WNBA reviewing fight between which involved Parker, Leslie

Posted July 22, 2008 11:00 pm

Associated Press

Detroit Shock's Plenette Pierson, bottom left, scuffles with Los Angeles Sparks' Candace Parker during a bench clearing melee in the closing seconds of their WNBA basketball game on Tuesday. Associated Press

The WNBA is watching replays of the skirmish involving the Detroit Shock, Los Angeles Sparks and former Pistons Bad Boy Rick Mahorn.

"(We are) reviewing the incident in its entirety," WNBA spokesman Ron Howard said Wednesday.

The melee at The Palace of Auburn Hills -- also the site of the infamous brawl between the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and fans in 2004 -- broke out Tuesday night with 4.6 seconds left in a game won by the Sparks.

Detroit's Plenette Pierson and assistant coach Mahorn were ejected, along with Los Angeles players Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones

Parker and Pierson got tangled up and fell to the court. Deanna Nolan tackled Parker and Mahorn appeared to push LA star Lisa Leslie to the court. DeLisha Milton-Jones responded by punching Mahorn in the back.

"I don't even know why was he pushing me down," Leslie said. "I wasn't swinging or hitting anybody. I was just going to go help my teammate up."

When order was restored, Parker, Pierson, Milton-Jones and Mahorn were ejected, and Nolan and Los Angeles' Shannon Bobbitt received technicals.

"To be honest, I don't recall exactly what happened," Parker said. "I'll have to watch the tape."

So will WNBA president Donna Orender, who could be issuing some suspensions.

In addition to the four ejected, WNBA rules stipulate that players who left the bench are subject to a minimum one-game suspension and a fine -- much like NBA players.

Not only was this the site of the ugly Pacers-Pistons brawl in 2004 that involved fans, Mahorn also was involved in that melee. He was then a Detroit broadcaster and went into the crowd to try to pull Indiana's Ron Artest away from fans.

"I was trying to protect the whole game, the integrity of the game," Mahorn said of Tuesday's ejection. "The WNBA is very special to me ... I would never push a woman. This game, I love this game too much."

Shock coach Bill Laimbeer -- who teamed with Mahorn to form the core of the Pistons' "Bad Boys" clubs that won championships in 1989 and 1990 -- and Los Angeles' Michael Cooper both came to Mahorn's defense.

"Rick Mahorn is known as a peacemaker, from even the brawl we had here with Indiana," Laimbeer said. "He went out there to get people off the pile, and to get people to stop the confrontation. That's who he is, that's what he does."

Added Cooper: "I think Rick was trying to play peacemaker, but he's just too big. I was only trying to grab my players, and I didn't see exactly what happened, but he apparently gently tried to push Lisa away."

Ford sprained her right knee while trying to restrain Pierson, and left the floor in a wheelchair.

"That was unfortunate, but things like that happen in basketball sometimes," Milton-Jones said. "The league is going to have to decide what kind of action to take."

Orender's dilemma will be to decide who will be suspended and for how long. In 2005, the Shock's Elaine Powell was suspended five games for striking Washington's Coco Miller during a game. Although Powell has never had the stature of Parker or even Milton-Jones, the league hasn't been shy about suspending a star player. Phoenix's Diana Taurasi served a two-game ban last season for inappropriate conduct toward game officials after a loss to Detroit.

Brawls occur in the NBA -- the New York Knicks and Miami Heat were involved in one during the 1997 playoffs -- but this apparently was a first in the women's pro game.

"I haven't seen something like that, I don't think, in my whole career. This is pretty rare," said Detroit veteran guard Katie Smith, who will be teammates with Leslie, Parker and Milton-Jones at the Beijing Olympics.

Although the league, now in its 12th season, is still looking to broaden its fan base, this is hardly what anyone had in mind.

"This is not the way we want to represent ourselves and the WNBA," Leslie said, "and for it to be a television game, obviously, it'll probably make some highlights. And this is not the way we want to get attention."

Detroit Shock assistant coach Rick Mahorn, center, grabs the arm of Los Angeles Sparks' assistant coach Laura Beeman while being hit on the back by Sparks' DeLisha Milton-Jones, second from right. Associated Press

Detroit Shock assistant coach Rick Mahorn, center, pushes Los Angeles Sparks' Lisa Leslie to the ground. Associated Press

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