Maybe the most interesting matchup in the first round of the NBA Playoffs is the Celtics vs. Nets series, where Kyrie Irving will play his former team. In the past, when Irving has returned to Boston, the fans have given him a rude greeting given the way Irving left the team.
Irving left in free agency after two years with the Celtics despite openly saying he wanted to re-sign with the franchise. As a result, Boston fans have held a grudge against Irving, leading to heavy boos and heckling at every Nets–Celtics game.
Additionally, in a return to Boston last year, Irving stepped on the Celtics’ logo mid-court, which angered some fans.
However, Irving hopes everyone has moved on from that, asking fans to remember the good times they had.
“I hope we could move past my Boston era and reflect on some of the highlights I left at TD Garden that they can replay. Move forward. Just a new paradigm, baby,” he said.
And even if Celtics fans still boo Irving, the Nets point guard insists it will not impact his play.
“I don’t want to focus on anything other than what’s going on with our team, don’t want to focus on the fans, don’t want to focus on any extra stuff outside of my control. The environment is going to be the environment,” Irving said, via the New York Post’s Brian Lewis.
This is not the first time Irving has played vs. Boston in the playoffs, as this same series was also the first-round matchup last year, when the Nets were the No. 2 seed and the Celtics were No. 7. Brooklyn cruised to a 4–1 series win, with Irving averaging 24.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in those five games..
Now, however, the roles are flipped, as Boston holds the No. 2 seed and Brooklyn is No. 7. The Celtics enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league, while the Nets survived an uneven regular season just to get to this point.
Game one between these two sides will tip off Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
