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In case anybody needed any reminder, the Utah Jazz have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to poor fan behavior. If tonight is any indication so far, the Utah Jazz are going to err on the side of caution. According to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune and Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News, the Utah Jazz have already issued a warning to a fan before the game started who was heckling James Harden by yelling “FLOPPER!”.
The full story, so far, is the fans initially started chanting “FLOPPER”, but were told to stop yelling. After refraining from yelling “FLOPPER” they sarcastically started chanting “GO HARDEN GO”. That didn’t last long as they were pulled aside by security and issued a warning.
The James Harden heckling has already started ahead of the tip-off. A Utah Jazz fan yells, “Go Harden” repeatedly during his pregame warmup and is seemingly escorted to the back by security. pic.twitter.com/DMDJCg1KYC
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) April 21, 2019
So, James Harden just came out onto the court to start his pregame warmup. A couple of fans started yelling “FLOPPER” at him. Arena security told them to stop. They’re now yelling “GO HARDEN GO” in mock protest.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) April 21, 2019
The heckling Utah Jazz fan has received a warning card ahead of the Game 3 tip-off by security, according to a Deseret News source. Security is really tight tonight.
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) April 21, 2019
It looks like Utah is really going to be cautious tonight and honestly, that’s the right move tonight. The Utah fans are already passionate and excited for the playoffs. Like a good referee who wants to avoid any potentially disparaging escalations, it’s good to call it tight from the beginning. According to Eric Woodyard, the fan has returned back to their seat, and the situation is diffused.
The fan has returned to his seat.
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) April 21, 2019