I'm not going to condone what went on the other night. Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson were out of line, certainly. I do have a question though: How long are the fans suspended for?
It seems like the people who start a fight should be prepared to finish it. And, just as a sidenote, if you think you are prepared to fight Ron Artest, you are not very intelligent. Still, let's get some facts straight:
Artest fouled Wallace and it was questionable whether it really was unquestionably hard. After that, he was not involved in any fighting. Some say he took the high road, not being provoked into fighting the Pistons. Others say he took the cocky road, laying on the table, obviously mocking the situation. Both are probably right.
Then a fan, obviously upset that his team was losing. I would be too. But since when does that give you the right to throw beer at somebody? Paying 30 dollars does not give you the right to throw objects at somebody, even if the guy is an athlete who plays tough basketball and raps on the side.
And where did all of those fans get off throwing ice, beer, soda, and even chairs at Jermaine O'neal? I almost wish the police hadn't been able to get a firm hold of Jermaine O'neal. It would've been funny to see 20 guys get beat up even more for throwing stuff at somebody for no real reason.
Again, I want to say that I'm not condoning the players' actions. The way I see it, though, virtually everyone who wasn't involved with the altercation are going to side with the fans. They can do whatever they want as far as suspensions, and I can't really argue with that. But, in addition, I think the NBA should identify each and every fan involved in the altercation and see to it that they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Every single fan who thought the ticket they bought were free-passes to assault big black dudes should be punished. All I know is, where I'm from, if somebody throws something at you, you're allowed, even expected to retaliate. And Ron Artest wasn't my neighbor.
I'm from suberbia.