DETROIT, Michigan, Nov 22 (AFP) - Detroit center Ben Wallace said Monday he had no plans to appeal the six-game suspension meted out to him by the National Basketball Association after a violent brawl at a game between the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers.
Wallace said he understood the position of NBA commissioner David Stern, who saved the stiffest penalities for Pacers players who became involved in altercations with Detroit fans. Ron Artest, who stormed into the stands in search of a fan who threw a drink cup at him, was banned for the rest of the season.
Indiana's Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal for 25.
Wallace was sanctioned for his role in the on-court incident that eventually spilled over into the stands. Angered by a hard foul by Artest with less than a minute to play, Wallace shoved the Indiana player with both hands.
"When things like that happen you've got to protect the league," Wallace said. "You can't have guys going out and reacting the way we did. They let us get away with it, and everyone will start doing it."
Assistant coach Gar Heard, who will stand in for Pistons coach Larry Brown on the team's upcoming two-game road trip as Brown continues to recover from hip surgery, said he believed the Detroit players were putting the incident behind them.
"Fights happen in the NBA," Heard said. "I think it was unfortunate it got into the stands. I think if it hadn't, we wouldn't be talking about it today."
Police in Auburn Hills, where the Pistons's arena the Palace is located, said they were still trying to get a clear picture of Friday's events.
Nine people have filed assault complaints related to the incident, police said. Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca said that charges remain likely, although he did not expect them to be filed this week.
11/23/2004 04:05 GMT - AFP