BANNER NUMBER 18 INSIDE THE GARDEN. IN ONE GAME IN NBA HISTORY, NO TEAM HAS EVER WON. 18 CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUT THIS IS WHAT’S ONLINE TONIGHT WITH CELTICS FANS COMING FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND WORLD TO SEE GAME FIFTH IN PERSON. We are from Pittsburgh. It took us ten hours to drive. I feel confident. I think they’re going to get it tonight. BUCKET LIST. You know, life is short and I got my ticket for the final yesterday. You don’t mind me asking how much did he give you? Um, 2 p.m. Fans dressed in green a few hours before departure. JERSEYS, PANTS AND EVEN THEIR DRINK ORDER THAT I RECEIVED THOSE MONTHS AGO. I mean, you don’t see a tattoo yet, but you will once they win tonight. EVERYONE AGREES THAT IF THE CELTICS FINISH THE MISSION AND WIN THE SERIES IN FRONT OF THE HOME FANS, BOSTON WILL PARTY ALL THE WAY TO THE PARADE. You know, I would have been fine with a Game 4 win, but everyone’s in town. THIS IS GOING TO BE HYPE. WINNING IN BOSTON IS GOING TO BE AWESOME. WHAT ARE WE DOING TONIGHT? IF THEY WIN? Well, I’m staying here. It’s a courtyard, so I could stay up all night. AND WHEN WE ASKED THESE FANS WHO THEY WANT TO SEE GO BY, WHETHER IT WAS TATUM OR BROWN, THEY SAID LIKE THE SHIRTS INSIDE THE GARDEN, WHATEVER IT TAKES, IT’S A TEAM EFFORT TO THE C’S.
Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving reflects on tough times with Celtics and Boston fans’ impact on NBA Finals
Updated: 2:02 p.m. EDT June 17, 2024
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving ended his 13-game losing streak against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, but is now back in Massachusetts to play Game 5 in front of a base of fans who consider him a villain. Irving and the Mavericks trail the Celtics 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. If Boston wins Monday night, they will win a record 18th championship. “When fans are cheering and saying ‘Kyrie sucks,’ they feel like they have a psychological advantage, and that’s fair. Of course, if I don’t shoot or turn the ball over, that makes the problem even more urgent that they can stay on me,” Irving said Sunday. Irving was an All-Star in his two seasons in Boston, then left as a free agent to join the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 a few months after declaring – swearing, really – that he would stay with the Celtics . There were some interesting moments on his return to Boston; he was regularly booed and had a water bottle thrown at him, while he was fined for making an obscene gesture and raising anger by stomping on the Celtics leprechaun logo at midcourt after a playoff victory in Brooklyn there. He shot just 35% in the first two games of this Finals in Boston, averaging 14 points and four assists in his old home arena – where fans are making it clear they don’t like him much . “I think to silence even self-doubt, let alone crowd doubt, but self-doubt when you make or miss shots, that’s just as important as making sure I’m running the team the right way and that I’m human through this experience too and telling them how I feel,” Irving said. When asked what he thought about returning to TD Garden for Game 5, Irving did something that could only frustrate Celtics fans more: He compared Boston to New York. “You just expect to have a magnifying glass with you everywhere you go. I don’t think Boston appreciates being sort of second class to New York in terms of the media capital of the world, but it is the capital world media as well, there’s a lot of history here off the field,” Irving said. Still, he acknowledged the Celtics have something special here. “The community has integrated itself into the Celtics team. That’s probably the best way to put it. The community is what makes the Celtics great here, the pandemonium of Boston. It’s what makes this space so great. loud and so special, and they’re proud of it,” Irving said. Irving also reflected on what went wrong during his time in Boston. “You have to show your respect here. I think that’s what I struggled with at first, was understanding how I’m going to be a great player here while still winning championships and leading a team and by selflessly joining the Celtics organization or sect that they have here,” he said. “That’s what they expect from you as a player. They expect you to embrace Celtics pride, everything about the Celtics. And if you don’t, you will be eliminated. I’m one of those people.
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving ended his 13-game losing streak against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, but is now back in Massachusetts to play Game 5 in front of a base of fans who consider him a villain.
Irving and the Mavericks trail the Celtics 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. If Boston wins Monday night, they will win a record 18th championship.
“When fans are cheering and saying ‘Kyrie sucks,’ they feel like they have a psychological advantage, and that’s fair. Of course, if I don’t shoot or turn the ball over, that makes the problem even more urgent that they can stay on me,” Irving said Sunday.
Irving was an All-Star in his two seasons in Boston, then left as a free agent to join the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 a few months after declaring – swearing, really – that he would stay with the Celtics . There were some interesting moments on his return to Boston; he was regularly booed and had a water bottle thrown at him, while he was fined for making an obscene gesture and inciting anger by stomping on the Celtics leprechaun logo at midcourt after a playoff victory in Brooklyn there.
He shot just 35 percent in the first two games of this Finals in Boston, averaging 14 points and four assists in his old arena — where fans are making it clear they don’t like him much.
“I think to silence even self-doubt, let alone crowd doubt, but self-doubt when you make or miss shots, that’s just as important as making sure I’m running the team in the right way and that I’m human through this experience too and telling them how I feel,” Irving said.
When asked what he thought about returning to TD Garden for Game 5, Irving did something that could only frustrate Celtics fans more: He compared Boston to New York.
“You just expect to have a magnifying glass with you everywhere you go. I don’t think Boston appreciates being sort of second class to New York in terms of the media capital of the world, but it is the capital world media as well, there’s a lot of history here off the field,” Irving said.
Still, he acknowledged the Celtics have something special here.
“The community has integrated itself into the Celtics team. That’s probably the best way to put it. The community is what makes the Celtics great here, the pandemonium of Boston. It’s what makes this space so great. loud and so special, and they’re proud of it,” Irving said.
Irving also reflected on what went wrong during his time in Boston.
“You have to show your respect here. I think that’s what I struggled with at first, was understanding how I’m going to be a great player here while still winning championships and leading a team and by selflessly joining the Celtics organization or sect that they have here,” he said. “That’s what they expect from you as a player. They expect you to embrace Celtics pride, everything about the Celtics. And if you don’t, you will be eliminated. I’m one of those people.