Brooklyn Nets star guard Kyrie Irving had himself a heck of a game against his former Boston Celtics team Sunday afternoon.
In Game 1 of their first-round NBA Playoff series against the Celtics in Boston, Irving dropped 39 points on 12-of-20 shooting. That included a 6-of-10 mark from distance with five rebounds and six assists.
While it was not enough for Brooklyn to come out on top with Boston winning in thrilling fashion by the score of 115-114, it goes to show us just how good he’s playing right now.
The backdrop here is obvious. Kyrie Irving played with the Celtics for two seasons (2017-19), leaving the city in pretty bad terms in the process.
As enigmatic as they get, Irving got into it with Celtics fans inside TD Garden — both during the game and after Brooklyn’s hard fought loss.
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Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics fans go at it as tensions grow
During the game, Irving was seen flipping the double bird to Celtics fans behind his back. At that point, the fans simply cheered.
Once Brooklyn fell to the Celtics to open their series, Irving was headed to the locker room. That’s when he got into a war of words with a certain fan from Boston.
None of this can be seen as too much of a surprise. Even before free agency opened back in the summer of 2019, local stores had Irving Celtics jerseys on the discount rack. It was a clear indication that those in Boston knew Irving was already gone after just two seasons with the team.
It was last May that a certain Celtics fan was arrested during a playoff game after throwing a water bottle at Kyrie Irving.
Following his departure from the Celtics, Irving claimed that fans in Boston showed racist tendencies during his tenure with the organization — leading to a further rift.
Flipping the bird or getting into a war of words is one thing. Any escalation from this point, however, wouldn’t be seen as a good thing.
Down 1-0 in the series, Irving and his Nets will remain in Boston for Game 2 of their series against the Celtics slated for Wednesday evening. Let’s hope things don’t get out of control during that game.