Ron Artest's last playoff game:
(3:57) [IND] Artest Foul: Flagrant Type 1 (3 PF)
(3:57) [DET 60-59] Hamilton Free Throw Flagrant 2 of 2 (18 PTS)
(3:57) [DET 61-59] Hamilton Free Throw Flagrant 1 of 1 (19 PTS)
(3:44) [DET 63-59] R. Wallace Dunk Shot: Made (11 PTS)
(2:41) [IND 61-63] O'Neal Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Johnson (7 AST)
(1:34) [IND] Johnson Layup Shot: Missed Block: Prince (2 BLK)
(1:13) [DET 65-61] Hamilton Running Jump: Made (21 PTS) Assist: Billups (3 AST)
(1:06) [IND] Artest Dunk Shot: Missed
(1:03) [DET] R. Wallace Rebound (Off:3 Def:8)
(0:46) [DET 67-61] Prince Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Billups (4 AST)
(0:40) [IND 63-67] O'Neal Turnaround Jump: Made (20 PTS)
(0:13) [IND] Artest Jump Shot: Missed
(0:12) [DET] Team Rebound
(0:12) [DET] Team Timeout: Short
(0:11) [DET 69-63] B. Wallace Dunk Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Prince (2 AST)
(0:01) [IND 65-69] Croshere Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS)
(0:00) End Period
He spent 82 regular season games and 15 playoff games being great guy, one of the most mature men in all of basketball. But when crunch time hit, 4 minutes that meant the difference between the end of the season and a trip to Indianapolis for game 7 keeping the dream of the 2004 NBA Finals alive, he laid his forearm into Rip Hamilton's nose. If you watched the game, you know that Rip Hamilton got a technical because he was wouldn't stop talking at Artest.
One of the moments that is engrained in the 2004 Conference Finals is Rip coming off that screen, hitting that shot with 1:13 to go and as he went down to the other end of the floor, he turned around, looked Artest in the eye and pointed both of his index finger to the Palace floor saying "It (expletive) ends here!" Every basket after that foul had more energy, more at ude to it. He awoke the Pistons when they were too nervous for the first 44 minutes to grab that game and the Conference Championship. I mean, look at that score! 69-65? That was bad for that series. The Pistons shot 33% for the game, and the Pacers had a lead as large as 14.
It's not that he's not man enough, it's that he won't be able to control himself. And that's why San Antonio will have no problem putting away the Kings, whether it's a close series or not.