Head Ninja In Charge said:
So what are everyone's thoughts on fans being back in the building? The one good thing about Texas reopening quicker than everyone else is that it seems like we shook off all the quarantine rust already. Rockets games were fine, the Astros games have been fine (except for last Tuesday). But by my count, this is what's happened so far:
Utah - Fans going over the line with Morant/Brooks family (Utah fans are generally known to be terrible though)
Was - Guy throwing popcorn on Russ
Was - Guy running on the court
Bos - Guy throwing bottle at Kyrie
Am I missing any? I'm fully expecting an Artest reaction soon if things keep happening.
Having the fans back at near full capacity everywhere outside CA has been great. The energy, and crowd chants (especially Miami's 10 second countdown on Giannis) have made these playoffs feel like normal is back.
I'm not sure what anything in the bubble meant or counted for. It was a sterile environment that no one watched. The TV ratings and attendances reflect that people are enjoying the games again.
Of the cases you mentioned we can talk about them individually
Utah - A lot of fans were going back and forth with the Morants. When people went over the line, the other Jazz fans turned on the individuals and helped security ID the people who said the racist stuff.
Was - guy throwing popcorn probably should've been banned. But I have a hard time going beyond that. Its popcorn dropped on Russ more than thrown. The guy running on the court isn't meaningful beyond that. Streakers and such have gotten in the Superbowl and the World Cup Semis. That guy is going to be charged probably. I'm not sure that fits in with the other incidents.
Bos - Kyrie is going to try hard to make this a race thing. But I think its just a Kyrie thing. Boston people felt he barely tried when he was on the team. Some of it is fair criticism. He can
feel however he wants. I empathize with his feelings but don't necessarily think the guy should be on trial for battery or whatever. Boston has a bad reputation for being a racist city. I don't think it helps them much with that label.
Another incident you didn't mention was some guy yelling F you at Carmelo in Denver. That guy was holding a LONG grudge. I think he got thrown out. Its such a lazy line to throw at him. He got thrown out.
Personally I think everyone should yell Ball-Stopper at Carmelo. That'll get under his skin.
I don't expect an Artest situation because you have a different crop of NBA player than we did in the early 2000s. This group is largely middle to upper middle class growing up. They're much more self aware, brand aware, and at best pretend to be tough guys. They're not going to risk their careers or give up the moral high ground. That's good news. Because we don't need these distractions. This first round has delivered big time entertainment. We need to get to a hotly anticipated 2nd round, with fans and crowds, with everyone healthy and eligible.
Oh and if we get Clippers vs Nets like I expect in the Finals, none of their local fans care enough to do much damage physically or verbally.
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