AUBURN HILLS, Michigan - A bomb threat caused a 90-minute delay in starting Friday's National Basketball Association game between Indiana and Detroit, the Pacers first visit here since their infamous November brawl with spectators.
The teams have played twice in Indianapolis without incident since the chaos that led to legal charges, major suspensions and a revamped NBA security policy at all league games.
When the Pacers received word of the arena bomb threat, players and coaches retreated to the bus and remained in the parking lot for nearly an hour before returning to the locker room.
Even after the threat was determined to be a hoax, several Indiana players reportedly still did not want to play, but league officials told the them that if they did not play, the Pacers would forfeit the contest to the Pistons.
A fan hurled a beverage cup at Indiana's Ron Artest late in their November 19 trip here to the Palace to face the reigning NBA champions.
Artest ran into the stands and punched another fan, whom he thought was the man who tossed the cup. Other spectators leaped to the fan's defense and teammates went to Artest's aid.
By the finish, fans were running onto the court and being punched by Pacer players, who exited with the aid of police under a hail of garbage.
Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson were suspended by the league after the melee.
03/26/2005 03:01 GMT