Brad Stevens shares thoughts on Kyrie water bottle incident originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Brad Stevens is the latest member of the Boston Celtics to condemn the actions of the fan who threw a water bottle at Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving after Game 4.
Several Celtics including Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart reacted to the incident by stating there’s no place in the NBA for throwing objects at players. Stevens shared a similar sentiment prior to Tuesday night’s Game 5.
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“I just echo what [Marcus] Smart and Jayson [Tatum] said, that the bottle throwing is just unacceptable,” Stevens said. “It’s not part of the game. It’s not the way that anybody in the stadium, 99.9 percent of the people in the stadium, want to be represented. It’s just unacceptable and I’m glad it was handled accordingly. …
“Understand that fans can bring a great deal of passion and rightfully so, but it’s gotta be within the confines of being respectful and recognizing that these guys are out there giving their all for their team, and regardless of the other team you’re cheering for or not, they should be treated with dignity and respect. And throwing something at somebody is not OK.”
The fan who threw the water bottle was quickly identified and arrested by Boston Police. He is due to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on Wednesday and is being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Game 5 between the C’s and Nets is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday night. Boston trails the series, 3-1.