A fan, identified as Cole Buckley, 21, of Massachusetts is handcuffed and escorted out of TD Garden by police after allegedly throwing a water bottle at Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Elise Amendola/Associated Press
The Celtics fan who appeared to throw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving after Game 4 on Sunday has been charged with assault, according to Boston police.
Cole Buckley, 21, from Massachusetts, allegedly threw a Dasani water bottle at Irving as he and the team exited the court into the tunnel after the conclusion of the Sunday’s playoff game against the Nets.
Buckley was arrested on the spot at TD Garden and the Celtics announced he would be subject to a lifetime ban from all events at the arena. His full charge includes assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and he will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on Tuesday.
“It’s unfortunate that sports has come to a kind of crossroads, where you’re seeing a lot of old ways come up,” Irving said after the incident on Sunday. “It’s been that way in terms of entertainment, performers and sports for a long period of time and just underlying racism and just treating people like they’re in a human zoo. Throwing stuff at people, saying things.”
The incident with the water bottle has been the third such of fans interacting inappropriately with players this playoffs as crowd sizes increased. On Monday, Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley revealed a fan threw a beer at him during the Knicks-Hawks Game 2 at the Garden on Wednesday. A 76ers fan had his season ticket membership revoked and received a lifetime ban on Thursday from Wells Fargo Arena after pouring popcorn on Wizards star Russell Westbrook on Wednesday. And a Knicks fan was also banned from MSG that day after spitting at Hawks’ star Trae Young also during Game 2.
“Have some respect for the game, have respect for these human beings, and have some respect for yourself,” Nets star Kevin Durant said Sunday.
ANOTHER INCIDENT: Kyrie Irving wasn’t the only person reportedly attacked inside the TD Garden during Sunday night’s game.
Police reported Monday morning that a 35-year-old man sitting in Section 15 assaulted a police officer after he was asked to leave the Garden by security after he allegedly challenged fans around him to a fight. A police officer responding told the North Oxford, Massachusetts, fan he’d have to go.
“I paid $40 for this ticket, I’m not leaving,” the suspect, William Leite, reportedly told police. Police said he then told the officer several times: “You are not strong enough to arrest me.”
Leite then “shoved the officer in the face and grabbed his wrists causing a minor scuffle.”
Leite was removed from the Garden and charged with assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, disturbing the police and trespassing, according to the police report. He was set to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court Tuesday.
Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving scrapes his foot on the Boston Celtics logo at mid-court after the Nets defeated the Celtics in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday, in Boston. Elise Amendola/Associated Press
GARNETT NOT PLEASED: Kyrie Irving heard all the boos, jeers and chants throughout Games 3 and 4 at TD Garden. After putting up 39 points and 11 rebounds and a Game 4 victory, Irving trekked over to the TD Garden court and appeared to stomp on the midcourt Celtics logo, specifically, on “Lucky the Leprechaun’s” face. That drew a reaction from Celtic-turned-analyst Kendrick Perkins, a former teammate of Irving’s, though Perkins appeared to be more puzzled than anything.
The stomp didn’t please Kevin Garnett, the recent Hall of Famer and Celtics champion. Garnett posted on his Instagram story a few sentences about the stomp, starting off with “so nobody gonna say anything about Kyrie stomping ‘LUCKY’?”
“We just gonna act like we didn’t see that (what’s) going on…” Garnett’s post continued. “You can’t do that. That’s not coo on no level .. All of us need to be better (for real for real). I’m just sayin…”
Garnett went on to wish everyone a good morning and Happy Memorial Day. Garnett played with the Celtics from 2007-13, winning the NBA championship in his first season in Boston.
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