There are many things to talk about after Game 1 between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets in their first-round series, considering that it was the most closely contested battle in the playoffs so far. Jayson Tatum laid the ball in at the buzzer to give the Celtics the first win, but they got quite close to losing, in large part thanks to the stellar play of Kyrie Irving.
Irving also became the center of attention for another reason after the game, the enigmatic point guard gave it back to Celtics fans that were booing and abusing him on the court in spectacular fashion. He flipped fans off, responded to abuses in kind, and in general, antagonized an already hostile Boston crowd that won’t soon forget the way he acted.
Many people had something to say about Kyrie’s antics on the night, but perhaps the most practical take has come from Vince Carter, who gave his two cents on the issue while talking on ESPN.
(Question and Vince’s take begins at 5:11 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eY0iZ3TCwc
“It’s just, he left on bad terms, and the fans wanna let him know about it. They want to make sure that when a former player comes in their building, they want to get under his skin because they know they can get under Kyrie’s skin. That’s the only reason he’s reacting to it.
“I was in that situation and the thing for me to stay focused, stay engaged and stay in the moment is to do my job. Yes some things are disrespectful, and out of line, but you just need to go to officials and the people who handle that and let them handle it. If Kyrie goes in there and wins the game, that’s gonna shut up a lot of people.
“Now they’re probably gonna talk more junk and even louder, in that building. It’s just a tough situation. Some guys handle things differently and he feels he needs to react to it. And if you’re sometimes doing that, you’re just feeding the fire. All they gonna do is come back more. If Kyrie comes back in Game 2 and scores a lot, the building will be quiet.”
Carter received some hostility from fans of the Toronto Raptors when he initially came back after leaving the franchise, so he knows what he’s talking about in this aspect. Kyrie Irving is hard to predict though, and he did put up 39 in Game 1, so if this is what gets him going and he doesn’t mind the fines, then the nets might be better served to just let him react how he wants.
