Nets' Kyrie Irving explains one-finger salute to Celtics fans: 'There’s only so much you can take'
Irving's rivalry with Boston is well-chronicled
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving appeared to give middle fingers to the Boston Celtics crowd twice during the team’s Game 1 loss on Sunday night.
He did it once during the third quarter, when he nailed a long two-pointer over Jaylen Brown, and then again while he was standing on the sideline at another point of the ball game.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving passes under pressure from Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams during Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series, Sunday, April 17, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Irving finished the game with 39 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals in 42 minutes.
He was asked about the interactions with Celtics fans after the 115-114 loss.
"Where I’m from, I’m used to all these antics and people being close, nearby. It’s nothing new when I come to this building what it’s going to be like," Irving said after the game.
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"It's the same energy they have for me and I’m going to have the same energy for them… And I don’t want to attack every Boston fan, but when people start yelling p-----, b----- and f--- you there’s only so much you can take as a competitor."
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics celebrates the game-winning basket as Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets looks on at TD Garden on April 17, 2022, in Boston. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Irving’s rivalry with Boston is well-chronicled.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He was traded to the Celtics in 2017 and told fans he was going to stay in Boston before eventually jumping to the Nets.
Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets high-fives teammates during the 2022 NBA playoff game against the Celtics on April 17, 2022, at the TD Garden in Boston. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Last season, he irked fans when he stomped on the logo at center court at the TD Garden during the playoffs. At the end of the same game, Irving had a water bottle hurled at him as he walked back to the locker room. The fan was arrested.