Kyrie Irving spouted his usual pseudo-intellectual word salad heading into Game 1 Sunday. The petulant point guard said he was moving on from his Boston days and into a “new paradigm, baby.”
Then he proceeded to flip off Celtics fans multiple times and shout expletives at one of them while heading into the locker room at halftime. When the Nets really needed Irving to show some fire, he just stood there, and allowed Jayson Tatum to blow right by him for the game-winning layup.
Kyrie may have scored 39 points and gone an incredible 8-0 run all by himself. But his refusal to play any defense with the game on the line is the most indelible image from his evening — right up there with his middle finger.
In the end, Kyrie threw a temper tantrum, and lost. That’s what matters most.
Irving was booed every time he touched the ball Sunday, and after hitting a contested jumper late in the third quarter, he threw his middle finger in the air. It was the ultimate act of on-court defiance, destined to draw a steep fine from the league office.
It also ignited Irving and served as a precursor for his incredible fourth quarter — up until the waning seconds. He scored 18 points in the final period and was unconscionable from the floor. In other words, Irving’s performance backed up his troll job. Before the game, he said he wanted the Celtics to replay his highlights at the Garden, and on Sunday, was providing plenty of them — all while fasting for Ramadan.
With roughly 45 seconds remaining, Irving nailed a 3-pointer, putting the Nets up by three.
But the Celtics didn’t relent. They forced the ball out of his hands during Brooklyn’s last possession, and Kevin Durant missed a jump shot. That set up the Celtics’ final possession. Jaylen Brown swung the ball over to Marcus Smart, who found Tatum driving towards the basket. He whirled past Irving without effort.
Game over.
Just three years ago, Irving ended his Celtics career with the same kind of nonchalance. After reneging on his promise to re-sign with Boston, he quit in the playoffs and torpedoed the team. Since leaving, he’s done nothing but badmouth Boston. Irving infamously brought up the city's regrettable history with race prior to last year’s series.
And a moronic fan played the part, tossing a water bottle in Irving’s direction.
On Sunday, Irving also faced abuse from the fans. He told reporters he was giving it right back. “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.”
Nobody condones vile fan behavior, but let’s be honest: Irving is far from the only villainous visiting athlete to be heckled in his former city. He invites the vitriol with self-indulgent soliloquies and his blatant disregard for Boston.
But in Kyrie's mind, he's always the victim.
It wasn’t always this nasty. After forcing his way out of Cleveland — and spurning LeBron James in the process — Irving waxed poetic about being in Boston. He often brought up his father, Drederick Irving, who played his college ball at Boston University. At a season-ticket holder event, Irving pledged he would re-sign with the Celtics “if they’d have him.”
Instead, he signed with the Nets, and compared Celtics fans with a jilted ex-girlfriend. At the end of last year’s playoff series, Irving stepped on “Lucky” at half court.
Yet, Irving acts offended when fans shout nasty things at him. Please. His talent nearly prevailed Sunday, but his hubris won out.