Fight!

[Cheesebeef]

Vernon Maxwell.

One player - also with a habit of violence if I'm not mistaken and I don't remember a riot breaking out because of it. He was on his way out and tried to get at someone - he didn't run up in the stands and start wailing on someone who he didn't even known if he was the guy who disrespected him or not.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

People were trampled by the riot he caused and he didn't even care.

Same could be said for the loser who threw a cup at Artest as he was laying on the scorer's table NOT fighting with anyone.

 

[Chaz]

The thing is it didn't happen in the street.

A player should not go into the stands over a cup and a little beer.

Artest should be suspended for a long time along with Jackson and O'Neal.

The fan that went on the court, he is a ******* and probably deserved to get hit even though the punch by O'Neal was cheap.


The thing that gets me is the analyists on ESPN saying how Artest was doing the right thing and was assaulted and had to defend himself. WTF. The guy he pushed in the face still had a cup in his hand.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Same could be said for the loser who threw a cup at Artest as he was laying on the scorer's table NOT fighting with anyone.

Brian - what does Jesus teach in that situation. I'm not trying to be a smartass here - I'm being serious. Ever hear of being the bigger man - ever hear of having composure. The fan should have been arrested (whoever that fan was) but that doesn't give anyone the right to over-react the way Artest did. The guy is nuts - everyone was saying he was nuts last week and last season, but now it's all that fan's fault - BS.

And again - I'll ask - if Artest was laying down - how did he even know who was going after to attack? It's okay for him to just hit anyone because an EMPTY BLUE PLASTIC CUP BOUNCED OFF HIS CHEST?!

Be a freaking man and have some self-control.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The thing that gets me is the analyists on ESPN saying how Artest was doing the right thing and was assaulted and had to defend himself. WTF. The guy he pushed in the face still had a cup in his hand.

totally agree - they are being RIDICULOUS and I've lost all respect for all of them. Bill Walton said it best: This is a disgrace. That's all he could say during the broadcast.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

He was on his way out and tried to get at someone

He got to him.

USAToday: Vernon Maxwell, then a guard for the Houston Rockets, who ran 12 rows into the stands in Portland in 1995 and slugged a heckler. The NBA suspended him for 10 games and fined him $20,000.

Also - it was only 2 months ago that Frank Francisco threw a chair into the stands at a baseball game and injured a fan...he tried hitting a heckler and hit a woman in the face instead. How's that for a reaction?

 

[Cheesebeef]

He got to him.

USAToday: Vernon Maxwell, then a guard for the Houston Rockets, who ran 12 rows into the stands in Portland in 1995 and slugged a heckler. The NBA suspended him for 10 games and fined him $20,000.

Also - it was only 2 months ago that Frank Francisco threw a chair into the stands at a baseball game and injured a fan...he tried hitting a heckler and hit a woman in the face instead. How's that for a reaction?

different sport - I'm talking about the NBA only - but the Frank Francisco thing was unbelievable as well and it's part of - sheesh I HATE to say this - but a THUG culture in sports right now.

No one can be the bigger man - it's all about this BS called respect. I have more respect for people that can laugh at beer being thrown at them rather than lower themselves to the level of animals and brawl. Someone punches me in the face - fine - I'm down - gotten the crap beat out of me a couple times too - but I didn't stand down, but the sign of intelligence is being able to laugh at your opponent while he goes out - probably beats someone and ends up in jail afterward.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Brian - what does Jesus teach in that situation.

"Let he who is without sin cast the first plastic blue cup." ??

 

[Cheesebeef]

"Let he who is without sin cast the first plastic blue cup." ??

You don't think I was being a jerk there do you? I always just thought that Jesus teachings were kind of about being bigger than the problem in front of you. Hope you didn't take offense to that.

 

[elindholm]

Bill Walton said it best: This is a disgrace. That's all he could say during the broadcast.

Yeah, but Bill Walton says "this is a disgrace" every time a player under 6' 9" misses one of two free throws...

 

[sly fly]

First of all... Ron Artest is a punk. Yeah, didn't want to fight Ben Wallace, but he sure was quick to go after a person who didn't even play a part in this! Real f'ing studly of you.

Secondly, Stephen Jackson cold cocked a guy trying to break up the fight. Hope your bank account is padded enough to absorb the losses you're going to take on this one.

Who are the people saying these guys can fight? Yeah, right.

Jermaine O'Neal should be throw in jail for going Rudy T on the chubby guy. He's lucky he didn't kill the guy. Nice to come in and throw when you know the guy's at a disadvantage. Real ballsy.

Too bad the huge black guy who threw down Fred Jones didn't have much help. It would have been delightful to see Jackson and Artest get knocked out.

I see huge ramifications from this...

- Lawsuits from every angle.
- Players and fans will be arrested.
- O'Neal, Jackson, and Artest will be gone for a long time. You've got your time to promote the CD now, Ron.

A very bad scene.

 

[100%CardsFan]

getting spit in the face is completely different than hbeing spit in the face. And if I didn't know WHO SPIT IN MY FACE - even in your scenario - would I be justified to just find anyone (like Artest did) and pummel them because they were the easiest person to beat up.

And thanks for calling me a vagina - I wouldn't expect you to be able to be the bigger man and not start a riot because you're above thougths and thoughts earlier on this thread say it all about your class or lack thereof.

Way to make it personal though ass.

I never called you a vagina, I said if you didnt defend yourself from someone throwing something or in my example then you are a vagina. And to be honest I am not the kind of guy who would be a bigger man and just walk away I would stomp the person or who I thought did it...and by the way I really dont care about class. Why take **** from people?? They are human beings that breathe the same air as you so why should you let them disrespect you??? Thats my stand on the issue. Seriously dont these guys take enough **** from people and now they are getting drinks thrown on them???? I dont know about you but I would be swinging....

 

[hsandhu]

Ron artest is crazy. But it's not fair to say he's crazy, thus he's the only guy that would have done this. Most players would have, Shaq even said after seeing it he would have done the exact same thing. Once that imaginary line is crossed fans become fair game, and many players, not just artest, see it that way.

 

[NDNACE]

This was an incident waiting to happen in this league, a powder keg ready to explode. These kids have been given millions of dollars and they think they are invincible, above the law. Fines and suspensions are are merely a few thousand lost and a vacation to spend their other millions.

Throwing the punks in Arpaio's jail for a few months might straighten a few of them out.

 

[D-Dogg]

He got to him.

USAToday: Vernon Maxwell, then a guard for the Houston Rockets, who ran 12 rows into the stands in Portland in 1995 and slugged a heckler. The NBA suspended him for 10 games and fined him $20,000.

IIRC, the heckler kept asking Maxwell over and over again, every time up the court "How's your daughter doing, vernon?"

His daughter had died that week, and it was common knowledge.

Maxwell should have ripped that guys head off, taken it to center court and urinated on it.

IMO, of course.

 

[Matt L]

in any situation in life, if a person throws a beer or ANYTHING at another person, that guy is going to get his ass kicked. plain and simple those fans deserved to get their skulls bashed. in what situations in life would anyone feel justified in throwing objects at another person? its pretty ridiculous on all sides, but those fans pretty much got what they deserved.

 

[az1965]

 

[D-Dogg]

Just watched the game replay on ESPN, and I didn't realize just how long the on-court, pre-fan "fight" lasted. Artest laid on the table for a long time...maybe two minutes, while the teams pushed and yelled at each other. Reggie Miller was by Artest, tapping him on the chest and making sure he stayed on the table and didn't get up. They had time to show the play, stay on the pushing for a good while, show a slo-mo replay of the foul, and push, and start of the pushing on court, then cut back to live action, then cut back and forth from Artest on the table to Ben pissed off, another 15 seconds or so, then the cup flew and hit Artest in the face, and all hell broke loose.

Watching the length of time it took for that to play out, I'm more solidly behind Artest in this debacle. He was clearly trying to manage his anger (which he has a problem with) and did so for quite some time. The cup of beer in the face was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

 

[az1965]

Here's the video for those of you that haven't seen it.
video

Beautiful... thanks!!

 

[D-Dogg]

Despite it not looking like that on the replays, Artest did connect with face on that first punch on that guy. The second one did not connect. I'm impressed that the guy didn't fall on that first punch, because Artest is one hell of a buff dude.

 

[az1965]

Defenseless fan my arse...the guy was attacking Artest, Jackson just came to his rescue...

Fans started this whole thing, it was getting under control until that moron threw the beer.

Mike

I hope that guy's jaw is broken. Great punch by Jackson... "Fans" my a$$...

 

[D-Dogg]

I hope that guy's jaw is broken. Great punch by Jackson... "Fans" my a$$...

I might buy a Jackson jersey...that dude was a street brawler up there...he was laying down law and is definitely one dude I'd love to have watching my back.

 

[az1965]

So are you saying that if I walked up to you and spit in your face you would say.."Hey its only siliva and it didnt hurt" and you would do nothing??? If so ...then you have a vagina. Give me a break. it was a matter of disrespect it doesnt matter if it hurts or not. Some people dont take getting disrespected. I agree with what he did. Any one pro athlete, rapper, movie star, etc are all people and you should do the same thing as you would if you met them in the street.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I'm still waiting for ANYONE to show that EITHER ONE OFTHE GUYS bludgeoned by Artest or Jackson actaully did ANYTHING to warrant getting pummelled by guys two times the size of them?

You talk about ******* - look first at Artest and Jackson.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I never called you a vagina, I said if you didnt defend yourself from someone throwing something or in my example then you are a vagina. And to be honest I am not the kind of guy who would be a bigger man and just walk away I would stomp the person or who I thought did it...and by the way I really dont care about class. Why take **** from people?? They are human beings that breathe the same air as you so why should you let them disrespect you???

As to your last question - WHO THE F*** CARES WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK - i'll tell you who - WEAK-MINDED FOOLS WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK OF THEMSELEVES UNLESS MEASURED BY OTHER PEOPLE - Other people shouldn't define who you are and what kind of respect you have for yourself - and if they do, well - i feel sorry for you.