I was watching the game and so I saw it live as well as the ten zillion times they replayed it... These are two teams that play extremely physical ball and do as much as the refs let them get away with, which unfortunately, particularly in the case of Detroit, is often way too much. (Not to mention that Laimbeer fosters the whole bad-girl stuff on his team anyway.) So you had a game last night where tempers were already pretty hot before this happened, particularly from the play that preceded this one. I'm not defending anything any player or coach did during the melee, but the refs have to get a better handle on controlling the game in the first place.

That said, Pierson had no business going after Parker when Parker was down, no one should have been throwing punches, and the coaches should not have been touching the opponents' players. The league needs to step in swiftly with appropriate punishments and make a statement that this will not be tolerated.

Lisa Leslie gets huge props for the class act interview she gave to Lobo immediately after the game. And I hope Ford is okay.

I agree with the comments of Original Fan. The refs did not have control of the game. Pierson always seems to be on the lookout for a fight, and I'm sure Parker gets abused on a regular basis so feels she has something to prove.

I'm not a Lisa Leslie fan, but she really was a class act after the game. Her comments were right on and watching the tape should be mandatory for everyone involved in the incident. It's also a shame that the one person who got hurt in the melee was one who was trying to break it up. I certainly hope Pierson has apologized to Ford.

I don't doubt that Mahorn was trying to break up the fight, but it sure looked like he was saying something to Leslie after she was on the ground.

There is no question that there will be suspensions and fines over this, and there should be.

You call that a fight? my mamma used to me me twice as hard as dat on a regular basis ...

The truth of the matter is that Candace is starting to become the LeBron James/Michael Jordan of the WNBA. I think some of the other players in the league are starting to become jealous of her because of all the limelight, and not to mention money, she receives. I think it would be very unfair to take disciplinary against Candace Parker for this altercation, as she was only fighting in self defense.

I watched the game , too. Sad it had to end on such a sour note. And too bad the referees couldn't keep things under control. In my mind they definitely had something to do with the outcome of the game during the last 3 minutes of play. Loose ball calls and fouls called and not called. The referees sure didn't look or act like professionals. The media can call it what it wants, but, Parker surely hooked Pierson after the foul shot and took her down, and when Pierson approached, Parker dragged her down again. I don't make these things up, I got it recorded. I agree Pierson shouldn't have tried to get in the face of Parker, but what would you do in retaliation? The facts are the facts. Parker probably should attend some anger management courses, because if this is a sign of what she believes is allowed in this sport, she won't last long as the one of the new WNBA's sweethearts. If you have followed her college career as well, you should know that it doesn't take much to get on her wrong side. She's got the look, will give you the look, and then it's rally time and she'll explode as she has done in the past. She is a great player. I'd just like to see her conduct herself as one. Lisa Leslie is one class act. Lobo did a great job with the interview. You can tell Lisa worships the game she plays and is a model to all women who play the game or have aspirations to. I love the women's game much more than the men, because I believe they play a more pure game. I hope the future brings an end to outbreaks like this and the league puts out a memo that will have enough iron in it so players will know they will pay the price if they decide to participate in such activity on the court.

The WNBA will have to institute the same rule that is in place for the men, making it illegal for players to leave their benches during an altercation on the court. Although their intentions may be good, in that they are trying become "peacemakers" in quelling a a physical dispute, having more players on a court during a fight usually escalates the altercation into a free-for-all ruckus.

Hi.. I was watching the game as well as i think a million people, and from what i saw it looked as if the detroit player threw candace parker down and then candace fell. Im sorry i dont know the name of the detroit player.. Also it looked like when candace through down the detroit player the detroit player tried to punch or hit her in a way. I do fell that they both should be punished for thier actions , but from my point of view i fill candace parker was trieng to protect herself. I would like wish the sparks and the shock good luck for their upcoming games and for any trials or tribulations they have to undergo. I wont speak on the lisa leslie story because i feel they were both right if you look at their point of view. I am a 14 year old boy and love to see the women play the game of basketball. I am a candace parker fan and i hope this does not destroy her career. go sparks....

I watched the game and i saw the fight on t.v.
From my point of view, when the detroit player came at Candace while she was on the ground, the detroit player wanted to fight. If i were candace i would have probably done the same thing, I mean what else was Candace supposed to do, let the detroit player beat the crap out of her and throw punches. I am a huge fan of Candace so of course i will take her side, but even if you weren't would'nt you see taht candace didn't start the fight?? I do believe that candace as well as the detroit player will be suspended for some amount of time, but Candace was just trying to defend herself and unfortunately she will be punished, thanks to the detroit Player being unsportsmanlike.

Again the refs didn't have control of the game. They should have stopped the game and got control. Now we have a player hurt because they didn't do thier job.

Such a fuss about a little pushing and shoving.

I watched the game and it was most intense. Like millions of others, I saw the altercations. However, what I saw was Pierson coming off the block and ramming Parker. It was not a basketball move, it was not a box out. It was an aggressive move which seemed to have specific intentions behind it. Once their arms were tangled up, Pierson held on which made Candace stumble and they went down. Now, from this point, Candace is on the court on her back and attempting to get up when Pierson gets up and walks straight at her with fist balled. If I were Candace, I would have done the same thing. I would have felt threatened and I would have grabbed her as she tried to walk over my head. Candance then pulled her down to the court and everyone came to join in. I have to admit that Lisa Leslie was trying to keep the peace as she had throughout the game. It was unfortunate that she got pushed down by the other teams assistant coach, however, I don't believe that he meant to push her that hard. I do think that he should have looked for a white jersey and pulled or pushed that girl away if that is what he felt he had to do. His sheer size caused the fall to look worse than it was. I'm sure Lisa could not tell it at the time that she was sliding 5ft across the floor after being pushed down by a coach. It will be important for everyone to look at the tapes and put this situation back in perspective. It was an intense game. It was pure and raw emotion. There were some very specific people at fault here and I don't think it is fair to punish Candance for defending herself from the floor while someone has just rammed her, pulled her down, and then come toward her walking her down with her fist balled. Pierson is the one who needs anger management. I also need to say that I think Lisa's daughter will be very proud of the way her mother handled herself when she is old enough to watch the tapes. Life is hard and we can't predict what will come up but we can determine how we will respond to it. Lisa handled herself extremely well on and off the court. I made my daughter (she's 11) watch the fight and the interview as an example of what to do when faced with those types of situations.

What's the WNBA? I have more fun watching High School Games...

And we have found the sport that draws less interest than soccer in the US ... really ... who cares?

MILLIONS of others, Dione? I think hundreds of thousands is more like it. That's how many people watch a WNBA game. If these athletes want to be taken as seriously as their male counterparts, they have to actually throw a punch instead of yelling and shouting and shoving. But, when you think about it, things like this are the only way the WNBA will get a headline and lead story instead of being relegated to page D15

I too watched the game on TV and I am disappointed that the game ended as it did. The game was a physical one as it usually is when these two teams play. So emotions were already running high and then Candace Parker and Cheryl Ford got into an altercation the play before the fight. Plenette Pierson did hip check Parker after the free throw and in retaliation Parker locked arms with her and threw her to the ground. I feel that both Pierson and Parker are to blame for this incident and that they should both be fined and suspended. Parker was not defending herself she basically started it! I KNOW that Rick Mahorn was trying to be the peacemaker in this situation. He was trying to separate the players just as Michael Cooper was. He did push Lisa Leslie but I don't think he was trying to push her to the ground. She looked like she just lost her balance because she was throwing punches at him. Mahorn's face says it all after Delisha Milton-Jones hit him. He didn't know what was going on and he tried to explain that to the Sparks coaching staff as well. He should not have been ejected. I think that when Lisa Leslie looks at the tape she will realize that she misunderstood Mahorn's actions. I hate that Ford injured her good knee trying to restrain Pierson. I love the Detroit Shock, I am a HUGE FAN and I hate to see a pretty good game end like this. No one is talking about how Katie Smith scored 20 or how Kara Braxton was great off the bench in the second half. And how the Shock battled back from being down 21 in the second quarter to within one in the final minute of the game! Parker was having a good game as well. People are only going to see the last ten seconds of the game because that's all the sports shows are showing. But what can you do? It happens, emotions run high in the game sometimes and this is a heated rivalry between the two teams and the two head coaches. Pierson, Parker and Milton-Jones need to be suspended and I think that Leslie should be fined for swinging at Mahorn. I still LOVE the WNBA!!

I think the first poster got it completely right! I will add that Pearson was beyond out of control! she was enraged to the point of ignorance and she needs to be delt with harshly for it! She could have injured Candice and did injure one of her own players with that ignorance and Bill L encourages this crap! The Refs should have and could have given him a technical foul on more than one occasion and did nothing! This game was out of control and the refs need to also be delt with in this instance!

Unreal!

im shocked this many people were watching the wnba live

And for Gatorman....give me a break! Pearson's "Box out" was completely illegal and intentional! You dont push somebody back to beyond the flippin free throw line and call that a legat box out...knock the girl down and then jump up as if you have somehow been wronged and charge up to the player as she is getting up off the floor and not expect that person to defend themselves! I dont fault parker one bit for defending herself! Pearson is out of control and it needs to stop! Her coach needs to get this mess in check and that's difficult to do when you encourage that mess! They both need anger management! Pearson's rage was an embarrassment to her team and the WNBA and the league needs to take the control that the refs lost so this never ever happens again!

the wnba is still around?

Who keeps writing that they saw it like millions of others??? Do these WNBA games really get over 1 million viewers?

Everyone take a deep breath. Its the WNBA, not the NBA. 295 Million people in the U.S. could care less.

I fail to understand why those of you who aren't interested in the WNBA and have no comments with any relevance are blogging in a WNBA space. Perhaps you have no life?

No,

We have lives. We're just bored at work because it's hump day. And reading these posts and how SERIOUS you guys are makes me and my bretheren and sisteren want to laugh. Millions of people watch the WNBA? Yeah if you say so. I also hear Sasquatch and the Bogey Man are having a tea party at Verizon Center.

Thanks for clarifying. I will look forward to more enlightening comments from those who have nothing better to do than make feeble attempts at humor about something that they know so little of. Millions of people may not watch the WNBA but then we all know that anyone who watches male sports teams would never exaggerate about anything!

Pierson needs to get some anger management. Looks like she was even willing to battle her own coach. Pathetic.

I'm guessing that it's one loser who's writing the nasty comments about the WNBA and thinks he's being clever by signing different names. Whatever. I hope your boss catches you playing on the internet and fires you because SHE's a big WNBA fan.

Anyway...let's not forget how the media stir up the rivalry between Detroit and LA. From Lobo's comments at the beginning of the game about no love lost and maybe there would be some basketball inbetween the physical play, to having clips of Laimbeer and Cooper say how they don't like each other, to using Milton-Jones's nickname of DeNasty. They play it up big time to draw in the MILLIONS of people who watch. That's all well and good, but the "ain't it a shame" talk afterward from Pam Ward and Doris Burke rings hollow.

Think I'll go a Redskins board now and make snide comments about how they are at camp, learning how to macrame and such. Because *yawn* who cares? It's just a bunch of steroid pumped fat guys in pads running around and hitting each other.

Am I the only one who sees Lisa Leslie swinging at Rick Mahorn and then completely taking a dive Karl-Malone style? And then after the game crying and wondering why she got pushed? Whatever... And Candace Parker threw the Detroit player down not once, but twice...

If anyone needs to be suspended and fined it's the Detroit Coaches! The apples don't fall far from the tree!! Candace Parker was defending herself from a thug who clearly bulldozed her on purpose and then came after her mouthing off and ready to fight while she was still on the ground! What is a girl supposed to do?? Both Candace and Lisa Leslie are class acts and great role models. And to those of you nay-sayers about the WNBA... it's a great league with plenty of fan support!! You should attend an Atlanta Dream game... they have only won 3 games this year as an expansion team but you would think each home game was a playoff game! We love our team and the WNBA!

Well I for one was really enjoying a great game. My son (naturally) was upstairs not watching it as he is also one who feels like women's sports do not count. Let me remind all you "NON_NBA" fans that women now have the "RIGHT TO VOTE" and our money and television viewing time are just as valuable as anyone's The WNBA is a sport of choice for many people.

It is sad that an exciting game as this ended like it did, but the more I watch the clip, the more I feel the Detroit coach was playing on his team's emotions, trying to get them fired up so they would play on a different level. There is a price that should be paid by him for his coaching tactics (Maybe he should go to the "Pat Summit" school for coaching ladies"?) Please remove his microphone from the listening audience because he had me enraged with his foul attitude well before the latter part of the game. He should have had several technical's called on him earlier in the game.

I find no fault with any of Parker's defensive actions and as I see the playback more and more she didn't really have a choice but to grab hold of the person who was ramming into her as she was attempting to get up from the floor she was just thrown to. I am also proud of Hornbuckle for helping to break up the malay and Leslie for being such a professional.

I do enjoy watching the WNBA! I just hate that I cannot watch it more because it doesn't usually get such Prime time coverage... I think it is sad that you cannot just let us enjoy the WNBA as we allow you to enjoy your sport of choice.

I don't get it -- why do these non-WNBA fans write in. If you don't like it just move on. I don't like golf either but I don't feel the need to go to a golf site and bash the sport -- what is your problem?

Both and Pierson should be suspended. There is something called sportsmanship, and last night neither Pierson nor Parker showed any of it.I watched the game live and this was brewing late in the 4th quarter. I don't care who started what, if you can't take the pressure, just don't play.

The ref's should have had control of the game and they didn't, along with making obtuse calls and no-calls. I fault the ref's in this game.

Lisa Leslie did the mature thing and a great interview with Rebecca Lobo and what about Cheryl Ford, she got hurt and that is sad.

The thing about Detroit is that they are very physical, they will get after every loose ball and go after every rebound.

I also believe that the referees in this game should also have some kind of disciplinary action.

Tough call for Orender.

I don't watch the WNBA. Now, maybe if they did some mud wrestling instead of punching....

If you looked at the whole game Candice took more than her fairshare of abuse. And gettting Hip Check after the free throw was the last straw. A person Man/woman can only take so much

Ok, was everyone watching the same Lisa Leslie I saw or have watched in the past?

She is as a dirty player as anyone in the WNBA or some of the NBA, for that matter!

Just watch her elbows fly during any game, except, during the Olympics, which will get you kicked out!

So, I have to disagree with the comments about her being the "model player"

The Sparks seem to take lessons from the Lakers, playing dirty and rough and getting away with way too much, some of which can be blamed on the refs, who do not call very blatant fouls and dirty play! They are very skilled at knowing where the refs are and doing things they know they can get away with!

So, ppl wake up and see the Sparks for who they really are!!

I am not completely excusing the Shock, they play pretty rough too, but Leslie is not the angel everyone makes her out to be.
And she is teaching Parker very well, in the art of playing dirty!!

I wish Parker had gone to a different team, I don't think she would have the attitude she does, with the Sparks!

If you look at all the former players, from the Sparks, you will see how dirty they are and the attitudes they have, until their new team/coach slaps them around and gets that Sparks mentality out of them.