistic bullshit that has become the norm in the NBA. Sadly I think Stern will pusy out and reinstate everyone fairly soon.



    I'm not talking about the beer. Once the fans started punching the players I don't see what else they could've done. Security was already trying to break things up, and the coaches were trying to hold back the players. And yeah, there's definitely a difference between defending yourself and attacking fans, and attacking the fans was completely wrong, but part of it was self defense also. Like I said, in no way do I agree with what the players did, and it was totally wrong, but it wasn't all their faults.
  • Reply 17 of 50
    I think the way ESPN defended the players and their actions was absurd. The actions of Artest and company are disgusting and vile and they should be suspended from the NBA for life.



    Ben Wallace shoved a PLAYER ON THE COURT after a foul. Artest went INTO THE STANDS and beat on a FAN OFF THE COURT. There is a HUGE difference between the two.



    I don't care if every fan in the place threw a beer at Artest while he was laying on the scorer's table. If he can't laugh something like that off... he has serious issues with anger.



    It would've been great if Artest had sat up abruptly, called the fan's mother some obscenity, picked up the beer and drank the rest of it and spit half of it out into the stands before leaving the court (since he would've been ejected anyway). He would've been fined some petty amount ($10k probably) and he would've had a chance to promote his rap album at the same time. Why couldn't he have taken it in stride? Instead, he has to go postal and start beating on someone.



    I'm not usually "moved" by images on television, but that kid crying at the end of that footage was one of the saddest things I've seen. What a disgrace, not only to the NBA, but all of sports. I'm saddened and hurt that these people make more money than most of us could ever dream of and this is how they behave.



    I don't watch hockey except for the Stanley Cup Finals, but right now I wish the NBA was locked-out indefinitely and the NHL was on. I despised the NBA before, now I will never watch it again. What a shame.



    And I thought Jordan returning... again... and again was a shame. This is beyond words.
  • Reply 18 of 50
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by EmAn

    I'm not talking about the beer. Once the fans started punching the players I don't see what else they could've done. Security was already trying to break things up, and the coaches were trying to hold back the players. And yeah, there's definitely a difference between defending yourself and attacking fans, and attacking the fans was completely wrong, but part of it was self defense also. Like I said, in no way do I agree with what the players did, and it was totally wrong, but it wasn't all their faults.



    "once the fans started punching the players"



    you have a 7 foot 250+ pound man running at you swinging you either have the choice to run, or hope to God you can fend him off. The fans did not throw the first punches. The players did. The argument ESPN and many are taking is the players have the right to defend themselves and get caught up in the moment....well, the fans also have a right to defend themselves and im sure many realized this was a horrible situation and the players were being manic and that they deserved to be punched and attacked as well.



    Would this have happened had Artest not ran into the stands and pummelled that guy....who apparently didn't even throw the cup? Of course not. So where is this attacking in defense.
  • Reply 19 of 50
    thttht Posts: 5,694member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Wrong Robot

    Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Ben Wallace have been suspended indefinitely.



    I hope Artest, O'Neal and Jackson are banned from the league this afternoon. Being suspended for the season should be the absolute minimum. Wallace should get 20 games w/o pay for not even being contrite.



    As for the fans, every single one of them that participated in the melee, from punches to throwing popcorn or drinks, should be charged, fined, and banned from basketball games.



    I don't care who is to blame. It would have only taken one correct act in the entire chain of events to prevent the melee from happening, but no one chose to do so. Everyone deserves the consequences for their actions. I don't have a problem with the NBA cancelling the entire Pistons' and Pacers' seasons for what happened.
  • Reply 20 of 50
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    As someone who has 0 allegiance to either team or interest in the NBA and finds Ron Artest extremely annoying I have to say it seems like Ben Wallace is getting out of this with a slap on the wrist.



    Say what you will about what Artest did, but Wallace started this entire thing and egged the crowd on. Wallace deserves every bit as much punishment as Artest if not more. But he won't get it because he's a media darling. That is a joke.



    Artest should be held responsible, but to portray this incident as "Ron Artest goes wild!" is to miss the point in a major way.



    - Ben Wallace started the whole thing and kept it alive with his insanely childish behavior. (He overreacted to the foul by Artest in a big way, too, I have lost every shred of respect I had for him.)

    - Ron Artest avoided the fight, he acted like a prick with his lounge act, but he avoided the fight and he deserves credit for that.

    - Ben Wallace and Stephen Jackson kept the fight alive. It could have been dealt with before the fans got involved if they hadn't kept it going.

    - Perhaps Artest shouldn't have gone after the fan in the stands, I can go either way on that. He shoved the guy down (he didn't punch him or kick him), he obviously couldn't know (a) who was attacking him or (b) how much more he was going to be attacked. I can't blame him for trying to defend himself there, at least with Wallace attacking him on court he can see and assess the threat.

    - Artest clocking the fan on the court is 100% justified. That guy was coming after him and it doesn't matter if he's a fan or a player, if someone is coming for you you have a right to defend yourself.



    The Pistons should be fined heavily as an organization. Heavily. Those fans were absolutely out of control. That was inexcusable. And why the hell are fans sacred objects of worship? If you are throwing beer into a brawl scene (or even egging it on with yelling) you have removed your "oh no I'm a fan, I am untouchable!" status.



    The Pacers players are going to be punished beyond what they deserve and the Pistons players will be punished less than they deserve. The NBA is going to fuck it up because they are not going to address the fan problem. The league needs to stick it to the Pistons in a major way, but it won't. Stern will scapegoat Artest and that will be that. That's how it is going to go down. God I hate the NBA. Enough with this "they're all thugs" crap, that is an extremely lazy way to look at it.



    Final thought:

    When Rasheed Wallace is the voice of reason in a situation, you know things have gone very very wrong.
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