Holy Crap! First time Seeing This!

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

Afro Ram

Pro Bowler
Joined
Aug 29, 2011
Messages
1,033
Name
Mike


This is my first time seeing this brawl! Holy cow, what a shit show. Anyone out there remember this or can share some light on it?
 

RhodyRams

Insert something clever here
Rams On Demand Sponsor
SportsBook Bookie
Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
Messages
12,224
yeah...that was one butt ugly day in sports.
 

Angry Ram

Captain RAmerica Original Rammer
Joined
Jul 1, 2010
Messages
18,000
Wow that happened in 2004? Remember it like yesterday.
 

RamFan503

Grill and Brew Master
Moderator
Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Messages
34,819
Name
Stu
Both of those teams had some real dirt bags on them. Combine that with an excuse in Detroit? What a mess.
 

Mackeyser

Supernovas are where gold forms; the only place.
Joined
Apr 26, 2013
Messages
14,432
Name
Mack
Ron Artest, like Brandon Marshall, has psychological problems.

It's a medical issue, not a joke, and he's on medicine for them. Part of him changing his name was to begin walking a new path. In a way, his name had become radioactive. It doesn't have to work for you any more than his shoes have to fit your feet. I watched him later in his career on the Lakers and it was clear how far he'd come.

As far as the brawl, the history of those teams went way back and that game and that moment didn't and doesn't exist in a vacuum. Reggie Miller and later Jermaine O'Neal were in their share of scraps and Detroit cultivated the "Bad Boy" image going back to Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman.

Part of the reason Ben Wallace took such umbrage to the hard foul is that the Pacers were up 15 at the time with less than 50 seconds to go, so a Wallace lay up was a meaningless score. To commit the hard foul there was more about sending the message that "we're going to crap stomp you and disrespect you in your own house right up until the final whistle. In effect, there would be no gentlemen, no concessions, no give whatsoever in this rivalry. Well, after a hard night and a clearly losing effort at home, Wallace had had enough. Not to mention, there is something about certifiably crazy people and defense in the NBA. Rodman was another. Both he and Artest had the ability to drive opponents mad. Artest could also score.

The NBA learned from that and they keep a MUCH tighter rein on games now. Maybe too tight, but this brawl was a big part of why.
 

LazyWinker

Pro Bowler
Joined
Jun 19, 2014
Messages
1,662
Name
Paul
This is the incident that led to him changing his name I believe.
I like Artest as a player, but, dude is a head case. When he was with the Lakers the team had a shrink assigned to just him.
If I recall correctly, I believe he didn't play for about a year after the incident so he had some time to think about it I guess.