My brother had an interesting take on all of this. Basically, Indiana's team is destroyed for the rest of the season. They are out of contention. Being that Detroit and Indiana were the top two teams, the Detroit fans, security, etc. actually succeeded in destroying the opposition. What kind of message does that sent to other nutty fans from other cities who might want to provoke opposition players. The guy who got the least amount of punishment is the guy who started it all. I don't really care, not an NBA fan, but I thought might be interesting to those of you who do.
It sends the message that all it takes is one beverage w/wings & the typical gangsta-rap wannabe will take on fans in the proximity of its source.
Only the easily provoked are at risk of your team decimation scenario.
I can't say I disagree with the suspensions (actually, I think Jackson and Artest should have gotten the same length of suspension), but you make a valid point. If I were a Detroit fan involved in this incident, I'd be absolutely gloating right now, since we come out of this with the best possible outcome. The Pacers kicked our butts on the court, but we the fans were able to provoke the Pacers into some extremely self-destructive behavior that ruins their team for the season. Congrats on a job well done! When does San Antonio come into town?