It was around this time a decade ago that the worst fight in NBA history broke out.
It was November 19, 2004 to be exact and it as a day that will not be easily forgotten. It is the reason you see so much security at NBA games and the reason that officers are on the court during every timeout and in between quarters.
Not only did that fight change the NBA as we know it, but it also drastically changed the fortunes of the two teams involved — the Pacers and Pistons.
The Pistons were not hurt nearly as badly as they still managed to get to the NBA Finals, ultimately losing to the Spurs. However, the Pacers were devastated and were never the same after that. All-time Pacers great Reggie Miller retired after that season and the team was mired in mediocrity until 2011, trying to shed the poor image and the big salaries that remained from that team.
Off the court, commissioner David Stern instituted a new dress code that many of the players thought was racially charged, but ended up working in the league’s favor down the road. It is never about reality with the public, but rather perception and Stern knew that. He got the league to clean up its image and for the most part it has been one of the “cleaner” looking leagues out there, especially with baseball’s steroid scandal and the NFL domestic violence issues.
It also might have become the year of Stern as he showed other commissioners how to properly handle something of this magnitude in an appropriate and swift manner.
In any case, the league is better off and it looks like it is on the up and up with a new TV deal in place and players likely to be getting mega money in the next few years.
Maybe the lasting legacy of that horrible evening in Auburn Hills, Mich., is what the league needed – a wake up call to address some bigger issues and clean up the image of its game for the better.
