Ron Artest Reminds Us of the Old Ron Artest

November 19, 2004 is one of the worst dates in NBA history. 

It is the day that infamous star Ron Artest took his bad-boy ways into the crowd. 

Whether you agree or disagree, he still went into the stands, and after a paying customer of his product. 

He is a millionaire who could not keep his cool under pressure.  To this day, it is arguably the worst day in NBA history.

Since that time, NBA Commissioner David Stern has been trying to change the NBA's image of a league of thugs.  Stern has done a very good job of late, and popularity is soaring.  Team USA won gold with his players, and things are great.

When the playoffs started, the NBA was unsure what they would get out of their current champion the Boston Celtics.  A key injury to Kevin Garnet created the the best first-round playoff series in history.  That series is in the history books, and the NBA is pumped for their second-round games.

Fast forward to last night.  The Lakers and Rockets fought in what was a physical basketball game.  Today's most popular NBA story is one regarding Ron Artest.  In his post-game comments, he told a story about his old school playground.

The story had something to do with a friend of his getting stabbed through the heart with a kitchen table leg.  Really?  How do you explain that one to your kids? 

All in all, last night's antics, whether they were the fault of Artest or not, are bad for the NBA.  Bad press is better than no press—but they are still bad.

They remind fans of that terrible day where the players rushed into the crowd to fight.  The day that the court could have been surrounded by a cage, and been more like a cage fight than a NBA game.

David Stern is not going to take light of this situation.  Money will be taken and suspensions should happen.  If they don't, the fans will start to turn on the league. 

Not for what it hasn't done, but for what is going on now.