By way of warning, I should mention to you that if you're looking for coherence, you should probably think about looking elsewhere.

Point:
It seems that I'm never watching TV when the good stuff happens.
Counter-point:
All things told, the word "indefinitely" when attached to the word "suspension" and the names Artest, O'Neal and Jackson suggests that what happened in Detroit the other night wasn't exactly "the good stuff."

I guarantee you that whoever threw their drink on Artest wouldn't have done so if the two had met face to face in a bar on Friday instead of at the Palace. In fact, I'd bet that anyone throwing shit was probably pretty much counting on the anonymity of the crowd to protect them. Seriously, is there anyone out there who doesn't already know that Ron Artest is a bit unbalanced? I just think that it's classless as well as cowardly to bait a guy who you know will react badly and then rely on the fact that no one can point you out in the crowd as a shield.

To return to my earlier point: the word "indefinite" and its adverbial counterpart make me a nervous guy.

Among the things I find galling about the whole business is David Stern's statement that the NBA is going to examine its security procedures so that "fans can continue to attend our games unthreatened by events such as the ones that occurred last night.” Ok, fine. But what about the players? I can't believe that some (cowardly) asshole threw a drink on a player, some more assholes threw anything they could get their hands on and the commissioner of the NBA isn't talking about protecting its players. Protect the fans. But the sight of a player defending himself with some kind of dustpan might perhaps suggest that maybe (just maybe) the fans aren't the only ones who need protection and the players aren't the only ones to blame for Friday.

Good news: despite playing only 6 guys, the Pacers still only lost to the Magic by 3.
Bad news: the Pacers lost to the Magic by three, although they only played 6 guys.
All I can say is that I hope that the suspensions aren't very long, although I have a sinking feeling that they will be. I'm going to be a very unhappy camper if I only get to see 6 guys play when I go to watch Pacers - Golden State on 4 Dec.

I agree with Jon that the straight mapping of the "threatening black male" cultural stereotype onto Ron Artest (a black rapper/ballplayer) makes me uneasy. But let's not kid ourselves: it's going to happen, and it's almost certainly going to influence the disciplinary reaction he gets. Artest has, I think, not put himself in a very good position vis a vis the people who are already looking to put him through the wringer.

I sort of like the NBA, but professional sports really make a guy sick some times. What an ugly mess of shit.