On November 19, 2004, it was a moment that NBA never wanted to mention, but for players, coaches, referees and fans who had experienced it, it was just a night they could not erase from their memories and reputations. It was a game at the beginning of the season, but for Indiana Pacers, who lost all the year round, playing against defending champion and arch-rival Detroit Pistons was the best way to consolidate their newfound dominance. As the game drew to a close, Indiana's pugnacious Ron Artest knocked down Pistons' Ben Wallace, sparking a fight between the two clubs. When a fan threw a whole glass of beer on Artest's chest, a scuffle unprecedented in the history of the NBA was sparked: players rushed into the stands, fans rushed into the stadium and police rushed into the building to try to control the chaos. A few days later, in an effort to protect the league's image, CEO David Stern suspended Artest for the entire season, his teammate Stephen Jackson for 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal for 25 games, the longest ban in NBA history. The media followed up and reported that the players were a group of lawless people.
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