Detroit Pistons legend and former Indiana Pacers head coach Isiah Thomas recently relived and talked about the story behind the Malice at the Palace as the Pistons and Pacers' infamous nasty brawl is once again a hot topic since a documentary called “Untold: Malice at the Palace” is currently being aired on Netflix
The Malice at the Palace happened back in 2004 when a fight broke out on the court after Pistons center Ben Wallace was fouled hard by the Pacers' Ron Artest. When the dust finally settled, a fan threw a drink towards Ron Artest, who was laying down at the scorer's table. It then sparked a brawl against players and spectators thus resulting in the “Malice at the Palace”.
In a recent interview with NBA TV, Thomas claimed and believed he could have prevented the Malice at the Palace from happening.
I was the coach that Carlisle replaced. Had I not got fired, I believe I’d won a championship with that team. I don’t believe there would’ve been a Malice at the Palace, because I don’t believe the Pistons fans would’ve acted that way with me coaching that team.
Isiah Thomas is a legend in the Detroit Pistons' uniform as he won back-to-back championships with them in 1989 and 1990. Thomas' bold claim seems to throw shade towards Rick Carlisle.
In three years of coaching the Pacers, Thomas had a 131-115 record and went 5-10 in the playoffs. The numbers were much better with Carlisle as he had a record of 181-147 in the regular season and 18-17 in the playoffs.
After Carlisle's stint with the Pacers, he then went to the Dallas Mavericks wherein he won his first NBA title as a coach.
Rick Carlisle is now back with the Pacers with more experience than ever after spending more than a decade with the Mavs. They will be looking to clinch a playoff spot with Domantas Sabonis leading the way.
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