NBA Ref Joe Derosa Angrily Throws Ball Into Crowd At Heckling Fan In Orlando!!!…Punish Him Like You Did Ron Artest!!!

Veteran NBA referee Joe Derosa snapped during tonight’s East Coast championship game 2 in Orlando, Florida,because a fan was heckling him…as many fans tend to do, at every sporting event in the world.

…it’s pretty much a part of what has become known as “home court advantage”. I have done it myself…but it is unusual for a referee to answer back,or to even engage the fans in an argument or physical altercation.

The fan, Franz Hanning, 55, is the CEO and President of Wyndham Vacation Ownership and is believed to be an acquaintance of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers.(SOURCE)

To compound the assault on the fan by the referee,the referee had security kick Hanning out of the arena after he threw the ball back at Derosa!?!?

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=orlando+magic&iid=8847635″ src=”d/e/4/1/Boston_Celtics_at_048c.jpg?adImageId=12907841&imageId=8847635″ width=”234″ height=”223″ /]I do not know what Mr.Hanning said to Derosa, but whatever it was,it still does not justify an NBA official attacking him, a fan,who was simply cheering on and supporting his favorite team.

I also believe that if the NBA is to be respected, they must punish this referee in the same manner as it punished Ron Artest for attacking several fans in the stands at the end of an infamous Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons game on November 19, 2004, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan.(VIDEO)

Artest was playing for the Pacers, the visiting team, when someone in the audience threw a bottle at him, and Artest entered the stands, swinging.

With less than a minute left in the game, a fight broke out between players on the court. As the fight was being broken up, a cup of soda was thrown from the stands at then-Pacer player Ron Artest, who entered the crowd sparking a massive brawl between players and fans.

The repercussions led to nine players being suspended without pay for a total of 146 games, which led to $10 million in salary being lost by the players. Five players were also charged with assault, and all five were eventually sentenced to a year on probation and community service. Five fans were also legally charged, and John Green, who threw the cup at Artest, received a lifetime ban from attending Pistons home games. The fight also led the NBA to increase security presence between players and fans, and to limit the sale of alcohol.(WIKI)[picapp align=”right” wrap=”true” link=”term=ron+artest&iid=6608280″ src=”7/7/5/f/Premiere_Of_Touchstone_5b0c.jpg?adImageId=12907870&imageId=6608280″ width=”234″ height=”337″ /]

Artest was given the longest suspension; he was suspended for the remainder of the 2004–05 NBA season, a suspension which eventually totaled 86 games (73 regular season and 13 subsequent playoff games), the longest suspension ever levied for a fight during an NBA game. The players suspended also lost in excess of $11 million in salary due to the suspensions, with Artest alone losing almost $5 million…

The NBA must show some consistency with their punishment in this case, and do the right thing.

NBA spokesperson Tim Frank said the league is aware of the incident and will review the matter following the game.

We will be watching this for further developments…and , by the way,the Celtic’s beat the Magic for a second straight game,92-88,seizing a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of 7 east coast championship series.

…it’s a wrap Orlando, because I doubt if the Celtics will lose more than one game…if even that.

[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=joe+derosa&iid=8494812″ src=”2/8/2/0/Oklahoma_City_Thunder_2535.jpg?adImageId=12907787&imageId=8494812″ width=”234″ height=”167″ /]

As a basketball fan, I am anticipating a Lakers-Celtics match-up for the NBA championship, but anything is possible…

[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=ron+artest&iid=8008086″ src=”9/5/3/2/Boston_Celtics_at_93e2.jpg?adImageId=12907886&imageId=8008086″ width=”380″ height=”327″ /]