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Pacers, Pistons expect no trouble in rematch. INDIANAPOLIS - The Pacers and the Pistons expect an electric atmosphere on Saturday in their first meeting since Indiana players fought with Detroit fans on Nov. 19. With Jermaine O'Neal back in the lineup for the Pacers, the hometown fans will have more reason to cheer. A federal judge upheld an arbitrator's decision to reduce the Pacers star's suspension on Thursday for his part in one of the worst cases of player-fan violence in U.S. sports history. http://www.azcentral.com/imgs/clear.gif "That's our All-Star," Fred Jones said. "He's our best player on the team. That's going to excite us all and get us going even more." Particularly the fans, who have been waiting for more than a month to voice their frustration after watching Pistons fans fight with the Pacers and pelt them with drinks, popcorn, a chair and other debris, leading to the suspensions of O'Neal, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson and Anthony Johnson. O'Neal's original 25-game penalty was reduced to 15 games by an arbitrator Wednesday, while Commissioner David Stern's decisions to suspend Artest for the rest of the season and Jackson for 30 games were upheld. Johnson has already served his five-game suspension. Signs reading "Free Artest" have popped up at subsequent home games, as have "Suspend Stern" T-shirts. On Christmas Day, the Pacers fans get their chance to see the Pistons and Ben Wallace. Many blame him for sparking the brawl. When asked how he thought the fans would greet Wallace, Johnson just laughed. "Our fans are pretty creative when it comes to jeering other teams," Johnson said. "I look forward to hearing some of the things they have to say (Saturday)." But most expect them to do little else. "Our fans know how to behave," Johnson said. "We don't have to worry about anything like that happening here." That said, the Pacers are taking precautions. Large tarps have been installed over the two arena entrances to protect players as they leave the floor. Pistons guard Chauncey Billups didn't seem too worried. "It will be a hard-fought game, I'm sure," Billups said, "but their fans are always a little rowdy when we come to town, and I'm sure it will be even more so this time. But I'm sure it'll be OK." |