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Brawl at the Palace lives in infamy
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-18 08:53
Artest and teammate Jermaine O'Neal later slugged fans on the court, and when
the Pacers finally were able to get off the court, they were pelted with beer,
popcorn and other debris.
The startling scene included
the scary — a fan hurling a chair — and the surreal — Indiana's Jamaal Tinsley
wielding a dust pan over his head — as TV cameras captured the chaos.
Stern's response was swift and strong.
Two days later, Artest was suspended for the rest of the season — 73 games,
plus the playoffs — in a move that cost him almost $5 million.
"I think any person on the street would have done the same thing," Artest
said last month. "I just learned that if somebody from the stands throws
something at you, don't do anything back or you'll get suspended."
Overall, nine players were suspended. They lost nearly $10 million in salary.
Wallace was suspended for six games, and one of his brothers was among eight
fans charged with playing a part in the melee.
"It's hard to say, `I wouldn't do this again,' or `I wouldn't do that,'
because in a similar situation, you don't know how you'll react," Wallace said.
"It was a unique situation with so many things that happened so fast."
The NBA wasn't the only entity to dish out punishment.
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