Maybe you should take another look at the tape. Fans were throwing everything that wasn't nailed down. A ref gets hit with a bottle that practically takes his head off. Chairs are getting tossed. The guy that threw the drink sucker punches Artest in the back of the head. Some other clown throws a cup of ice directly in his face. Jermaine O'Neal gets punched by some fan when he comes up to break up. The fans escalated it by objects and punches. Artest didn't even punch the guy he thought did it. He just kinda grabbed him.