I still remember vividly sitting in the bedroom of our little Chicago condo and going “Holy shit!”, “Oh my god!”, and “Wow!” as I watched the worst incident in NBA history erupt. Woke up my wife from her regular evening nap on the couch.
Oft referred to as The Malice at the Palace, on a mundane Friday evening, the middle of the road Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pacers got into a brawl and then ignited a riot. In the immediate post-game reactions and dissection, the most poignant moments came from Bill Walton, a guy who loves basketball and the NBA. The sadness and dejection in his voice told the whole story. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries, but it was definitely a disturbing event.
I’m not yet into Grantland’s long form sports journalism, but I’m planning to make some time for Jonathan Abrams The Malice at the Place: An oral history of the scariest moment in NBA history
Hat tip Dan Fogarty at SportsGrid