Kyrie Irving is facing a hefty fine from the NBA for his actions directed toward Celtics fans in TD Garden during Game 1 on Sunday afternoon, but Irving didn’t seem worried about potential punishment in his post-game press conference.
After a stellar performance – Irving led the Nets with 39 points – Irving downplayed the idea that there was “hostility” between himself and the fans, who he flipped his middle finger to on multiple occasions. He stood behind his gestures, though, essentially arguing that anything goes in the playoffs.
Via USA TODAY Sports:
“And it’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every fan, every Boston fan. When people start yelling [expletives] and all this stuff, there’s only but so much you take as a competitor. We’re the ones expected to be docile and be humble, take a humble approach, [expletive] that, it’s the playoffs. This is what it is.
…. What you guys saw and what you guys think is entertainment, or the fans think is entertainment – all is fair in competition. If somebody is going to call me out on my name, I’m going to look at them straight in the eye and see if they’re really about it. Most of the time they’re not.”
A baseline fine for an obscene gesture directed toward a fan is $15,000, but Irving’s fine will likely be far greater. A bigger issue facing the NBA is escalation of the problem in Game 2 and beyond.
We’re less than a year removed from a Celtics fan being arrested for allegedly throwing a water bottle at Irving last May. At that time, Irving called out “underlying racism and treating people like they’re in a human zoo.”
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