Can't believe this was 10 years ago.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/g...ars-later-the-malice-at-the-palace-revisited/
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/g...ars-later-the-malice-at-the-palace-revisited/
NBA: Malice in the Palace - 10 year anniversary
- Thread starter Bret44
- Start date
How has there not been a 30 for 30 on this yet? Find the guys from the stands and interview them.
He shouldn't have laid down on the scorer's table and provoked the fans. The fan who threw the cup was out of the line but a more fitting punishment would have been for him to be banned from the arena permanently. Artest provoked the crowd and then compounded the problem by wading into the stands and swinging at whoever got in his way.
That is what security is there for. Lots of times you see players/coaches point out a disruptive fan and security comes in and removes them from the arena. The whole incident was an absolute mess. How would you like to take your kids to an NBA game only to have this craziness happen right next to you and your family?
Provoked the fans? He got a beer thrown on him by a fan. He did nothing to provoke him. It was a already a tense situation, the fan thought he was all Billy bad***, and got what was coming to him.
Nope. The fan started the fight and got what he deserved. He thought he could get away with it because he was in a large group of people with a mob mentality, and I'm glad he didn't.
Worse yet, how would you like to be the guy who Artest mistook for the fan who threw the beer? Some poor sap was just sitting there enjoying his killer seats and next thing he knew some goddamned psychopath is charging at them. I have no sympathy for the fans who wandered onto the court afterwards; you willingly put yourself in harm's way and you get what you get. I will say that Jermaine O'Neal is lucky that he slipped when he threw that straight right. If he doesn't slip, that punch maims or kills that dude.
Except that he didn't because Artest attacked the wrong ******* person!!! I don't care what rains down from the stands; an athlete cannot do what Artest did and he was damn lucky to ever be reinstated. What he did was wildly irresponsible.
Provoked? I'll admit - he's a ****** for laying on the table. But how is that provoking anything? This isn't anything really new - wasn't at the time. Fans who think they're part of the game. The fighting, the harassment of other fans, if not outright assault on other fans. For what?
And I agree - the second he went into the stands - he should've been banned for life.
No doubt in my mind what he did was horrible and should have been arrested after tapes have been reviewed, but there is no reason a professional basketball player should ever ever go after a fan. Both parties involved were a disgrace.
Tinsley had a few cameos in that video. Also, didn't realize how bad it really got. Forgot Larry Brown was the coach at the time. A big shock to me was the lack of security or at least the lack or response from the security.