I saw this sad episode just before going to bed. So, now I wake up to see it highlighted on Drudge and all over the news. The media spin seems to be focused on Artest (and the Pacers) going up into the stands. Here is my take...
This incident really started on the previous play. Artest went in for a layup and Ben Wallace blocked his shot from behind, but also fouled Artest, who crashed to the floor. No Call for Artest! At the other end of the floor, Artest reciprocated and gave a hard foul back to Ben Wallace. Foul called against Artest, of course! That's OK, standard NBA stuff at this point. However, a few words were exhanged and then Ben Wallace attacked Artest with a sort of push/punch to Artest's head/throat area. Falling backwards from the attack, Artest actually showed some restraint (not typical for him) and his teammates held him back. He even went over to lay on the scoring table and Reggie Miller stood guaurd over him.
While this was going on it was Ben Wallace that kept stirring the pot and continued to incite the fans. He looked incensed and continued to move toward Artest, shouting likely obscenities. He had to be restrained by Piston and Pacer coaches and players. At this point, there was continued pushing and shoving caused by Ben Wallace. Then he tried to throw a towel at Artest. It seemed like this sort of fueled the flames even more, especially with the fans. The whole atmosphere in the Palace contined to be inflamed by Wallace's behavior.
The situation continued until a fan threw something (cup or bottle of some liquid) at Artest, who was still restrained on the announcer's table. Artest had actually put on a headset at one point and appeared to be giving some feedback to the Pacer's announcers. After the beer/soda hit Artest, he went ballistic and made a beeline for the offending fan. Now, all hell breaks loose with fans throwing everything, several Pacer's (including Jackson) hopping into the stands after Artest, punches being thrown. There was no security to be seen and the announcers were yelling, "where is security?" After a couple of minutes, the referees left the floor followed by the teams. The Pacers were showered with all kinds of debri and liquids from the fans. It was a horrific sight. I thought someone was going to get seriously hurt.
In the aftermath, I'm afraid that most of the focus for this incident will be on Artest. He is truly a knucklehead and has some major mental problems, but he was not the major catalyst of this unfortunate episode. In my opinion, Ben Wallace's continued shouting and shoving raised the intensity level in the arena to the point where a fan crossed the line. Now, Artest should not have jumped into the stands and gone after the fan. My guess is that the media will focus on Artest and other Pacers jumping into the stands (as it makes the best video). And, poor knuclehead Artest will be severely smacked down by the league. But, it really should be noted that Artest was showing amazing restraint in this situation, until the fateful beer was thrown.
In the end, I think this event will define the season for one of these teams. Probably for the worse!
A gold nugget of a post.