Getty Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving dribbles in a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on April 16, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
During the Brooklyn Nets Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics, Nets’ star Kyrie Irving got into several altercations with Celtics fans. But the Nets star says he is just reciprocating the energy that heckling fans give to him.
“Look, where I’m from, I’m used to all these antics and people being close nearby. It’s nothing new when I come into this building what it’s going to be like — but it’s the same energy they have for me, I’m going to have the same energy for them,” Irving said to reporters following the Nets Game 1 loss per ESPN.
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NBA Hits Kyrie Irving With Huge Fine for Game 1 Infraction
On several occasions during Game 1, Irving gave the middle finger to Celtics fans that were heckling him from the stands. And although his actions may have been justified in the eyes of many, because it was a form of retaliation, it is still against league rules to do so. As a result, the NBA has fined Irving $50,000, according to Shams Charania of “The Athletic”.
“Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been fined $50,000 for middle-finger gestures to fans on Sunday in Boston, as well as profane language,” Charania said per his Twitter account on April 19.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been fined $50,000 for middle finger gestures to fans on Sunday in Boston, as well as profane language.
Durant: Celtics Disdain for Kyrie Is ‘Rooted in Love’
The origin of Boston’s vitriol towards Irving stemmed from the 2018-19 season, the year that Irving’s contract with the Celtics was set to expire. Kyrie attended a season ticket holder event at TD Garden and guaranteed fans that he would sign a long-term deal with the Celtics during 2019 free agency. However, that never materialized as Irving committed to signing with the Nets in 2019. Irving’s Boston exit still has some Celtics fans feeling uneasy it seems, but Nets star Kevin Durant says that Celtics fans’ disdain for Irving is a sign of how much he is missed.
“It’s rooted in love,” Durant said per Brian Lewis of the “New York Post”. “They once loved you, cheered for you & bought your merchandise, had life-altering experiences coming to games watching you play. When it gets ripped from them…they feel like a piece of them is gone too”
KD on stars getting booed in returns to former cities: “Its rooted in love. They once loved you, cheered for you & bought your merchandise, had life altering experiences coming to games watching you play. When it gets ripped from them…they feel like a piece of them is gone too”
Durant also said that despite how others may feel about Kyrie’s profane reaction to those heckling Celtics fans, he stands behind his teammate’s decision.
“Kyrie’s reaction was his reaction, and we all stood behind that,” Durant said per Brian Lewis of the “New York Post”. “ I feel him, exactly what he said. The same energy you get, they’re giving off to him, he’s gonna give it right back – and he played that way.”
While all of the hype surrounding the Nets’ Game 1 loss focused on Irving’s reaction to those heckling Celtics fans, it was not much of a point of emphasis in Boston’s locker room according to Celtics star Jaylen Brown.
“I was not aware. I focused all my energy is on our team and what we got to do to win games. I wasn’t focused on anything else, to be honest, and that’s all I’m focused on,” Brown said of Irving’s reaction via Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
The Nets will look to tie the series when they take on the Celtics in Game 2 on April 20.
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NBA Comes Down Hard on Nets’ Kyrie Irving for Violating League Rules