The last time Kyrie Irving played in front of a Boston crowd, he was still a member of the Nets. It’s been more than a year since then, so naturally, there was some curiosity to how the Garden crowd would jeer the ex-C’s guard Friday. So with the Mavericks in town, Irving was going to be in the spotlight.
Right from pregame intros, Irving was booed when his name was announced. Nearly every time he touched the ball, Celtics fans kept the pressure on him. Then near the end of the blowout C’s win, the Garden crowd got in one last anti-Irving chant: “Kyrie Sucks.” It was far from surprising, and Irving said as much during his postgame comments.
“A lot of the attention is on me, in terms of just the fandom,” Irving said, via CLNS Media. “It’s been six years. You gotta love it. But rightfully so. They have a right to boo. From my career record against them the last few games, I haven’t won. Till I beat them, they have all the right to continue to boo. I think that’s what makes the theatrics of sports and competitive sports fun. Just gotta embrace it. It’s part of it.”
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While Irving got plenty of boos Friday, the vitriol wasn’t quite what it was like during the 2022 playoffs. That’s when there were multiple profanity-laced chants directed at him, and he gave the crowd some middle fingers during Game 1. Celtics fans also aren’t going to forget when Irving stomped on “Lucky” at midcourt after Game 4 of the first round of the 2021 playoffs.
There’s plenty of history dating back years from Irving’s days with the Celtics from 2017-19. He was dealt for in the Isaiah Thomas trade and was set to become the face of the franchise. But the two seasons were mired with some controversy as he had an unceremonious end to his tenure. Plus there’s been some back-and-forth between him and the Celtics fans, for good measure.
But Irving is with the Mavericks now. With him in the West, he’s only going to play in Boston once a season. So while the boos will still likely be there going forward, unless the teams meet in the NBA Finals, there won’t be as many opportunities for Irving to play in front of Celtics fans.
“The booing’s part of it,” Irving said. “I have dealt with Boston fans prior to me even coming here. I’ve exited them a few times. But earlier in my career, we used to come up to Boston and smack them around. I’ve had both sides of the coin now, and I’ve accepted that’s what comes with the competitive side. I’ve had both sides. Sending Boston fans home then also booing me all the time. … They want to win, so you got to give them credit.”
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