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I haven't read all of the prior posts (there's just too much), so forgive me if I repeat, but:
1. Artest didn't go after the guy who threw the cup at him; he went after someone who was taunting him, not knowing who threw the cup. He slugged the wrong guy.
2. The police already have identified the guy who threw the cup.
3. There weren't "hundreds" of wild fans in the melee; if you look, the stands were almost empty because the game had been decided. There were only about 4 or 5 fans involved.
4. Look at the tape and ask yourself, honestly, if the two idiots who went on the court truly presented a threat to Artest or O'Neal. These guys got coldcocked by the players just for opening their mouths. They never raised their hands or did anything other than be *******s who put themselves at risk so they could get on TV.
5. Had Artest not gone into the stands, Ben Wallace's retaliatory shove probably would have earned him a 1- or 2-game suspension, and Artest would have gotten nothing. Artest's initial foul wasn't that bad, and Nunez and Carlisle had calmed the on-court situation. Artest started the real trouble because he couldn't turn the other cheek when hit by a paper cup.
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