A new docuseries offers a fresh perspective on the infamous 2004 melee that changed the shape of basketball as we know it
For my money, the indelible image from the Malice in the Palace – the notorious 2004 on-court riot that pitted NBA players against spectators and changed the shape of basketball as we know it – wasn’t Ron Artest pouncing on that wide-eyed fan in the stands. Or Artest and his fellow Indiana Pacers making their off-court escape as the unruly crowd hailed down their half-consumed concessions from on high. Or even the hard foul Artest committed on the Detroit Pistons’ Ben Wallace at the end of this nationally televised Pacers blowout that kicked off the ugly affair.
No, my indelible image was Artest lying on the scorer’s table like a blasé sunbather just before a cup of beer lands on him, the Palace at Auburn Hills descends into madness and the NBA is decried as a league of thugs. But as it turns out Artest wasn’t trying to escalate the situation; he was searching for peace. How I couldn’t see that back then has a lot to do with why the Malice in the Palace came to be interpreted as the ignominious moment when the players snapped and assaulted the fans, and not the opposite.
