Below is a collection of comments that were made regarding the Friday night incident in Detroit.

"You can't blame a player for reacting that way. You can't blame anybody. ... He was protecting himself. Nobody wants to be disrespected like that. You can say what you want as long as you don't put your hands on somebody else or touch him. You can't blame him." - Toronto Raptors guard Vince Carter defending Ron Artest.

"People are putting all the burden on (Ron) Artest, and I don't think that's fair. He's an easy target because of all the things he's been through. But some fans have gotten to a point where they think they can do or say anything. I think civility needs to try to make a comeback." - Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy.

"We've seen this stuff happen before with Monica Seles and different things, and baseball. It's not just the NBA. What can we do with this? That's something that the league has to talk about and that's what society has to talk about." - Charlotte Bobcats guard Steve Smith.

"If you're a fan, and you step on the court, guys are going to come after you. I'm not saying the players did the right thing, but if you step on the court, then you are fair game. Players don't know if you're carrying a knife or something. You can hurt somebody." - Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

"I just think in the long run, no isolated incident is bigger than the game. The NBA will survive." - Orlando Magic forward Grant Hill.