Recent incidents involving the Indiana Pacers have left the team labelled the next coming of the old Pistons 'bad boys' of the NBA, but is the label really warranted.  Peter Vecsey of the New York Post goes back over recent incidents and shows not only were the Pacers unjustly treated but also why.

A four game suspension to forward Ron Artest was a joke in itself, but adding Pacers coach Isiah Thomas for an additional two games as a result of an altercation between Al Harrington and the Raptors Morris Peterson, started by Peterson, was the icing on the cake according to Vecsey.  When you look at the fact that Warriors forward Chris Mills only got three games for 1) fighting against the Portland Trailblazers, then 2) trying to get into the Blazers locker room after the game, then 3) blocking the Blazers bus and challenging all the Portland players as they tried to leave you can see that Vecsey has a point.

The fact of the matter is NBA commissioner David Stern was forced to voice his opinions on all suspensions prior to the embarrassing leniency shown by Stu Jackson.  He had to in order to restore credibility and to deter future acts after Jackson created a precedent.  Severity will act as a deterrent the league believes, and Artest and Thomas were the unlucky victims used to make a league point.

Vescey believes that in their quest to restore order both Stern and Jackson have lost all touch with common sense.  'First, they allow Pat Riley's melodramatics to bait them into making a major mockery over nothing regarding the Artest incident, and then, following a sham tribunal, they determine Thomas was a predator in the Mo Peterson-Al Harrington tripping/jersey-twisting episode,' writes Vecsey.

The incident with Thomas breathed life after Thomas rushed out to the aide of his player, only to be met with an alleged barrage of vulgar language which angered him.  Thomas? word in the indecent was not taken as gospel, Peterson denied making such comments, and the NBA viewed the situation as one in which the Pacers coach was an aggressor rather than mediator.  The NBA did hold an investigation, but the league's investigators, in exhaustive interviews with various eyewitnesses, were unable to confirm Thomas' accusation.

However, in a twist of irony one person who was not questioned by the league was Pacers guard Reggie Miller, who was restraining Peterson at the time of the incident.  While it cannot be assumed that Miller would ?shoot straight? given that his evidence would directly impact his coach, the fact that he wasn?t even question despite being the closest person not directly involved in an derogative sense gives off the impression that the way the situation was handled perhaps was not the most just.

Vecsey was able to catch up with Miller and asked if his coaches story was in fact accurate.

"I can only tell you what I saw and heard. It's that simple," Miller responded. "No one in the league asked me [bleep]."

"So, was Isiah's account accurate? Did Peterson curse him exactly as he said?"

"Yes! You can quote me on that," Miller said.