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Shaquille O’Neal believes Carmelo Anthony should not be bothered about what fans say, as Anthony got involved in a situation with fans of the Philadelphia 76ers. Late in the fourth quarter, as the LA Lakers were trying to mount a comeback, Carmelo approached a couple of fans sitting courtside after an undisclosed interaction between them. The fans in question were subsequently asked to leave the arena.
According to a few people, Carmelo Anthony was called “boy” by the Philly fans and some of them even crossed a line with their comments. The incident was brought up on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” and Kenny Smith felt the problematic fans were rightfully ejected. Shaquille O’Neal responded to Kenny’s comments, by saying:
“That’s what somebody soft would say. No offence Kenny, but when you warriors like me & Chuck, that don’t bother you anyway.”
Philadelphia fans have crossed the line in the past, including dumping popcorn on Russell Westbrook; when he played for the Washington Wizards last season. Shaq did not try to justify the actions of the fans, but just wanted to remind Carmelo Anthony to focus on the game, saying:
“Let me tell you something brother, played in Texas, in the S.E.C – I heard it all. That ain’t gonna stop me.”
As the two fans Carmelo Anthony approached were getting ejected, Anthony exchanged words with another fan sitting courtside. Joel Embiid intervened and got Carmelo away from the situation, as he was clearly enraged. In a post-game interview, Carmelo replied to questions regarding the incident by saying:
“It is what it is, some things were said. Unacceptable. I'm cool with fans heckling, fans talking trash, cheering for their team, booing the other team. I'm all for that. But when you cross certain lines, as a man ... that's what you're going to see. That's what you're going to get, as you saw.”
Carmelo went on to add, saying:
“The only thing I can do is, you know, sometimes you play through it, you try to play through certain things, play through the heckle. But its, that’s all fun and games – I’ve been doing it for 19-20 years. Especially coming here – it’s been a great place to come and play. And the fans, I know how the fans are here, but it’s just certain things you don’t bring to any type of sporting event.”
This is the second time the Lakers have been on the receiving end of such a situation this season. LeBron James was displeased by comments from courtside fans in Indiana earlier this season; which led to the problem causing fans' ejection from the arena.
The incident occurred in the fourth quarter, with seven minutes left on the clock. The Lakers trailed by 16-points at the time and could not make a comeback in the game. The 10 time all-star finished the game with nine points on a 36.4% shooting night. LeBron James missed the game because of soreness in his left knee, as the Lakers lost 105-87.
Guess the Lakers players!
