Stephen A. Smith is in Kyrie's corner.
On ESPN's "First Take" Monday, Smith said he sides with Irving in his increasingly nasty feud with Celtics fans. Irving flipped off the raucous Garden crowd numerous times during Game 1 and also shouted expletives at a fan on his way to the locker room.
"I completely support Kyrie Irving on this — 1,000%," Smith said. "I found absolutely, positively no problem with what Kyrie Irving did whatsoever. The fact of the matter is, the fans were coming at him. They were bringing that mess."
Smith's words echo Irving's defense of his actions. After the game, Irving told reporters he was giving Celtics fans the "same energy" they were giving him. "When people start yelling' p—' or 'b—' or 'f— you,' and all this stuff there's only but so much you can take as a competitor," Irving said. "We're the ones expected to be docile and be humble, take a humble approach, f— that, it's the playoffs. This is what it is."
Irving seemed to benefit from the vulgar back-and-forth Sunday, dropping 39 points — including 18 in the fourth quarter. Smith said that's another point in Irving's favor.
"He knew when he flipped the bird at the fans, he knows he's going to get fined. He made a decision: 'I don't care.' The reason why he said 'I don't care' is what they were subjecting him to," Smith offered. "I'm sorry, I don't have a problem with that whatsoever, not even a little bit. The fact of the matter is, he didn't impede the game. As a matter of fact, he made the game even better. He went on, and while he was flipping them the bird, he was busting their living you know what."
One thing is for sure: Irving's antics have added additional juice to an already highly charged series. They'll also probably propel Celtics fans to be even more acrimonious in Game 2.
We'll see how Irving responds, with his middle fingers and play.
