No matter how hostile the environment — and make no mistake, there was plenty of bad blood between the Clippers and Kings in Sacramento Wednesday night — the NBA league office will not tolerate players throwing things at fans.
Even a seat cushion — as Austin Rivers may find out.
Rivers allegedly threw one into the crowd during the fourth quarter Wednesday night, it hit a fan in the face, and the NBA is looking into it, reports Sam Amick at the USA Today.The situation caused a stir among Kings fans on hand, as the woman who was hit by the cushion in the second row was clearly experiencing discomfort in her eyes for quite some time after the incident.
It appears likely that Rivers will be disciplined as a result, though a final decision has not yet been made. The 23-year-old Rivers is the son of Clippers coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers.
If Rivers did this — and it sounds like he did — he will face a fine. As he should — you’ve got to control your emotions. There is a precedent for this, Glen Davis was fined $15,000 for kicking a seat cushion into the crowd at Boston Garden when he was a Clipper. What is it with the Clippers and seat cushions?
Rivers was not impressive in his role as a backup point guard on Wednesday night. He played 16 minutes and had three points, one assist, and a couple of steals. He made a couple nice defensive plays but his offensive decision making with the ball in his hands — jumpers early in the shot clock without running the offense — were not pretty. Maybe he works better as a reserve two guard next to Pablo Prigioni.