The NBA playoffs began with Kyrie Irving flipping off Celtics fans at TD Garden. On Monday, some rowdy folks in attendance tried to get in on the fun themselves.
But they were censored by ESPN.
During a stoppage in play in the fourth quarter of Boston's dominant 102-82 win over the Heat, a couple of Celtics fans behind the ESPN crew were seemingly throwing up their middle fingers. The production team blocked their foul antics with an "NBA Countdown" slide — twice!
A Boston Celtics fan with the middle finger pic.twitter.com/Wsme4ukGkI
— PBA Bubble Life (@PBABubbleStory) May 24, 2022
While whitewashing flagrant fan behavior is standard operating procedure for sports broadcasts, ESPN has an inconsistent policy when it comes to policing the double bird. Eli Manning flipped off the cameras during one of last year's ManningCasts, though the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback probably has more clout than a couple of random — and almost certainly drunken — Celtics fans.
Wild Boston fans have run afoul of TV censors a couple of times recently. Back in October, fans on Jersey Street watching FS1's postgame show for Red Sox-Astros started screaming obscenities towards Alex Rodriguez, who was on set.
Fox had no choice but to mute the volume. It was just as clunky of an editorial choice as covering up the screen with an "NBA Countdown" promotional banner.
But hey, at least Boston fans show up and exude passion. That's more than we can say for Heat fans, who left in droves before the end of Game 2 in Miami.
If a few middle fingers fly in the course of a playoff run, so be it.
