I can think of a lot of ways to spend $15,000. For example, I could probably get some really nice seats at a Maine Red Claws game. Or I could buy a Todd Day rookie card. Or — I don’t know — maybe even a Dana Barros game-worn jersey.

On the other hand, there’s one way I definitely would NOT want to spend $15,000: being fined by the NBA league office for throwing a piece of gum into the stands.

The NBA fined Celtics captain Paul Pierce $15,000 Saturday for throwing an object into the stands during Tuesday’s triumph over the Indiana Pacers.

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.

If Pierce had only thrown his piece of gum into the nearest trash receptacle, just think how many Pervis Ellison bobblehead dolls he could have bought.