Criminal cases are pending for John Green, the fan accused of lobbing the cup that ignited the fracas, as well as spectators William Paulson and John Ackerman. David Wallace, one of Ben Wallace’s brothers, was sentenced to a year of probation and community service for punching Pacers in the stands.

“I just got caught up in the heat of the moment,” David Wallace said in a telephone interview from Selma, Ala. “When you don’t have time to think about something, there’s not always a thought process involved.”

When Detroit hosted the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, Phil Creglow, a 24-year-old fan from Lansing, was sitting close to the spot from where the cup was tossed.

“When you buy a ticket, I think you have the right to heckle these millionaires, but you cross the line when you start throwing stuff,” Creglow said.

In the wake of the brawl, Wilson said the NBA mandated teams add one uniformed police officer near the court, putting three of them between players and fans.

“We learned that the impossible is possible, so we have to be prepared for the worst,” Wilson said.

The brawl transcended sports, landing on front pages, leading newscasts and even inspiring an episode of NBC’s fictional “Law & Order.”

“Both the league and the players got a quick and dramatic wake-up call about their perception in the public,” said Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida. “When the NBA took corrective actions, like the dress code, it showed how serious they took the threat to their business.”

Stern acknowledged the dress code he instituted before this season was “a small thing” the league is doing to improve its image because of the brawl. The new policy requires players wear business casual attire whenever they participate in team or league activities.

“We need to have our players look more professional to show more respect for the game and consumers,” Stern said. “That’s just part of what we’re trying to do to let the public know that our players are good people.”

Ben Wallace said earlier this week he didn’t know the one-year anniversary of the brawl would be Saturday, but the reminder didn’t annoy him.

“We know it’s not going to disappear, because people will probably bring it up and talk about it for a long time,” he said. “I wish the whole thing didn’t happen for the sake of the fans, the league and the players. But it did, so we all have to live with the effects of it.”

Timeline of events surrounding the brawl at The Palace A look at the Nov. 19, 2004, brawl involving the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and fans in Auburn Hills, Mich., and its aftermath: — Indiana’s Ron Artest fouls Detroit’s Ben Wallace as he goes in for a layup with 45.9 seconds left and the Pacers leading 97-82. — Wallace wheels around and delivers a hard, two-handed shove to Artest’s chin, which leads to pushing and shoving with several players near midcourt. — Artest rests on the scorer’s table with his hands behind his head, looking relaxed. Wallace tries to get at Artest, but is held back by teammates and coaches. — As players shout at each other, Wallace throws a wristband toward Artest, who stands up briefly before lying back down on the scorer’s table. — A fan near midcourt hits Artest in the face with a cup filled with ice and a beverage. — Artest storms into the stands and attacks a fan he thinks hurled the cup. — Indiana’s Stephen Jackson joins his teammate in the seats and starts throwing punches. — David Harrison, Eddie Gill and Fred Jones of the Pacers, Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace and former Piston Rick Mahorn try to break up the fight between Pacers and fans, who land their share of punches. — Back on the court near Indiana’s bench, Artest punches a fan wearing a Pistons jersey who walks toward him. Jermaine O’Neal lands a vicious right hand to a fan’s face. — Pacers players and coaches leave the floor and are showered with beer, popcorn and other debris, and a folding chair is hurled toward them. — Indiana’s Jamaal Tinsley tries to go back on the court, holding a dust pan over his head, but is turned back to the locker room. AFTERMATH — The NBA suspends Artest (for the rest of the season), Jackson (30 games), O’Neal (25), Wallace (six), Indiana’s Anthony Johnson (five), Reggie Miller (one), Detroit’s Chauncey Billups (one), Elden Campbell (one) and Derrick Coleman (one). — Authorities say fan John Green threw the cup that hit Artest. — Artest, Jackson, Harrison and Johnson are charged with one count each of assault and battery. O’Neal is charged with two counts of assault and battery. Eight fans, including Wallace’s brother, David, are charged for their roles in the brawl. — An arbitrator reduces O’Neal’s suspension from 25 to 15 games. — Fans Charlie Haddad and Alvin Shackelford Jr., plead no contest to charges of walking on the court during the brawl and are sentenced to probation and community service. — The brawl inspires an episode of NBC’s fictional “Law & Order.” — Spectators David Wallace, for misdemeanor assault and battery, and Jeremy Handley, for throwing objects at a performance or sporting event, are sentenced to probation and community service. — The start of Indiana’s next game in Detroit is delayed by 1 hour, 25 minutes because of a telephoned threat that there is a bomb in the Pacers’ locker room. — Bryant Jackson, accused of throwing a chair, pleads no contest to one count of felony assault and one count of misdemeanor assault and battery and is later sentenced to two years probation. — The five Pacers plead no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery charges and are sentenced to a year of probation and community service. — Attorney Larry Charfoos, who represents Haddad, says O’Neal, Johnson and the Pacers are being sued by his client. Charfoos says the civil case will start with depositions this winter and is expected to head to court next summer. — Other lawsuits are filed against the Pacers, including one by a Palace security guard. — Charges against three fans, including Green, are pending.

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