Bad behavior by NBA fans appears to have continued on Sunday after Kyrie Irving had a bottle thrown at him in Boston after Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Video captured by YES Network showed what appeared to be a water bottle thrown at Irving from the stands as he and his Brooklyn Nets teammates headed down the tunnel following their Game 4 win. The bottle did not appear to strike anyone, but came very close to hitting Irving. Irving and several other Nets players stopped and seemed to point out the perpetrator while exchanging words with the crowd.
A fan threw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving as he and his teammates were exiting the game. They were not thrilled about it.
: @YESNetwork #NBAPlayoffs #NBATwitter #TheJump pic.twitter.com/UTk27a43kB
— The Jump on ESPN (@NBATheJump) May 31, 2021
Irving has been a target of Celtics fans in both Games 3 and 4, as they were his first games at TD Garden in front of fans since his somewhat acrimonious departure from Boston. He was booed heavily in pregame introductions, as well as every time he touched the ball. Until this, that had appeared to be the worst of it.
This appears to be the latest incident in a series of ugly events this week in NBA arenas. Russell Westbrook had to be restrained after a fan dumped popcorn on him in Game 2 in Philadelphia, and a Knicks fan spit on Trae Young at Madison Square Garden as well. The Utah Jazz also banned three fans for alleged racist remarks directed at Ja Morant’s family.
