Humbled by the first sweep of his playoff career, the defiant Kyrie Irving we saw in Game 1, antagonizing Celtics fans in one of the great heel performances in NBA postseason history, has abandoned us. The embattled point guard struck a conciliatory tone in his first-round post-mortem, congratulating his former team in a rare admission of defeat.
As always, it’s hard to tell if Irving’s sentiment is genuine or if he’s setting an elaborate trap, killing the Celtics with kindness in a clever bit of reverse psychology. The Nets All-Star was similarly effusive in his praise of Boston after Game 2, which many interpreted as a desperate ploy to lure the Celtics into a false sense of security. If that was indeed Irving’s objective, heaping compliments on his rival in hopes that Boston would lower its guard, his plan failed spectacularly, with the Celtics marching into Brooklyn like they owned the place.
After being hit with a $50,000 fine (the maximum allowed under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement) for his behavior in Game 1, Irving played with noticeably less fire the rest of the series, ceding into the background as if he were resigned to the Nets’ fate, looking like a shell of the player who showed up to TD Garden with a canister of gas, ready to burn Boston to the ground. Irving seemed to acknowledge his role in Brooklyn’s collapse, admitting his refusal to abide by New York’s vaccine mandate put the Nets at a clear disadvantage, playing catchup in the chemistry department while other teams spent the stretch run sharpening their swords.
Irving remains at odds with Boston’s notoriously hostile fan base (a beef that will last to his dying day), though he’s still close with many of his former teammates including Tatum, a fellow Duke alum who has blossomed into one of the game’s brightest stars, neutralizing Kevin Durant in a way few thought possible. For all its hype—some were calling it the most anticipated opening-round matchup of our lifetime— the series was never in doubt with Boston, fueled by a stifling defense and one of the game’s elite talents in Tatum (who most would agree has ascended to another tier of stardom this season), holding all the cards.
While the Nets’ schedule has opened up considerably, Boston still has plenty of work ahead with the defending champion Bucks (assuming they don’t blow a 3-1 series lead to Chicago) awaiting them in Round Two.
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