Jackson: Jamaal Tinsley partly to blame for Malice at the Palace

Most of the details of 2004's infamous Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons brawl have been known for more than a decade, but then-Pacers swingman Stephen Jackson offered another nugget during a recent appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show."

The events leading up to "The Malice at the Palace" began when Metta World Peace (then known as Ron Artest) fouled the Pistons' Ben Wallace with the Pacers up 15 points with less than 46 seconds to in the Nov. 19, 2004, contest. However, Jackson told Eisen that Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley earlier suggested to Artest that he get back at Wallace for a hard foul in the previous spring's Eastern Conference finals - a series the Pistons won in six games.

"We all know Ron isn't in his right mind," Jackson said. "He didn't need a battery in his back to do something stupid. He did that on his own ... but Jamaal Tinsley put a battery pack in his back. The dumbest thing to tell him."

The foul caused Wallace to react by violently shoving Artest, creating a confrontation that needed to be defused. Artest was then pulled away and laid down on the scorer's table. Moments later, a drink thrown by a fan landed on his chest, and the rest was history.

One of the anecdotes known for years has been Artest apparently asking Jackson in the locker room afterward if he thought they'd get into trouble.

"You lucky if we have a job," Jackson said his reply was. Artest was subsequently suspended for the remainder of the season, while Jackson served a 30-game suspension for going into the stands. He said he was concerned for a while that his NBA playing days were finished.

"I actually thought my career was over," he said.