"Get lost, Ron, leave him alone!" Michael Reed pushed Artest away; after all, he couldn't just stand by while his teammate was being bullied.
Artest completely ignored Reed and continued his aggression: "Don't touch me, this has nothing to do with you, you ugly shooter. If you want to join, I'll deal with you too."
"Who can you handle with that face Roger smashed? I'm afraid your eyeballs will fall out this time!"
"Say that again!?"
After the verbal altercation, shoving was inevitable. Seeing that a conflict was about to break out even before the game started, the scene immediately became chaotic.
It looked like things were about to get out of control until a man's loud shout echoed on the court: "Ron!"
Ben Wallace, the official prescription for Ron Artest's mania.
Ben to the rescue, Artest released Michael Reed's collar and pushed him away.
