Coach gives his take on the brawl between the Pistons and Pacers on Nov. 19, 2004


Here are a few news headlines you may have missed…

Vermont gave Kansas all they could handle. Davidson defeated Missouri. Santa Clara stunned North Carolina. The common thread with all three contests is that they took place on Friday, Nov. 19. Unfortunately, most everyone was transfixed on the Palace at Auburn Hills.

The events, which interrupted the conclusion of the Pacers-Pistons contest can only be described as sickening. It is without question the worst exhibition that I have ever seen in sports. Sportsmanship and self-control seem to be at an all-time low. And I am sure that I am not alone in my thinking.

It’s an unfortunate trend, which has been more evident in recent years. Remember these not-so classic moments…

Don Zimmer thrown to the ground by Pedro Martinez. Roger Clemens throwing the barrel of the bat in the direction of Mike Piazza.

And more recently…

The pre-game brawl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns and the pre and post-game antics between South Carolina and Clemson.

Anyone who has ever played a competitive sport can tell you that a player’s adrenaline runs high, prior to and during the game. There is a fine line that every athlete walks of maintaining composure and channeling that adrenaline.

In our game against Prairie View A&M there was a pre-game dispute as to which team would warm up and which basket. It was a harmless enough thing, but it prompted both teams to get a little territorial. Nothing came of it and neither team was in the wrong, as both teams kept their composure.

By in large, such things happen on a regular basis on playing surfaces all across the country everyday. We never hear of incident because cooler heads prevail. But Friday night in Detroit, cooler heads were nowhere to be found.

On Saturday morning I addressed our team, regarding the ugly incident. My message was clear: Regardless of the situation don’t ever go into the stands. Nothing good can come of it.

In the aftermath of the Clemson-South Carolina brawl, Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden referenced the fact that the players had seen nothing but the Pistons-Pacers fight in the last twenty-four hours. His observation of the continuing coverage was correct so is this a case where we blame the media?

If you want to excuse the media of not reporting the other events, then they would be guilty as charged. Where were the Davidson-Missouri highlights?

However, if an ESPN decided to temper its coverage and provide all the other important news of the day, they would probably lose a good portion of their audience. People want to see this. Whether it’s curiosity or a barbaric nature, people gravitate to such happenings.

Networks are in the business of making money so you can’t cry foul if that’s what people want to see. Unfortunately, some fans also want to participate.

There is no excuse for the actions of the fans, but the actions on the court incited the crowd.

The focus should begin with what happened after Ben Wallace’s reaction to the foul by Ron Artest. In a mocking fashion, Artest laid on the scorer’s table. Nobody will condone the throwing of a beverage at Artest, but his response lit the fuse.

Many fans attend sporting events for the purpose of becoming part of the action. To some degree that is the right of the fan as long as he or she does not cross the line. Everyday in every arena and on every field, fans try to provoke players. It’s become a pastime of sorts for many, but it starts and ends with the loud mouth yelling because the players never bring themselves down to that level.

But on Friday, Nov. 19 the players came down to that level.

In some sort of attempt to justify the situation, Toronto’s Vince Carter was quoted as saying that Artest was disrespected, insinuating that his actions were warranted.

That is absurd.

If a coach loses his cool, he gets fired. It’s viewed as being completely unacceptable. What happened to the days when players who lacked sportsmanship and control were simply relegated to the bench? The new trend is to leave the bench.

Unfortunately I don’t think this is the end of such happenings, but I do think the NBA is sending a message that it won’t be tolerated. And it’s important that the ACC and SEC take a similar stance in addressing the Clemson-South Carolina incident.

I am not alone when I state that I have displayed a lack of sportsmanship in my past. For most that have played sport, there is at least one moment that we would like to have back. But for the majority, such incidents from the past have never come close to approaching those we saw in Auburn Hills.

Many years ago, legendary Celtics’ broadcaster Johnny Most -- while describing the events on the court between the Pistons and Celtics -- said, “It’s a disgusting display.”

I wonder how he would have called this one.