”Malice at the Palace” NBA Brawl
Full disclosure — I was born and raised in central Indiana, and the Indiana Pacers have always been my NBA team. My first NBA game was at Market Square Arena. I was at Game 3 of the 2000 NBA Finals versus the Lakers. I cannot, and will not, be unbiased about this topic.
Hello, and welcome to On This Date, Some Years Back. Today is November 19, 2017, and on this date, 13 years back, in 2004, a brawl between the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit Pistons, and certain Detroit Pistons fans in attendance broke out in one of the darkest, most scrutinized incidents in American sports history.
In the 2004–05 NBA season, a few things have to be as facts before we get into this debacle. The Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons rivalry was as pitched as ever. The previous season, the two teams played in the Eastern Conference Championship series, with the Pistons pulling off the upset in 6 games. The Pacers had finished that regular season with the best record in the league. Detroit won the championship, though. For the 2004 season, the Pacers were again favorites to make a title run, and the Pistons were, in some opinions, short-changed as the defending champs. The players all knew each other well, and there was no love lost between the two teams.
The Pacers started the 2004–05 season 6–2 before traveling to Detroit for the ninth game of their season. The Pistons were 4–3 going into the same game. This early season matchup would be a tone-setter for determining which team would control their own destiny for the rest of the season.
The Pacers won handily. They were up by 15 late in the game, and cruising to an easy victory. Now, remember, I’m a Pacers fan. I watched this game live on my 19” Philips tv that my grandma got me for Christmas. The Pacers were cruising, and the future was so, so bright.
In the final minute of the game, Ron Artest (aka Metta World Peace) fouled Ben Wallace to prevent an easy layup. It was a common foul, nothing vicious, malicious, or dirty about it. Just a swipe across his wrists as he tried to shoot. Embarrassed by being beat so thoroughly, Wallace responded by giving Artest a two handed shove in the chest, and marched toward him with the intent to continue the physicality. Players, coaches, and referees blocked his path to prevent further violence. Ron Artest, meanwhile, had retreated to the scorers table, and laid down on top of it, because Artest was always funny like that. A few minutes passed as order was restored and the referees attempted to decide what actions should be taken. Artest was still laying there when a Detroit Piston fan launched a cup of liquid at him. Artest leapt to his feet and within seconds was ten rows up in the seats punching one of the fans in the area. Pacers players, including Stephen Jackson, flew up after him, trying to extricate him from the situation, and several other fans began attacking the players, prompting the players to hit back.
From there on, it absolute bedlam. Fans stormed the court, delusional enough to believe that they could actually go toe to toe with NBA athletes. One of these morons promptly caught a right hook from Jermaine O’Neal that nearly broke his face. This was on the basketball court, mind you. The Pacers were the visiting team, in a hostile environment, and every logical argument could be made that O’Neal was defending himself from an attack, except the fact that he’s seven feet tall and tremendously strong somehow means that he should restrain himself under such circumstances.
Look, the videos are out there. You go watch them and see for yourself. It’s been analyzed by everyone.
All I know is that Ben Wallace started the entire thing. He received a six game suspension from the NBA. Several other Pistons players also inserted themselves into the action, for better or worse. Those players were suspended for 1 game a piece. In total, suspensions cost the Pistons 9 man-games.
The Pacers, on the other hand, lost Artest for the rest of the season. Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games, and Jermaine O’Neal 15 (on appeal). Anthony Johnson and Reggie Miller were also suspended, for 5 games and 1 game respectively. In total, the Pacers lost 124 man-games. And these players weren’t benchwarmers, by any means, they were the cream of the crop on that team. Reggie Miller was fantastic, but this was his final season, and his production had dropped some with age. In fact, he was out with an injury on the night in question, further adding to the embarrassing loss the Pistons suffered.
Five of the Pacers players also faced criminal charges for the events. None of the Pistons did. I’m not saying the Pacers should have gotten off easier, but considering the degree of instigation they faced, maybe the Pistons should have been punished a bit more.
The Pacers went 5–11 in the aftermath of the brawl, dropping from 7–2 to 12–13. At any rate, despite the tremendous losses the Pacers suffered due to suspensions, they still managed to finish the season 44–38, good enough for the 6 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. They defeated the Boston Celtics in the first round in 7 games, and faced the Pistons in the second round. The Pistons had finished 54–28 and claimed the 2 seed. The Pistons would win the series, again, in 6 games, en route to a second straight Finals appearance. They would lose to the San Antonio Spurs in 7 games.
As a fan, I still feel very conflicted about this event. The Pacers still have never won an NBA championship, and that season was arguably their best shot until Ben Wallace’s temper and unruly fans (and some poor self-control) ripped it away from them. Reggie Miller retired that year, bound for the Hall of Fame, but without ever winning a championship. The players involved in the brawl couldn’t shake it from their reputations for years after the fact. The Pacers would have a revamped lineup and a new head coach just 3 years later, entering into one of the franchise’s low points. One night literally set a franchise back about a decade, as they wouldn’t get back to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they finished the season before the brawl, until the 2012–2013 season.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back tomorrow for a royal disaster that’s not nearly as depressing as you might think. Just really, really expensive.
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