Paul Pierce Fined $15K For Tossing Gum?

Posted by Brian Robb on Jan 2, 2011 137314 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F01%2F02%2Fpaul-pierce-fined-15k-for-tossing-gum%2FPaul+Pierce+Fined+%2415K+For+Tossing+Gum%3F+2011-01-02+18%3A33%3A27Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D13731

For as ridiculous as that headline reads, it appears the be the truth for the C’s captain. The fine came down yesterday afternoon for the incident which took place during the C’s win over Indiana Tuesday night. ESPNBoston’s Chris Forsberg gets us caught up with all the details:

The incident occurred with 8:02 remaining in the first quarter of Boston’s 95-83 win over the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse. At that time, Pierce picked up his second foul (on a questionable call) and was subbed out of the game.

The Celtics’ local television broadcast on Comcast SportsNet doesn’t show Pierce tossing anything into the stands, including his headband. A feed from FoxSports Indiana appears to show Pierce throwing his gum into the stands as he passes the scorer’s table, which could explain the fine. The NBA could not confirm whether the fine was related to Pierce’s gum.

The last part of that kills me. Really NBA? You can’t confirm just what exactly what he was fined for? Did he look at a ref the wrong way too? C’mon guys, give us something to work with here! Here’s video of the alleged gum tossing, which appeared to be done with minimal malice as Pierce passed the scorer’s table a few seconds into the clip:

Given Pierce’s lack of control there, it makes me believe he should take a more Mr. Perfect-like approach next times he tries to dispose of a piece of Juicy Fruit. Should lead to less of a fine.