Although the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics rivalry is one of the fiercest in professional sports, so far in this year’s NBA Finals their fans have been relatively well-behaved (even though each game has had moments where the fans could have been excused for losing their collective minds).

That’s not to say it hasn’t got a little chippy with the calls from the cheap seats. In Tuesday’s Game 3 in Boston, some fans wore Khloe Kardashian masks (Khloe being the wife of Laker forward Lamar Odom). Then to spice it up some more, early in the game whenever Lamar touched the ball he was serenaded with chants of “UG-LY SIS-TER!”

If we call that chant borderline, and put the generic chants of “Beat LA!” and “Kobe sucks!” at the tame end of the scale, let’s take a look at some of the moments in NBA history that have shown real fan creativity, even if some have pushed the boundaries—and sometimes obliterated those boundaries—of acceptable fan interaction.

LeBron James vs Boston “New York Knicks” Chant
While LeBron was busy quitting on the Cavs during their second round playoff series against the Celtics, rumors swirled that his disinterest was due to anything from him already thinking about possibly playing with the Knicks next season to him being ticked off that Delonte West was [allegedly] making sweet love to his mother. To remind him of his Cavaliers empire crashing around him, the Boston fans started up a “NEW YORK KNICKS” chant whenever King James went to the free throw line (what, you thought they’d bust out a “DELONTE’S BANGING YOUR MOM”?).
Verdict: Clever

Kobe All-White Photo Shoot vs Utah
After his much-discussed hot mess of a photo shoot with LA Times Magazine, Kobe’s next game was in Utah. Uh-oh. Fans held up massive glossy printouts of Kobe’s Zoolander effort, and some even took the extra step of dressing up like Kobe as an Amish gangster.
Verdict: Clever

Kobe Blow Up Doll vs Utah
Staying in Utah, during a game after Kobe’s infamous Colorado hotel room incident, one of their fans held up a blond blowup doll behind the backboard while Kobe was shooting free throws, complete with a sign saying “Kobe not room service again!”
Verdict: Clever, but pushing it

Derek Fisher’s Daughter vs Utah
Guess what? We’re still in Utah. And this is where it gets hairy. When Derek Fisher played for the Jazz, he was constantly traveling to New York so his daughter could get treatment for retinoblastoma (eye cancer). Fisher asked for a release from his contract so he could play for a team closer to where the treatment center was, and the team agreed, thinking he’d go play for an East Coast team. Instead he signed with his former team—the hated Lakers. When the Lakers came to Utah for a playoff game, one fan tried to distract Fisher by placing a hand over his eye. Stay classy, Utah.
Verdict: Obliterates the line of good taste

Ron Artest vs Pistons Fans Brawl
and
Cedric Maxwell vs Sixers Fans Brawl
Yeah, fans can say and do some stupid things (like lobbing a beer at a player in Artest’s case, or even worse, dropping the n-bomb in Maxwell’s case). But when is it acceptable to retaliate?
Verdict: Justifiable insanity

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