The Washington Wizards immediately banned the fan who tried to run on the court during Monday’s Game 4 playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Wizards head coach Scott Brooks expressed his frustration about about the constant fan run-ins going on during the NBA playoffs.
“Banning them and this and that. What does that mean?” Brooks said per Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports. “Is there facial recognition that you can’t get a ticket on the secondary market and don’t shave for a week and wear a hat and still come in. I don’t know if there’s criminal charges, but they’ve got to get something on their record, and they’ve got to get exposed and they have to pay money out of their own pocket.
The fan was tackled by Capital One Arena security as he attempted to run on the court during the third quarter.
The incident in DC is just the latest fan run-in around the NBA. In the past week, there have been incidents in Philadelphia (dumping popcorn on Russell Westbrook), New York (Knicks fan spit on Trae Young), Utah (fan had racist comments to Ja Morant’s parents) and in Boston (fan threw water bottle at Kyrie Irving).
In each instance, the teams banned the fans from the respective arenas. But, obviously those punishments aren’t deterring fans from ugly outbursts directed at players during these NBA playoffs.
While the Wizards announced charges are being pursued with the Metropolitan Police Department, it’s unclear what those charges would be. Meanwhile, what are the teams and the league doing to stop those banned fans from using alternatives to get back inside the respective arenas?
Brooks continued his rant, saying some of the fans need to “stay home.”
“It’s unfortunate one fan here and there, it ruins it for everyone,” Brooks continued. “There’s great fans in Boston and New York and Philly and DC, Utah. But there’s some that just need to, you know what, stay home. Your thinking is barbaric. Stay home. We don’t need you. We don’t need your dollars. Just stay home. Get away from us. Let the fans who enjoy it, let them be with their families enjoying it.
The fan incident marred an otherwise good night for the home team Wizards. Facing a four-game sweep, the Wizards staved off elimination with a 122-114 win to force a Game 5. However, it’s becoming a troubling trend of fan incidents stealing the headlines on a routine basis in this year’s playoffs.
