In an appearance on JJ Redick’s The Old Man and the Three podcast, Heat wing Duncan Robinson explained the Hulk Hogan-style celebration he pulled out during the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Celtics.
Robinson, a New England native who went to high school in Massachusetts, ruffled some feathers after using Hogan’s signature celebration, holding up a hand to his ear and gesturing to Boston faithful. Turns out, his motivation to troll Celtics fans came from an unlikely source: a group chat Robinson’s number was added to by Boston fans after Game 6.
“My number got put in a group chat, and it was a massive group chat. After we lose Game 6, my phone is blowing up from all these New England numbers,” Robinson said. “They’re sending me memes of the Curt Schilling bloody sock. It’s just all these random numbers, like 70 texts.”
This is a great story:
.@D_Bo20 tells @jj_redick and @talter why he decided to do the Hulk Hogan taunt to the Celtics crowd during Game 7.
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) May 31, 2023
Full episode drops later today. https://t.co/irIRZINaEK pic.twitter.com/t8r3OAICQY
So, naturally, Robinson had to clap back once it was clear Miami would cruise to victory and a trip to the NBA Finals. While Robinson admitted he rather have done it while having a big game personally, he settled for dropping in the Hogan celebration after a backdoor cut for a layup and his 10th point of the game.
“I’m like ‘If I get the chance, and I go into the [TD] Garden, I’m going to do something.’” Robinson said. “Honestly, probably a little underwhelming, but you would be shocked by how many people that really bothered … all the people who are bitter back home were like ‘oh, that was so unnecessary, classless.’”
Redick, for what it’s worth, loved the celebration, calling it “one of the most joyous moments I’ve had watching playoff basketball this season.”
Hopefully, no Nuggets fans get their hands on Robinson’s number during this series. But if they do, who knows what the next celebration from Robinson might be.
