Boston fans have gone out of their way to show their disdain for Kyrie Irving, riding him all of the Celtics’ game one win over the Nets on Sunday, and even moving that to Fenway Park, where Boston fans chanted “F--k Kyrie!” during Monday’s Red Sox game.
But Irving’s teammate Kevin Durant says that anger is just a secondary emotion, hiding the fact that Celtics fans wish Irving never left Boston.
“It’s rooted in love,” Durant said at Tuesday’s practice. “They once loved you and once cheered for you, bought your merchandise, had life-altering experiences coming to games watching you play. So when it gets ripped from them in a trade or demanding a trade or wanting to leave, it feels like a piece of them is gone too. It’s an emotional attachment they have to professional sports. It’s a gift and a curse or having a team in your city where you grew up, but it shows people care and have emotions and really respect and admire who we are as individuals. Sometimes it gets a little dark…but we understand all that.”
The history of conflict between Irving and Boston runs deep, from his absence from game seven of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals to his signing with the Nets after telling Celtics fans he wanted to stay in Boston so long as they wanted him. Then there was the burning of sage at TD Garden in his return to Boston, comparing Celtics fans to a “scorned girlfriend,” etc. The conflict hit a peak on Sunday when Irving gave Celtics fans the finger during game one, fully leaning into his villain role in Boston. But Durant wouldn’t be surprised if Irving was more toned down in that regard in game two, and would be equally unsurprised if his teammate continued to embrace his identity in Beantown.
“Everybody has different moods,” Durant said. Some days he might be up for it, some days he might not. But he understands what his job entails…it’s just a feel thing. You never know what might trigger you in the moment. NBA crowds in the playoffs tend to try and pick at players, especially ones that played for their teams previously. We all understand that stuff.
“The same energy they give to him, he’s gonna give it right back, and he played that way. It’s all in the game.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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