Boston, May 11: The NBA is investigating an incident in which Boston Celtics forward Antoine Walker pushed a fan.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Saturday that the league's security department is looking into the incident, which took place during the final minutes of Boston's home playoff loss to the New Jersey Nets on Friday night. Walker was taken out of the game with 4:42 remaining and the Celtics trailing by 24 points in an eventual 94-76 loss. Responding to a fan heckling him from the row of seats directly behind the team's bench, Walker put his left hand on the right side of the fan's face and pushed him. The fan was identified as Stewart Berg by the Boston Globe.

Berg, reached on his cellphone Friday night by the Globe, was asked if Walker touched him. ''Yes, in the face,'' responded Berg, who indicated to the newspaper he was not hurt.
The Boston Police Department told reporters on Saturday night that no charges had been filed in connection with the incident. Friends of Walker's in the crowd descended upon the fan before the incident was broken up by security personnel.



"I was out of character," Walker said after the game. "This fan's been on me since I've been here. I always see this guy all the time for seven years. I really felt bad about it, but in the heat of the game you're out there giving 110 percent and this is a guy who I've seen here before. I just got tired of it tonight; I was fed up with it."



Boston trails, 3-0, in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and Walker has played poorly. He had 15 points and 15 rebounds in Friday's game but is averaging just 12 points per game on 28 percent (15-of-52) shooting.



Including the regular season, Walker is shooting just 29 percent (34-of-119) in seven games against New Jersey. He has struggled when matched up against Nets forward Kenyon Martin.


Bureau Report