Kemba Walker got ejected. Brad Stevens got a technical foul.
And those weren’t even the ugliest part of that third-quarter sequence in the Celtics’ loss to the Spurs last night.
A fan in Boston threw a drink onto the court near the San Antonio bench.
NBC Sports Boston:
A fan was so upset after Kemba Walker got ejected that they threw their drink on to the court 😟 pic.twitter.com/u5gXgOkpWN
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 9, 2020
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe:
According to a team source, the fan that threw the beer onto the court was arrested.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) January 9, 2020
NBC Sports Boston:
Brad Stevens apologized to the Spurs after a fan threw a drink onto the court pic.twitter.com/JXy4Fb2G85
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 9, 2020
Stevens, via Justin Leger NBC Sports Boston:
“I’m sure the Celtics have already addressed this as an organization, but if not, I apologize to the Spurs for what happened out of the stands and that can being thrown. I told [Gregg Popovich] after the game I’m really sorry they had to experience that. I hope that person’s not allowed in an NBA arena again.”
Good for Stevens speaking on behalf of the organization. That was called for.
The NBA has increased emphasis on what fans say. But throwing something onto the court remains a major offense.
That said, I’m not as gung-ho as Stevens about absolutely banning the fan for life. There should be room for contrition and earned redemption? We shouldn’t always rush to the harshest possible punishment.
It’s also impossible to view this incident without remembering the Malice At The Palace ignited when a fan tossed a drink onto Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace). Thankfully, this throw didn’t connect and the incident didn’t escalate further.