November 19, 2004 was one of the worst nights in NBA history.
It was just two weeks into the 2004 NBA season and the Indiana Pacers were taking on the Detroit Pistons at the ‘Palace of Auburn Hills’ in Michigan. It was the first meeting between the two sides after defending champs Pistons had knocked Indiana out of an intensely physical Eastern Conference finals. The Pacers came into this game hungry for revenge and wanted to prove the World that they were true Championship contenders. The matchup received much hype and was televised nationally.
The game was low scoring, physical, and dominated by defence (a characteristic of these two teams). The Pacers, led by Ron Artest (who was an MVP contender that season), dominated the game and towards the end of the 4th quarter they were well on their way to victory.
Then, with 45.9 seconds of the game remaining and Indiana leading 97-82, disaster struck.
Ben Wallace, Piston’s center, was fouled hard by Artest on an attempted layup and Wallace responded by shoving Artest in the face with both hands. Immediately, players from both teams jumped in, in an attempt to keep the two separated and prevent an imminent brawl. Ron Artest withdrew himself from the skirmish and layed down on the scorers table to calm himself down. Meanwhile, most of the players and coaches from both teams were huddled at mid-court, trying to calm down an emotionally charged Ben Wallace.
While Artest was lying on the table, Wallace threw a towel at him, causing Artest to briefly stand up before being held back by those around him. Then, John Green, a spectator and Piston’s fan, threw a cup of diet coke at Artest, hitting him square on the chest. Artest immediately got up and rushed into the stands in the direction of the thrown cup, trampling and injuring Pacers broadcaster Mark Boyle (who made the mistake of trying to stop him). Artest then grabbed a fan who he believed to be responsible for hitting him with the cup while team-mate Stephan Jackson, who had followed Artest into the stands, punched another fan for throwing a second drink at Artest’s face. Numerous Pacers players (including Eddie Gill, David Harrison, Reggie Miller, Fred Jones, and Jamaal Tinsley), Pistons players (like Rasheed Wallace) and team personnel (including Pistons radio analyst and former player Rick Mahorn) also quickly entered the stands to get Artest and Jackson and break up the fighting. The situation worsened as more fans began throwing drinks, food, and other objects, in the direction of the scuffle and some fans began entering the court.
As the brawl in the stands came to a close and Artest walked out of the stands, he was confronted by two more fans, Alvin Shackleford and Charlie Haddad, who ran onto the court. Artest punched one of them in the face, before both fans fell over. As Haddad stood up, Jermaine O'Neal (Pacers Forward) struck him with a running knock-out punch that caused witnesses to briefly fear for serious injury.
The players from both teams were eventually pulled into the locker rooms but the scene became even more chaotic as outnumbered arena security struggled to reestablish order. Fans continuously showered the Pacers players with beer, soda and other beverages as they were escorted into the locker rooms through the tunnel.
To make things worse, all this chaos unravelled in front of a national television audience and ESPN broadcaster Bill Walton put everyone’s thoughts into words, saying, "This is a disgrace."
The referees had no choice but to end the game with 45.9 seconds remaining, and the Pacers were awarded with a 97–82 win.
Pistons announcer John Mason implored the remaining crowd to leave the court and building because the game was over, and pleaded with fans to stop throwing any more objects or engage in fighting. No player from either team spoke to the media before leaving the arena and police officers had to swarm the area, threatening to handcuff those who would not leave. Nine spectators were injured, and two were taken to the hospital.
The aftermath of the incident would change the course of NBA history forever. The very next day, NBA commissioner David Stern released a statement saying the events at last night's game were 'shocking, repulsive and inexcusable.' Severe punishments were dealt out to the players and fans involved. Ron Artest was suspended for the remainder of the season without pay (the longest non drug related suspension in the NBA till date). Stephan Jackson was suspended for 30 games, Jermaine O' Neal was banned for 15 and Ben Wallace was out for 6. Five other players were given one-game suspensions for entering the stands. As for the fans, John Green was given a 30-day jail sentence while 5 of the other fans involved were banned from Pistons games for life.
After the incident, the Pacers went from a promising Championship contender to a mere play-off challenger. With their star player Ron Artest suspended and Jermaine O' Neal injured, the Pacers were eliminated by the Pistons once again in the playoffs, this time in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. The next season when Artest returned, he only played 16 games before demanding to be traded (he was later traded to the Sacramento Kings after a month of inactivity). Artest later became an NBA Champion with the Lakers but he never reached the superstar potential that he showed as a Pacer. Stephan Jackson was very promising for a couple of seasons before his continuous involvement in legal problems got the better of him. Jermaine O' Neal was never the same player again for the Pacers after he kept getting sidelined due to injuries. After the brawl, the Pacers would never be title contenders until 2013.
The Pistons however, did not meet the same fate as the Pacers as they went on to 5 consecutive Eastern Conference Finals after the Malice at the Palace (including the 2005 NBA finals). But they too failed to win even one Championship since 2005 till date.
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