Something is very wrong with the ESPN commentators and ESPN2 anchors tonight. They all are saying its ALL the fault of the Detroit fans.
I'm not a Pacers or Pistons fan...but after watching 30 mins of coverage, here's what I saw:
A) Artest takes un-needed cheap shot on Pistons best player with only a few seconds left. Game is over since Pacers already up by 15 or so points.
B)Ben Wallace responds back at cheap shot by Artest by giving hard chest push back.
C)Artest taunts Detroit crowd by laying on scorers table will players and coaches yell at each other.
D)Fan throws plastic cup (not a bottle) at Artest.
E)Artest and teamate Stephen Jackson go into the stands and start punching out the lights of Detroit fans.
F)Detroit fans fight back.
And all the dope anchors, commentators and ex-players on ESPN do is focus on part "F" above, forgetting how we got to this mess in the first place. Every star player in the NFL, NBA or MLB has at one point had a coin, cup or something tossed at them. Very few are mentally unstable and charge the stands.
This action by Artest and Jackson requires extremely long suspensions.
One thing nobody has mentioned, is that Artest felt he was fouled on the previous play but it wasn't called.
Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?
How did you get "taunting by reclining?"
And how do you get the idea Piston fans were "fighting back?"
Jackson was a jerk, and Artest had the wrong guy, but all he did was push the wrong guy, he didn't punch him. The ACTUAL guilty party then punched Artest from behind in the head. And Fred Jones, who wasn't hitting anyone got grabbed by some HUGE DUDE who just started throwing punches on him.
Then a ref gets hit in the HEAD WITH A BOTTLE! Where is THAT in your analysis? What did the ref do to get a bottle thrown at his head?! Were the Detroit scum "fighting back" against the refs too?
Thank you. Was beginning to think the thread was turning into ESPN3 or something.