ESPN’s SportsNation polls as of 6:43 p.m ET:
69 percent of the 36,053 polled say that the Nuggets/Knicks fight was not comparable to the Pacers/Pistons brawl. Only 31 percent think it’s similar. 74 percent view the biggest difference as the fact that this fight did not involve players and fans. 71 percent do not think this will have as big an influence on NBA policies as Pistons/Pacers. 54 percent of respondents want Carmelo Anthony suspended for more than ten games, and 45 percent want Isiah Thomas suspended for the same amount.
Is this a good sign for the NBA? The vast majority of those polled see this for what it is: a fight, not Pacers/Pistons II. And while ESPN’s breathless talking heads (the same ones who tried to turn the Gary Sheffield non-fight against the Red Sox a year ago into a federal case — although their reaction to that wasn’t even close to their reaction to this) try to make this out to be some kind of disaster, many sports fans might actually be viewing this situation rationally.
