Matt Brown/iStock
(NEW YORK) Brooklyn Nets’ player Kyrie Irving had a water bottle thrown at him, Washington Wizards’ star Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on his head, and the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young was spit on.
These are among a rash of incidents of fans behaving badly during the first round of the NBA playoffs, prompting the league to crack down on such unruly acts and leaving some players worried that spectators have forgotten proper game etiquette during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You can tell those people have been in some sort of captivity for the last year and change, right? It’s kind of wild to see the liberties people are taking,” Wizards’ center Robin Lopez said on Monday after a security guard tackled a fan who ran onto the court during a playoff game between the Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers in Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena.
Young, Westbrook, Morant back at scenes of ugly fan actions
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Should there be an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the recent discovery of the remains of 215 children at a residential school site in Kamloops?
Yes
Atlanta Hawks Trae Young (11) passes the ball as New York Knicks Alec Burks defends during the fourth quarter in Game 2 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Wednesday, May 26, 2021, in New York. (Elsa/Pool Photo via AP)
Philadelphia, Utah and Atlanta can reach the second round. Dallas or the Los Angeles Clippers will get to the verge of it.
Yet as Russell Westbrook and Ja Morant try to save their seasons and Trae Young looks for a clinching victory, eyes will be on the action in the seats right along with the court.
Matt Brown/iStock(NEW YORK) Brooklyn Nets' player Kyrie Irving had a water bottle thrown at him, Washington Wizards' star Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on his head, and the Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young was spit on. These are among a rash of incidents of fans behaving badly during the first round of the NBA playoffs, prompting the league to crack down on such unruly acts and leaving some players worried that spectators have forgotten proper game etiquette during the COVID-19 pandemic. "You can tell those people have been in some sort of captivity for the last year and change, right? It's kind of wild to see the liberties people are taking," Wizards' center Robin Lopez said on Monday after a security guard tackled a fan who ran onto the court during a playoff game between the Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers in Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena. Wizards' coach Scott Brooks went off on what he described as "knuckleheads" ruinin