Marcus Smart Fined $25K For Flipping Off A Fan In Celtics' Game 2 Loss
BOSTON (CBS) -- Nothing is going right for the Celtics in their playoff series against the Bulls, and it appears the frustration is boiling over.
In the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's 111-97 Game 2 loss at the TD Garden, Celtics guard Marcus Smart appears to give a fan the middle finger as he makes his way down the court after a missed three-pointer. Smart made the gesture, and then pointed to someone in the crowd:
Smart was hit with a $25,000 fine by the NBA for "making an obscene gesture on the playing court" on Wednesday.
The third-year guard has won over fans with his hard-nosed play, but flipping the bird to a Celtics fan isn't going to help with the player's critics. Smart has actually played decent against Chicago, scoring 13 points and pulling down eight rebounds in Game 2. But fans let him know they didn't like that three-pointer (Smart shot an abysmal 28 percent from long range during the regular season), following up the miss with a round of boos.
Smart clearly didn't like hearing that reaction.
"If he made a gesture, it's unacceptable and that will be handled by the league," Boston head coach Brad Stevens said on Wednesday.
Smart also drew the ire of Isaiah Thomas on the floor in the second half, and the two continued a somewhat heated conversation on the bench.
Things are not looking good for the Celtics as they fell into an 0-2 series hole with Tuesday night's loss, with Game 3 set for Friday night in Chicago.
There's a good chance Smart hears from the league offices before he takes the floor again.
