There should be no false equivalence drawn between Kyrie Irving stepping on the leprechaun on the iconic Boston Celtics parquet floor and a fan hurling a water bottle at him as he exits the arena.
There is no “both sides” argument to this.
Boston sports culture prides itself on toughness. From the “do your job” Patriots to the “this is our f-ing city” Red Sox to the Bruins (no example needed here; hockey looks painful enough) to the 1980’s “let’s start fights with everybody” Celtics. Cedric Maxwell advocated for this 1980’s brand of toughness when Kevin Durant popped Jayson Tatum with a mean elbow earlier in the series:
“It pissed me off the other day, I’ll just be frank with you,” Maxwell said.