Mid-game, Brooklyn’s Irving gives the Boston fans the middle fingers
As of 10:52 a.m
Dramatic end: Jayson Tatum (l.) Turns away jubilantly following his goal for victory, Kyrie Irving is served
Source: AFP/Maddie Meyer
Emotions run high in the first playoff duel between Boston and Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving is primarily responsible for this. The Nets star provokes the home fans with obscene gestures during the game. The conflict has a long history.
Dhe Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets in the last second in their NBA playoff season opener. Jayson Tatum scored the decisive basket in a gripping game with the final siren to 115:114 (61:61). Afterwards, Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving was the main focus.
“I think it’s a kind of microcosm for our season that the boys move the ball unselfishly,” said coach Ime Udoka regarding the final move, in which all five Celtics professionals were involved on the court. The strong team performance was also expressed in numbers. Tatum had 31 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 points and Al Horford and Marcus Smart had 20 each.
On the Nets side, however, Kyrie Irving stood out with 39 points. However, the former Celtics professional repeatedly tangled with the fans in Boston during the heated game and repeatedly gave them the middle finger. On the way to the dressing room, Irving also insulted waiting fans and staff in the aisle.
“Where I’m from, I’m used to these antics. This is nothing new for me coming into this hall. But they just get the same energy that I feel from them,” Irving justified his gestures at the press conference following the game, in which he was loudly booed every time he touched the ball.
Long conflict between Boston and Irving
“Of course not every fan does that, I don’t want to attack all the fans in Boston,” the point guard clarified. “When people yell insults, you can only take it up to a certain point. We’re the ones expected to be meek and humble – fuck it, it’s the playoffs. It is how it is.”
Irving missed large parts of the season because he did not get vaccinated once morest the corona virus. He was only able to make his season debut in January, but was initially only allowed to play away from home. Irving has already had to pay two hefty fines for insulting a fan of his other former club, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and being in the dressing room at a home game without permission. In the worst-case scenario, he faces a $50,000 fine for his recent misconduct under league regulations.
The strained relationship between point guards and Boston fans has a long history. Irving left Boston in the summer of 2019, despite previously announcing his intention to sign a long-term contract. He also accused some of the Celtics fans of “subliminal racism”.
Last year, when the Nets and Celtics also faced each other in the playoffs, Irving provoked the record champions’ supporters by demonstratively stomping on the Celtics logo in the center circle. As a reaction, a water bottle flew out of the audience in the direction of the Nets player.
From a sporting point of view, it was not enough for the Nets to win because Kevin Durant had a weak evening. Brooklyn’s second superstar scored 23 points, but hit only nine of 24 throws and made six turnovers. The second game in the series rises on Thursday night.
