July 23, 2008 - A melee at The Palace of Auburn Hills — also the site of the infamous brawl between the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and fans in 2004 — broke out Tuesday night with 4.6 seconds left in a WNBA game between the Detroit Shock the Los Angeles Sparks.
The game turned heated after a collision between LA’s Candace Parker and Detroit’s Plenette Pierson turned into a shoving match that saw players and coaches from both teams leave the bench. In the waning moments of the game, Parker got tangled up with Pierson and to many it was clear that Pierson intentionally baited Parker and took her to the ground “Piston style”.
Rookie sensation Candace Parker, the league’s poster child, scored 21 points and DeLisha Milton-Jones added 19 before both were ejected after the scuffle. The Sparks held on to beat the Shock 84-81 in WNBA.
Pierson and Detroit assistant coach Rick Mahorn (a former Pistons Bad Boy) were also ejected. The latter came off the bench as a peacekeeper but allegedly shoved Lisa Leslie to the ground during the incident. Pushing the star center may not have been the best idea to “protect the game” especially when Mahorn is twice her size. Suspensions and fines will surely follow for all involved.
The Shock’s Cheryl Ford, who also went down during the incident, will miss the remainder of 2008 WNBA Season with a knee injury sustained earlier in the game.
The brawl, which was televised (see below), may have provided the WNBA with a much needed a shot in the arm to boost attention - albeit not the most positive kind. Now this may not have been on the same level as what happens in European Football (soccer) matches or between the Yanks and the Red Sox but it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that a bunch of women lost their temper during an intense game. It’s exactly the kind of emotional stupidity that’s been known to afflict their male counterparts in a host of similar situations.
Anway, the rivalry between the Sparks and the Shock is firmly established and as a fan, a game between these two teams in the championship could definitely pique my interest.
What do you think?
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3 Responses to “Basketbrawl: Malice in the Palace Part II”
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Female athletes are just as competitive as men so when they are pushed to the edge, why can’t they exhibit the same lack of control?
Now that the women have shown they can fight like the NBA players - can they get paid the same as the guys?
[…] Shock entered the break reeling from a skirmish with the Los Angeles Sparks. Cheryl Ford was lost for the season with a knee injury, and Plenette Pierson was suspended for […]