Five years ago, things were ugly in Auburn Hills

Good freaking Lord, has it been that long? The NBA has moved on well. We've seen a couple of incidents of players going into the stands since then, but under different circumstances. The question still goes on, who's to blame? You can argue Ben Wallace. Sure, he was fouled when the game was well in hand, but even a Pistons fan and a general Wallace fan like myself can tell you he overreacted and escalated the situation. Some say the fans, and there's no doubt there. There is no reason to toss anything at a player, and if the players go into the stands, there needs to be restraint amongst the fans to not throw anything else. Tossing something so simple as beer, water, or popcorn at a player constitutes aggrevated assault. There is nothing stupider than finding yourself doing time just because you threw something a liquid in the face of a rogue player. And really, a chair? This is the NBA, not the old ECW. John Green, William Paulson, John Ackerman, Bryant Jackson, and David Wallace should never be allowed in The Palace of Auburn Hills again. Well, Green is barred from The Palace and its sister venue, DTE Energy Music Theatre. The same ban was enforeced on Charlie Haddad, the fan who got Falcon Punched on the floor twice. Still, you gotta look at the players who went in the stands. David Harrison, Anthony Johnson, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, and especially Ron Artest should bear the majority share of the blame. They are professional basketball players, but they had the attitude of street thugs. Their actions were by far the biggest slap to the face of the NBA, and all of five of those goons were charged and arrested for their actions and plead no contest, getting one year probation, a $250.00 fine, community service, and anger management counciling. Harrison escaped suspensions, but Johnson was barred for 5 games, O'Neal got 15 (originally 25, but reduced on appeal), Jackson got 30, and Artest missed the rest of the season (86 games total, 73 in the regualar season and 13 in the playoffs). So yeah, a lot of blame can be distributed, but I think the majority of it falls on the Pacers goon squad for not acting like professionals and storming The Palace, so to speak. And if you want a moment of irony, Rasheed Wallace escaped a suspension and fines by actually being the biggest peace keeper. The guy is the biggest techincal foul magnet since Dennis Rodman. WTF indeed.