The Nets beat the Celtics Monday for the first time since January 2016. But the fans at the Barclays Center may have delivered the most jarring moment of the evening for Green Team Nation.
Early in the fourth quarter of Brooklyn’s 109-102 victory, which was only that close thanks to a late-game Boston flurry, Nets fans started chanting “Kyrie’s leaving!” It was a stark reminder that the Celtics, who have spent the last three seasons monitoring the Nets’ draft positioning, can no longer look down on other franchises. This star-studded group is 25-18 and currently the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. If the playoffs started today, they wouldn’t even have home court advantage in the first round.
Nets fans toying with the Celtics: “Kyrie’s leaving! -- -- ------ Kyrie’s leaving!” pic.twitter.com/74V8Uwej6e
— SNY (@SNYtv)
January 15, 2019 Irving was out of action with a right quad contusion, but is expected to return to the court when the Celtics host the Raptors Wednesday. The NBA champion called out his younger teammates over the weekend following Boston’s gut-wrenching loss to the mediocre Magic, but said this week he will never criticize his teammates in public again.
Prior to the start of the season, Irving pledged he would re-sign with the Celtics this summer if they would “have him back.” It still makes the most financial sense for Irving to remain in Boston, since the Celtics can offer him a five-year contract worth $190 million. Other teams can only present Irving a four-year deal worth $140.6 million.
But the Nets fans’ mockery of the situation shows how far the Celtics have fallen. Their future looks more combustable than it has since they started collecting Nets first-round picks.
