Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving fired up the playoff series against his former club Boston Celtics in game one.
In the opening game, which the Nets lost 114:115 in the last second, the 30-year-old point guard repeatedly tangled with the fans in Boston and also gave them the middle finger. He gave the fans “the same energy they gave me,” said Irving, who also converted his emotions into 39 points.
“It’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every Boston fan,” said Irving, who has been regularly booed by Celtics fans since moving to Brooklyn in 2019. But if fans become abusive, he can only take it up to a certain limit. “We’re the ones expected to be meek and humble – fuck it, it’s the playoffs.”
Next punishment threatened
Irving missed large parts of the season because he did not get vaccinated against 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. Now another threat threatens him.
In terms of sport, the four-time All-Star has shined in his previous games of the season. For example, he scored 60 points in March’s 150-108 at the Orlando Magic, setting a personal and historic franchise record as well as a league-season high. Since the end of March, Irving has also been allowed to play in home games in upstate New York again, so that he can be present in all games in the playoffs.