This NBA season had seen its share of altercations between fans and players. The Utah Jazz banned a fan who directed derogatory language at Russell Westbrook, and earlier in the season, Kevin Durant directed expletives at a courtside fan.
Another incident nearly unfolded during Wednesday’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Oakland.
With the Raptors looking to steal a game in Oakland, Kyle Lowry went all out to save a loose ball in the fourth quarter. Lowry went flying at full speed into the fans seated courtside at Oracle Arena, and after the hard collision, a fan off to the side shoved the Raptors guard.
Oddly enough, ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy sided with the fan.
Lowry took exception and tried to communicate to the refs that a fan shoved him. The dude may have paid $20,000 for his courtside seat, but that doesn’t give him the freedom to push players — albeit a very light push.
The fan wasn’t even part of the collision.
After the brief delay, the quarter continued without incident.
