Much has been made about the fan who threw the water bottle at Kyrie Irving following the Nets’ Game 4 victory over the Celtics on Sunday night, but one Boston legend is upset at something Irving did at the end of the game.
Kevin Garnett took issue with the Net star, who played two seasons in Boston, for stomping on the face of the Celtics logo, “Lucky the Leprechaun,” at midcourt following the 141-126 rout to go up 3-1 in the series.
Garnett posted about it on his Instagram story, saying, “that’s not coo on no level…All of us need to be better.”
Garnett appeared to view the move from Irving as disrespectful toward the Celtics organization.
Ironically, Garnett was regarded as one of the game’s most brutal — some may say, disrespectful — trash talkers throughout his Hall of Fame career.
Irving has become a hated figure in Boston after leaving the team on poor terms to join the Nets in free agency.
The fans have been champing at the bit to taunt Irving ever since he left and finally got their chance over the weekend. Things went too far, though, when a fan tossed a water bottle that nearly hit Irving on his way to the tunnel after Sunday’s game.
Irving, who expressed concerns about racism from fans prior to the series, referred to the incident as a “human zoo” environment while his teammates also expressed their disdain, with Kevin Durant saying fans need to “grow the f—k up.”
While Garnett is well within his right to take issue with Irving stomping on the logo, the incident with the water bottle has garnered much more attention because its a much more serious offense that has become emblematic as part of a bigger problem with fan behavior across the league.
The fan who threw the water bottle at him was arrested and has since been banned from TD Garden for life. He could also face felony assault charges.
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