SUMMARY
- Kyrie Irving was booed by Celtics fans during the Mavericks visit to the TD Garden.
- Irving didn't feel affected by what had happened and still respects the franchise.
Kyrie Irving made his return to the TD Garden last night after a long time and things turn pretty rowdy. Over the years, the 31-year-old has been living a life synonymous to controversy. In 2017, Kyrie signed with the Boston Celtics and he was looked at as the savior of the team. The reason he left his previous team was because he felt overshadowed by LeBron James’ dominance. In Boston, he was given the role of a leader.
Boston Celtics fans boo Kyrie Irving as the Dallas Mavericks starters are introduced. pic.twitter.com/6CCySJTdOx
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) March 2, 2024
However, things didn’t last too long between him and the Celtics as he left in 2019. Irving ended up leaving them to join the Brooklyn Nets as he wanted to be closer to his family and his hometown. During his stint, the Celtics made the playoffs once. They competed until the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks. But Celtics fans are known for being extremely passionate. And they do not have the most welcoming fanbase either.
Kyrie Irving embraced the Celtics’ boos like a champ
Upon his return to the TD Garden, Celtics fans hurled loud boos at him. It wasn’t a pleasant night either as the Dallas Mavericks wound up taking a beating from the Celtics. However, Irving accepted his fate and took the loud blows of discouragement like a champ. During a locker room interview he said, “Yeah I mean, it’s in the arena man. A lot of tension is on me in terms of just the fandom. It’s been six years, you gotta love it.”
Kyrie Irving on being booed by #Celtics fans:
“Rightfully so they have a right to boo and, you know, for my career record against them for the last few games I haven’t won so until I beat them, they have all the right to continue to boo. I think that’s what makes the theatrics… pic.twitter.com/ad4HOGgF8l
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) March 2, 2024
Irving added, “But rightfully so they have a right to boo and, you know, for my career record against them for the last few games I haven’t won so until I beat them, they have all the right to continue to boo. I think that’s what makes the theatrics of sports and competitive sports fun and just gotta embrace it. It’s a part of it.” All the boos ended up working in favor of the Celtics as Jayson Tatum scored 32 points to lead them to a victory.
Kyrie Irving made his mark on the league against the Celtics
The Mavericks did not have the best night offensively. They failed to deliver from behind the arc averaging only 26.5% on 34 attempts. Luka Doncic did his best by finishing with 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. However, he barely had a helping hand on the floor as nobody else scored more than 20 points.
Kyrie Irving finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists during the game and it wasn’t his best performance. Josh Green and Maxi Kleber weren’t their best on the floor either. But Kyrie made history by passing Kemba Walker on the all-time three-pointers list. He currently ranks 34th and is set to surpass Steve Nash soon. It won’t take long for Irving to reach the top ten either and it is something fans have to keep an eye out for.