DALLAS--A Dallas Mavericks fan was ejected from the American Airlines Center Sunday after an incident in which he threw debris on the court. The debris, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, was hurled from the seats behind the team’s bench, striking assistant coach Avery Johnson in the head during a time-out. Police and security rushed immediately to the stands where they forcibly removed the fan, 27-year-old Richard Harwich.

“We had a minor incident involving a fan that threw some debris onto the court during a time-out,” said Gary Henderson, head of security for the American Airlines Center. “Our security forces responded swiftly and defused the situation. Any fan that wishes to throw Mr. Cuban from the stands will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. He is not a weapon or a projectile. He is the owner of this team.”

Henderson also said that Avery Johnson was doing fine and did not require medical attention after being struck in the head by Cuban.

“Mr. Johnson has a small cut on his forehead where he was grazed by Mr. Cuban’s shoe. He received stitches from the team’s medical staff and did not suffer any side effects. He had that weird, squeaky voice before this happened, right? OK, then everything’s fine.”

As for Cuban, he suffered a concussion when he landed head-first on the court. He is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries. Team doctor William Bantel called the concussion “moderate” and advised Cuban to rest for a while.

“Mark was hurled head-first, like a javelin, onto the floor,” said Bantel. “However, the fact that he grazed Avery on the way down broke his fall. When his head hit the floor, the impact was much less damaging then it could’ve been. He was lucky. If he hit the floor full speed his head would’ve cracked open and there would’ve been blood geysering out of his brain. And all because some fan got drunk and wanted to make himself part of the action. Well if you want to injure Mr. Cuban, by all means do it, but keep it in the stands. Once you go on the court, you’re crossing a line.”

According to witnesses, the incident started when referee Danny Crawford called a hard foul on the Mavs’ Erick Dampier. Dampier appeared to hit the Warriors’ Jason Richardson in the head as Richardson was driving for a lay-up, but a replay showed that the hand struck the shoulder, rather than the head. Dampier and coach Don Nelson argued the call, but to no avail. As Richardson went to the line the fans booed lustily, and then came Mark Cuban, hurling head-first onto the court.

Warriors head coach Mike Montgomery described the chilling scene to reporters after the game:

“First Danny made that call on Erick, and that’s when it all started,” said Montgomery. “The fans started booing and all everyone could think about was that Pistons-Pacers brawl from Friday night. We were all starting to get a little nervous. But just when things were calming down, here comes Mark Cuban out of the stands. He was screaming ‘Aaaaahh!’ and before anyone could react, he came down on Avery Johnson. At that point I was afraid for my life. I guess this is why the NBA has an image problem.”

Don Nelson also criticized the fan for his actions. Nelson, who has been in the league close to forty years, admitted that the game has changed since he was a player.

“People just don’t have any respect anymore. In my day, if an owner was sitting in the stands you knew damn well he was not going to be launched onto the court by some drunken fan. Now, you don’t know what’s going to happen. At least we can be happy Ron Artest wasn’t involved...was he?”

Fans who were sitting near Mr. Harwich said he was highly intoxicated and belligerent the entire game. Once the foul call was made, Harwich searched for something to throw onto the court. He settled on Cuban, who was standing two rows in front of him yelling at the referees. As Richardson stood at the foul line, Harwich got behind Cuban, placed his hands on him, and quickly lifted him up over his head. With Cuban flailing wildly, Harwich heaved him forward over three rows of seats and onto the court, while onlookers looked on helplessly.

“Oh my God, that was so scary. I don’t understand why people get like that,” said Sarah Gleane, 34. “Why would you pay money to come to a game just to get drunk and act like a jerk? Fans have no business throwing things on the court, especially owners. Those guys are heavy and could hurt someone.”

Jim Gray, ESPN basketball analyst, reported after the game that the incident was “terrifying,” and “a black day for the NBA.”

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