As Kyrie Irving was heading to the locker room following the Brooklyn Nets' 141-126 Game 4 road victory over the Boston Celtics, he was nearly hit by a water bottle thrown by a fan in the stands.
Water bottle nearly hits Kyrie Irving as he walks to the locker room following Game 4 in Boston. pic.twitter.com/RrtZth3cqt
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 31, 2021
Irving, who finished the game with 39 points and 11 rebounds, played for the Celtics from 2017-19, has been met with jeers in each of Brooklyn's road games in Boston.
TD Garden released a statement indicating that the fan has been arrested.
"We will support and provide assistance to Boston Police as this incident is under review," a TD Garden spokesperson said in a statement. "We have zero tolerance for violations of our guest code of conduct, and the guest is subject to a lifetime ban from TD Garden."
For Game 4, the Celtics were permitted to host a near full capacity crowd in Game 4 which is a huge jump from the near 25 percent they were allowed in Game 3.
The increased number of fans in arenas has led to an increase in incidents of fans crossing the line.
MORE: 76ers apologize to Westbrook, ban fan who threw popcorn | Knicks ban fan who spit on Young
Fortunately, the bottle missed Irving's head but the incident was the talk of the postgame press conference.
"People just feel very entitled out here," Irving said postgame. "It's a reflection on us as a whole when you have fans acting like that."
"It's unfortunate that sports has come to a lot of this kind of crossroads. ... Just underlying racism and just treating people like they're in a human zoo."
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 31, 2021
Kyrie Irving speaks out after a fan threw a water bottle at him in Boston. pic.twitter.com/IXfE8I0EE8
"Your mother wouldn’t be proud of you throwing water bottles at basketball players, or spitting on players or tossing popcorn," Kevin Durant said postgame as he spoke in support of his teammate. "So grow the (expletive) up and enjoy the game,” he said. “It’s bigger than you.”
The Nets have the opportunity here to ensure the series doesn't return to Boston if they take care of business in Game 5, which is scheduled for Wednesday, June 2 at 5:00 a.m. IST.
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