League Action Against Kyrie Watch

[Vermont Green]

I don't see a suspension coming, and Kyrie Irving makes way too much money (especially on a per game basis) for a fine to deter future antics. How much would that have to be? $10m per finger?

Re: history, I don't think things were much different in the 80's.....

Larry used to talk so much trash that he got into fights on the court (actual punching, not flashing a hand gesture).

Neither Dr J or Larry got suspended. Both got fined, but I don't think it deterred his (or anyone else's behavior).

Laimbeer committed a real dirty tackle of Larry, and Larry threw punches. Ironically, Parish is the only one that got suspended.

I don't think there's a track record of stars getting suspended in the NBA playoffs, and certainly not for hand gestures.

Celtics fans- let's embrace this moment and hope to see the Celtics beat KD and Kyrie while they are on the court. They just did this, and it was incredibly satisfying.

All of this is on court stuff, not something specifically directed at the fans.  I think if a player shoves another player, that is one thing.  But say a player shoved a fan?  Same for flipping the bird.  If a player did that to another player, coach or Ref, he would get a T and maybe disqualified from the game.  So Kyrie flips to the crowd multiple times and that goes unchecked?

The league is going to have to do something here.  And in my opinion, they need to send a pretty strong message to both players and teams.  I wonder if Nash or anyone said to Kyrie don't do that again or we are going to take you out of the game.  This is not how the organization wants it player to act.  Something like that.  Probably not and that is why the team should have some skin in this also.

In that instance, I could see a suspension. I don't equate the finger with a push, though some might. I never understand why they bleep out a hand gesture on TV, when the TV watching public sees far more graphic images on a regular basis.

Again, I love the Kyrie hate.... but I don't think the bird was that big of a deal. Especially considering the abuse Kyrie was taking. It would be tough to hear thousands of people call you words not fit for polite society.

I agree but still trying to reconcile.  If a player flipped off a ref, automatic T, the opposing coach, another player, probably a T.  But flip off the fans?  That is no big deal?  Compare that to how a shove or push would be interpreted.  Shove a ref?  T.  Shove a player, maybe nothing.  Shove a fan?  That would be a very big deal.

The fans are the whole reason the NBA exists.  If fans go over the line, there is security on duty to take fans out of the arena, revoke seasons tickets, whatever.  It happens all the time and should happen.  There should be a line over which fans don't cross, or they are removed.  The players should not be flipping birds to the fans, ever.  You have to let security deal with the fans.  Period.  Maybe if a fan runs out on to the court and confronts Kyrie, then sure, someone should take that fan down and hold him for security to get there.

What the league should be concerned with is precedent.  If Kyrie can do this and only get a fine, which for an NBA player is really more of a token gesture of a penalty, then aren't they saying the player can decide if the fans have gone to far and if they flip off fans, we will have to fine you but it really isn't that big a deal?  Is that really and OK message for the league to give the players?  Is that not harmful to the league itself?

[Moranis]

He will and should be fined.  You just can't lash out at the fans. 

[johnnygreen]

Kyrie was smart in his postgame press conference, in referring to how he was just essentially doing what the fans were doing to him. Yes, the league will fine him. However, the league may also tell the referees and security, if the fans cross a certain line, to identify those fans and have them escorted out of the arena.

[Donoghus]

Might get real bad on Weds night when Kyrie doesn't go supernova and falls back to earth.

[Yuckabuck33]

What I haven't seen anyone mention is the Malice at the Palace. This is why nothing that happened in the 80s apply here. The League does not want another black eye from players going in the stands, which is why they need to come down hard on Kyrie. Players can't be escalating fan misbehavior.

[JohnBoy65]

This is a tough one. I am no fan of Kyrie, but Kyrie's post game press conference was fascinating to me. He said "I'm going to have the same energy towards them as they do towards me." Honestly, why isn't that ok? He's a human, who happens to be a basketball player. If at my job everyday people yelled at me, called me names, harassed me in everything I did I would lash out at some point too.

If fans want to get down and dirty (Which I don't mind) why can't a player do so in return. He's doing nothing different than the fans did.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with this. And honestly I think it's more fun if he gives it right back. At the end of day, it's sports entertainment, and in good entertainment villains and storylines make the product more compelling.

I'm not going to sit here and hate the man over basketball, but when you quit on your team in the playoffs then come back to their arena and stomp on their logo, you're going to get boos and insults hurled at you. You made your bed, dude.

While I see your point the thing is that these players make millions.  This is their job.  If someone came in to our place of work and called us names and we retaliated we'd be fired.  They should respond but not in a childish manner.  I will say though. The fans who use that verbal language should be tossed out the arena.  This is entertainment.  No place in the game from either side with this behavior.  Boo all you want. Tell Kyrie your glad he's gone. Just refrain from the verbal abuse that no one deserves to get. 

I'd rather fans just ignore Kyrie.  He feeds off of that and as you can see his performance is raised another level because of it.  He's been gone so long I'm unsure why he's hated on this level.  He did us a favor.  I'm not sure we have JB if he stayed. I'm not sure if Tatum develops his passing like he has if Kyrie stayed. This team was almost unwatchable when Kyrie was here.  I just don't want anyone to give Kyrie any ammo to be even better then he was. I want the Kyrie who's disinterested and can disappear for stretches.  Not the madman who hits everything.

You're saying if someone harassed at work continually, and you responded by flipping someone off you'd be fired? I don't think that's the case. I am a teacher, if I flipped a colleague off I'd certainly have a consequence, but I wouldn't be fired.

[csfansince60s]

Might get real bad on Weds night when Kyrie doesn't go supernova and falls back to earth.

I agree. I think it would be great that his brand gets banged up even more as more and more people see unfiltered Cryie.

And I agree that he will fall back to earth Wednesday. He was allowed to play HIS pace and his style, particularly in the 4th. We took their best shot and they still lost.

Adjustments will be made to push the pace, make them play D and tire that thin lineup out. Cryie and Durant looked comatose on that final play on D.

Durant May go off (likely), but I expect a convincing Cs win.

[slamtheking]

hate kyrie with a passion -- always will.  the foot stomping on the logo is the unforgivable insult to the Celtic fanbase.  the rest would get him some moderate booing at this point, if not less.  that logo stomp though, that'll get him major villain treatment the rest of his career when he comes to the Garden.

[sgrogan]

Kuzma got $15K back in back in December https://sports.yahoo.com/washington-wizards-kyle-kuzma-fined-for-flipping-middle-finger-at-fan-detroit-pistons-030617837.html

[Vermont Green]

This is a tough one. I am no fan of Kyrie, but Kyrie's post game press conference was fascinating to me. He said "I'm going to have the same energy towards them as they do towards me." Honestly, why isn't that ok? He's a human, who happens to be a basketball player. If at my job everyday people yelled at me, called me names, harassed me in everything I did I would lash out at some point too.

If fans want to get down and dirty (Which I don't mind) why can't a player do so in return. He's doing nothing different than the fans did.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with this. And honestly I think it's more fun if he gives it right back. At the end of day, it's sports entertainment, and in good entertainment villains and storylines make the product more compelling.

I'm not going to sit here and hate the man over basketball, but when you quit on your team in the playoffs then come back to their arena and stomp on their logo, you're going to get boos and insults hurled at you. You made your bed, dude.

While I see your point the thing is that these players make millions.  This is their job.  If someone came in to our place of work and called us names and we retaliated we'd be fired.  They should respond but not in a childish manner.  I will say though. The fans who use that verbal language should be tossed out the arena.  This is entertainment.  No place in the game from either side with this behavior.  Boo all you want. Tell Kyrie your glad he's gone. Just refrain from the verbal abuse that no one deserves to get. 

I'd rather fans just ignore Kyrie.  He feeds off of that and as you can see his performance is raised another level because of it.  He's been gone so long I'm unsure why he's hated on this level.  He did us a favor.  I'm not sure we have JB if he stayed. I'm not sure if Tatum develops his passing like he has if Kyrie stayed. This team was almost unwatchable when Kyrie was here.  I just don't want anyone to give Kyrie any ammo to be even better then he was. I want the Kyrie who's disinterested and can disappear for stretches.  Not the madman who hits everything.

You're saying if someone harassed at work continually, and you responded by flipping someone off you'd be fired? I don't think that's the case. I am a teacher, if I flipped a colleague off I'd certainly have a consequence, but I wouldn't be fired.

I deal with clients on behalf of my company.  Clients get in my grille sometimes.  If I flipped off a client, good chance I would be fired.  If I flipped off a partner or supplier or something like that, it would be different, but frowned upon, maybe not as likely to be fired.

The fans are the clients.

To the teacher, how about if you flipped off a parent, multiple times, at a public school board meeting, that was broadcast on national TV?  Would you at least be suspended?

[angryguy77]

This is a tough one. I am no fan of Kyrie, but Kyrie's post game press conference was fascinating to me. He said "I'm going to have the same energy towards them as they do towards me." Honestly, why isn't that ok? He's a human, who happens to be a basketball player. If at my job everyday people yelled at me, called me names, harassed me in everything I did I would lash out at some point too.

If fans want to get down and dirty (Which I don't mind) why can't a player do so in return. He's doing nothing different than the fans did.

People should be able to take their kids to a game and not have to worry about obscene  gestures from the athletes.  I know it's 2022 and there are fans who might be rude around you, but it's just different to me when it's coming from the people on the court. Does every form of entertainment have to be in the gutter?

Where do we draw the line? If he starts grabbing his sack are we ok with that?

A dude making min wage serving burgers probably gets more abuse than poor Kyrie on a given day, yet we wouldn't be ok with the cashier flipping the bird everytime he was in his feels.

He should have been T'd up. The league is a joke for not stopping this during the game.

[GreenShooter]

15K (x3, x10, doesn't matter) to Kryrie is nothing. It's an embara$$ment to even levy that kind of fine to someone who makes $35 mil or whatever.
And when is someone going to complain publicly about Kry taking 12 seconds for...every...single...free...throw...attempt? Isn't the 10 second rule still a rule? I just want to see this clown lose it in front of millions of people on national tv.

[Surferdad]

What I haven't seen anyone mention is the Malice at the Palace. This is why nothing that happened in the 80s apply here. The League does not want another black eye from players going in the stands, which is why they need to come down hard on Kyrie. Players can't be escalating fan misbehavior.

Disagree. You missed my post on page 1 of the thread:

He didn't throw anything into the crowd and he didn't go into the crowd.

[SHAQATTACK]

Might get real bad on Weds night when Kyrie doesn't go supernova and falls back to earth.

Exactly what I predict ……he know everybody and their grandmother is going to ride him in the worstest way . 

If he is thinking about the crowd …at all…..it disrupts his concentration on play making , making the two steps ahead of the next shot moments.

So Durant had a subpar game ,  and he ‘ll probably get 55 game two to make amends , but Kyrie won’t shoot 60 % on Boston two games in a row either…….funny none of the media mentioned that could happen.  It was all about how Nets should have won if KD gets 40 pts. Never anything negative about how lucky Kyrie was shooting 60%. …..yet ….we can play the BUT, what IF game too…yeah ….monkeys might fly out my butt CNN , Tatum could had 50 , Brown 50 and Rob was back in the lineup….? No special speculation by the sour grapes mass media for Celtics …only the std …they lucked out bs.

[mef730]

I'm thinking 4-game suspension and loss of a first-round draft pick would be appropriate.

Mike