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April 19 (UPI) -- The Eastern Conference's top seed is struggling in its series with the Chicago Bulls. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is struggling to keep the NBA out of his pockets. Smart was hit with a $25,000 fine Wednesday after flipping off the crowd Tuesday at TD Garden. The Celtics trailed the Chicago Bulls 100-86 in the fourth quarter when Smart's emotions boiled over. After missing a 3-point attempt, Smart stepped back slowly to get on defense in transition.
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He looked up at the crowd and raised his right middle finger in frustration.
"I have not heard from the league about it," Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters Wednesday, via WCVB Boston. "I'm not the one that they usually contact; usually they contact the front office. Obviously, I've been told of the gesture. I saw a brief video clip of it but, from my clip, from the angle that I saw, I couldn't tell. But obviously if he made a gesture, it's unacceptable and that will be handled by the league."
The Celtics lost the contest 111-97 and now trail 2-0 in the first round series. Game 3 of the opening round Eastern Conference series commences at 7 p.m. Friday at the United Center.
Smart had 13 points and eight rebounds Tuesday. Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 22 points apiece for the Bulls. Smart is making $3.5 million this season and has a $4.5 million team option next season.
This season, Smart put in a career-high 10.6 points per game, while averaging 4.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds.
