hit O'Neal) at them as they walked under the tunnel to the locker room. Brown tried to talk to the fans over the loudspeaker of the arena in an attempt to stop the debacle, but his pleas availed nothing, and he threw down the microphone in exasperation. Pistons public address announcer John Mason implored the remaining crowd to leave the court and arena because the game was over, and pleaded with fans to not throw any objects or engage in fighting. No players from either team spoke to the media before leaving the arena. Eventually, police officers swarmed the arena, threatening to handcuff those who would not leave. Nine spectators were injured, and two were taken to the hospital. In the Pacers' locker room, O'Neal and Carlisle nearly got into a fight, as O'Neal was upset that some coaches had tried to restrain players while they were defending themselves out on the court. After everyone calmed down, Artest asked Jackson, "Jack, you think we going to get in trouble?" Jackson replied, "Are you serious, bro? Trouble? Ron, we'll be lucky if we still have a freaking job!" The conversation convinced an amazed Jackson and Pollard that Artest "wasn't in his right mind, to ask that question". Auburn Hills police entered the locker room to make arrests, but the team rushed Artest onto the bus and refused to take him off. The police decided to protect the Pacers as they left the arena, delaying decisions about criminal charges and arrests until after reviewing videos of the incident. By the time the Pacers' team bus departed, dozens of police cruisers were stationed in the parking lot and lined the surrounding road. Charges Suspensions On November 20, 2004, the NBA suspended Artest, Jackson, O'Neal, and Wallace indefinitely, saying that their actions were "shocking, repulsive, and inexcusable". The following day, the NBA announced that nine players would be suspended for a total of what eventually became 146 games: 137 games for Pacers players and nine games for Pistons players. David Harrison was also seen fighting with fans, but the NBA stated that he would not be suspended because "the incident occurred as the players were attempting to leave the floor". Artest was given the longest suspension; he was suspended for the remainder of the 2004–05 NBA season, a suspension that eventually totaled 86 games (73 regular season and 13 subsequent playoff games), the longest