Joakim Noah has made himself Public Enemy No. 1 in Cleveland (even ahead of Kelly Olynyk).
It’s mostly good fun, but Noah reportedly claimed a Cavaliers fan spat on him last night.
Did Noah also cross the line?
@FearTheSword pic.twitter.com/9qdzBGiOS3
— DeSchlong Watson (@Brownsplayboy) May 7, 2015
It’s unclear whether this is related to the spitting incident.
Noah obviously didn’t hurt the fan with the tap/push, but this appears to be beyond what the NBA finds acceptable. That Noah was frustrated with his team’s 19-point halftime deficit and/or the fan might have said something inappropriate matters only so much. The league can’t tolerate players escalating issues with fans.
Will the NBA fine or suspend Noah? I could see it going either way, but Noah put himself at the league’s mercy by doing this.
For what it’s worth, this is not Noah’s first run-in with a fan. That could factor when determining his punishment.
