Miller reveals NBA players secret on fights and fans get no money for acting out
Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller, who was there but did not play in the game due to injury, talked about how, incidents like what happened with Wallace and Artest that night, are usually just ‘play acting’ and players are really not looking to fight. After games, as most viewers can see, players from each teams usually intermix in a friendly manner. Many of them either played together on other teams, have the same agent, or know each other from the AAU circuit when they were younger.
Despite all the huffing and showboating, no one really is going to throw a punch to hurt someone. … except one time.
In 1977, the Lakers’ Kermit Washington punched the Rockets’ Rudy Tomjanovich during a scuffle between the teams that seriously injured him. He was suspended for 60 days. Since then, with all the money that would be lost due to a suspension, NBA players have pulled back from actually throwing a punch that would land on another player.
It is really, like Miller said, acting tough, but no one really getting hurt.
- The woman in charge of security talking about how she overheard Pistons fans who might have been involved, being held in a room after the game, talking about whether they could sue the players, or someone, and make some money.
That might be the most negative thing about Detroit in the film. It is inferred the fan who came onto the court and confronted Artest was doing it hoping for a payday. Instead he got arrested and convicted of a crime. Throwing stuff at players, even ones from the other team acting badly, just gets you hauled in by the police and probably banned for life from the arena.
Some fans still behave badly at games, but not for profit. There will be unpleasant consequences to come, even if they are too drunk to realize it at the time.
- It was mentioned several times how the whole incident would have been avoided if the cup had not been thrown at Artest. But, it was only mentioned fleetingly, that Artest, after the on-court ‘play acting’, was laying on his back on top of the scorer’s table. He basically was making himself a target.
If Artest had simply gone back to his bench, or sent to the locker room, probably nothing else happens. He and Wallace just get a fine from the league office, ho hum, and it is forgotten.
Can you imagine if at a Lions game, Aaron Rodgers just laid out on a table near where a bunch of fans were. Something would probably happen.
Artest in the documentary said it was recommended he lay out after stressful events by a therapist, but I doubt he was told to do so in a very public spot. In no way am I absolving the fan for throwing the cup of liquid, but Artest made it easier for possible action from the stands.
In the end, it was for nothing. Artest actually attacked the fan next to the guy who threw the cup, mistakenly thinking he was the one. So he did not even get that satisfaction.