Malice at the Palace

The Pacers-Pistons brawl (a.k.a. The Malice at the Palace) was an altercation that occurred at the end of a National Basketball Association game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers on November 19, 2004 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Fighting began on the court and then, after a plastic cup was thrown at a player, extended into the stands. It led to serious repercussions for those involved, from both the NBA and legal authorities.

The brawl

The fight occurred at the end of a game that had been much-anticipated. Five months earlier, the Pistons had defeated the Pacers in an intense Eastern Conference Finals series on their way to the NBA title. The November 19 contest, televised nationally on ESPN and locally on select Michigan television stations including Detroit's NBC affiliate WDIV-TV (Channel 4) and statewide across Indiana through the Central Indiana bureau of FSN Midwest (which was later spun off to FSN Indiana), would be the first rematch between the two rivals, and emotions figured to run high on both sides.

The brawl began with 45.9 seconds remaining in the game, with Indiana leading 97-82. Pistons forward/center Ben Wallace drove to the basket and was about to put up a shot when Pacers forward Ron Artest fouled him. Upset at being fouled hard when the game's outcome had effectively been decided, Wallace responded by shoving Artest. Several players from both teams joined the fray, resulting in an altercation. (See Video)

The focus of the on-court scuffling gradually moved away from Artest. He then climbed up on the scorer's table and laid down on it. Angered by Artest taunting him and pretending to give a radio interview while lying on the table, Wallace threw a towel at him. A spectator, John Green, then threw a cup at Artest while he was lying on the table. Artest responded by charging into the stands and confronting the man he mistakenly believed was responsible, triggering a violent response from nearby spectators. Pacers Stephen Jackson and David Harrison followed Artest into the stands, resulting in more punching and grappling with spectators.

Several spectators were struck by Pacer players, while a few retaliated with punches of their own, including Green. Others threw cups of beer and soda at Pacer players. Two spectators angrily walked onto the court. One of them, A.J. Shackleford, confronted Artest, who was making his way back to the court. Artest punched him, which started another mêlée that eventually included several Pacer players, most notably Jermaine O'Neal, who was shown on video punching another fan, later identified as Charlie Haddad who had entered the court. Charlie Haddad was later sentenced to two years probation, 10 weekends of supervised community service, 100 hours of additional community service, substance abuse and anger management classes, and $1,040 in fines for confronting athletes on the court.

A Palace administrator called the game with 45.9 seconds remaining, and the Pacers were awarded the 97-82 "win" without the game finishing. More beer, soda, ice, popcorn and even a chair were thrown at Pacer players and other personnel as they were escorted from the court. No players from either team spoke to the media before leaving the arena.

It was estimated that nine spectators were injured, though none of the injuries were thought to be serious. Two of the injured were taken to a local hospital.

The ESPN call

The game was broadcast on ESPN, with Mike Breen calling the game alongside former NBA player Bill Walton. The following is Breen's call of the events after Artest was hit by the beer:

Now Artest has jumped over the scorers' table, and is trying to get down to the bench! Artest is in the stands! Oh, this is awful! Fans are getting involved! Stephen Jackson's in the fans! Rasheed Wallace going into the stands! The security's trying to somehow restore order! Fans and players are going at it, and the players are trying to help each other out!

Added Walton:

This is a disgrace.

Mike Breen continues:

All the players now, they're jumping in there to try to get the other players out, because the fans have become involved!

Later, Walton commented on the incident as the Pacers were escorted to their locker room:

This is a low moment in NBA history...certainly no winners in this circumstance at all.

Public reaction

Initially, Piston fans were the focus of public scrutiny, most notably from the NBA correspondents for ESPN, one of whom, John Saunders, referred to them as "a bunch of punks." The brawl was compared to some of the worst fan incidents in American sports history, such as Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in 1979, as well as the hooliganism that is more prevalent in Europe. However, the correspondents placed some of the blame on the players and security the next day. Saunders mentioned that the NBA is the only one of the four main professional sports leagues in the United States - the others being Major League Baseball, the National Football League and the National Hockey League - in which fans have easy physical access towards the players. Other commentators focused on Artest, arguing that there is never a valid excuse for a player to go into the stands, regardless of whether he has been provoked.

Suspensions and charges

The NBA handed down suspensions following the incident. They included:

Ron Artest: Remainder of the 2004-05 NBA season - 86 games (73 regular season, 13 postseason). Longest in the history of the NBA for an infraction not related to drugs or gambling.
Stephen Jackson: 30 games.
Jermaine O'Neal: 25 games (later reduced on appeal to 15 games).
Ben Wallace: 6 games.
Anthony Johnson: 5 games.
Reggie Miller, Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell, Derrick Coleman: 1 game each for leaving their respective benches. (Violation of NBA Rule 12-A-VII-c, "During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $35,000.")

The suspensions of Artest, Jackson and O'Neal were appealed by the NBA Players Association; only O'Neal's appeal was successful. That totals to 143 games combined for nine players when the suspensions were first handed out.

The league said that it would review security procedures and alcohol policies at all arenas, and Commissioner David Stern vowed to impose lifetime, leaguewide bans on spectators who cause trouble.

The Auburn Hills Police Department and Oakland County Prosecutor's Office were also investigating and were considering filing criminal charges against the players and spectators involved. In addition, legal actions may be filed in the civil courts; at least two injured spectators filed lawsuits claiming monetary damage. The final legal consequences of this incident for those involved may take months to determine.

On November 30, Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca announced that he will seek charges against all players involved in the mêlée, "Whoever was involved in fisticuffs will be charged, regardless if they were wearing a jersey. It's obvious there were several Pacer players and fans that dealt blows."

On December 2, Green and Haddad were banned indefinitely from events at the Palace, and Artest filed restraining orders against both Haddad and Green. The order rules that the fans cannot come within 60 feet from Artest, which is the believed distance from where Green threw the cup at Artest.

On December 8, five Pacers and seven Pistons fans were charged, O'Neal was charged with two counts of assault and battery; Artest, Harrison, Jackson, and Johnson were charged with one count each. Five of the fans, including Green, received one count of the same charge; Bryant Jackson, a 35-year-old fan with prior criminal convictions, was charged with felony assault, for throwing a chair. The two fans that were on the court (Shackleford and Haddad) were charged for trespassing. Gorcyca showed the incident in a press conference, to explain why they were being charged.

Later in December, the union's appeal of the longest suspensions went before a federal arbitrator. In a decision handed down on December 22, the arbitrator upheld the full length of all suspensions except that of O'Neal, which was reduced to 15 games. The NBA appealed to federal court; on December 24, a judge issued a temporary injunction allowing O'Neal to play before a full hearing on the NBA's appeal.

O'Neal played in two more games, against the New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats, before the NBA's case was brought before the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York on December 30. Judge George B. Daniels upheld the arbiter's view, stating in his 21-page decision, "Fighting with or striking a fan has never been characterized as conduct on the playing court." The heart of the NBA's argument against O'Neal was that under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Commissioner David Stern had absolute authority to pass out suspensions and hear appeals for all on-court incidents. But because O'Neal's behavior was classified by the arbiter and the judge as an off-court incident, arbitration was allowed under the CBA, and thus the arbitrator was within his rights to hear the case. This led to a change in the rule under terms of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

While the Pacers therefore regained the services of O'Neal earlier than expected, no further appeals were made to reduce Artest's and Jackson's suspensions. The distinction cited by many was that while Artest and Jackson had entered the stands to fight, O'Neal had remained on the court. Jackson returned to the Pacers' lineup on January 26, 2005.

On February 17, 2005, the NBA imposed a new alcohol policy for all NBA arenas. The rules imposed a size limit of 700 mL (24 ounces) for alcohol purchases and a hard cap of two alcoholic beverage purchases for any individual person. Alcohol sales were also banned after the end of the third quarter.

On March 29, 2005, Bryant Jackson pleaded no contest to a felony assault charge for throwing the chair. On May 3, he was sentenced to two years probation.

On March 27, 2006, a jury found John Green guilty on one count of assault and battery for punching Artest in the stands, but acquitted him of an assault charge for throwing the cup. On May 1, 2006, Green was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years' probation. [1]

On November 7, 2006, John Ciszewski, executive vice president of the Pistons, issued a letter to John Green informing him he was banned for life from the Palace for Pistons home games (and any other venue at which the Pistons are designated as the home team) [2], although this ban does not extend to other Palace events or other venues owned by William Davidson.

Pacers-Pistons games after the brawl

After the brawl, the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons next played on December 25 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with the Pistons winning 98-93 without further incidents. Wallace played, as he had completed his suspension. O'Neal, who had already served 15 games of his suspension, also played due to the injunction. Artest and Jackson were still under suspension and unable to participate.

On March 25, 2005, the Pacers played at the Palace for the first time since the brawl. The game was delayed 90 minutes after a series of bomb threats were aimed at the Pacers locker room. No explosives were found. Two of the key figures in the original incident missed the game, as Artest was still suspended and O'Neal had an injured shoulder. The game was played to its full 48-minute completion this time, with the Pacers winning, 94-81.

The Pacers and Pistons later met during the 2005 Playoffs. The Pistons fell behind 2 games to 1 early, but then clinched the series with three straight wins. The series was mostly memorable for the valiant exit of Pacers icon Reggie Miller, who scored 27 points in his final professional game as the Pacers were eliminated from the playoffs. He received a standing ovation not only from the home crowd, but also by the Pistons players and coaching staff. Larry Brown even used the team's final time out so that Miller could be acknowledged. He retired at the end of the season. The Pistons would advance to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. It is believed that the successful finishing of the playoff series without incident has laid the controversy to rest.

Ron Artest finally made his return to the Indiana Pacers during the 2006-07 season, now a member of the Sacramento Kings. The fans jeered him constantly throughout the game, but there were no problems.

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