Kyrie Irving wasn't impressed with Celtics fans after he struggled though Game 1 of NBA Finals
BOSTON -- Kyrie Irving was clearly off his game as the Mavericks fell to the Celtics, 107-89, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. But Irving isn't giving Boston fans an assist for his struggles.
The boos and taunts are nothing new for Irving when he steps inside TD Garden. While things have certainly worked out for the better for the Celtics since his departure, Boston fans aren't going to forgive Irving for how things ended and for bolting after the 2019 season. Or for stomping on the Celtics logo at midcourt. Or for flipping everyone off during a playoff game two years ago.
The boos were loud when he was introduced, and even louder anytime Irving touched the ball on Thursday night. Those jeers quickly turned to cheers when he turned the ball over, which Irving did three times. The crowd went wild when he dribbled the ball off his foot, and again when he lost his footing and coughed it up again. The Boston faithful had a lot of fun celebrating those miscues.
Irving scored just 12 points on 6-for-19 shooting and missed all five of his three-pointers in the loss. He logged just two assists on the night, and was a game-worst minus-19 over his 37 minutes on the floor.
The Celtics' stifling defense had a lot to do with it. Jrue Holiday was draped all over Irving and gave him nothing to work with throughout the game. Irving gave the Celtics a lot of credit for their hounding defense, which held Dallas to just 26 percent shooting from three and only nine assists for the game.
But in a move to continue his psychological warfare with Boston fans, Irving dismissed their impact on his poor showing in Game 1.
"Being in this environment, I'm used to it at this point," Irving said after the loss. "Over the past few years in the playoffs here, regular season, it's been the same thing. I thought it was going to be a little louder in here. But I'm expecting the same things. Going to Game 2, crowd trying to get me out of my element."
Woah boy. Irving wants Boston fans to bring it even more on Sunday night. He's essentially begging for someone to step over the line to give him something else to focus on. (Don't take the bait, Celtics fans.)
Irving maintains that his focus on Thursday was on basketball, but that should make his struggles even more concerning for the Mavs.
"The energy has to be focused towards the game. I felt like I had a lot of great looks. They hit back rim or were just a little left or right," Irving explained. "Just got to stay confident and stay poised throughout this, man. This is the best time of the year to be playing. There's only two teams left. Let's put it in perspective.
"The environment is going to be what it is but my focus is on our game plan and making sure my guys feel confident and I feel confident and continue to shoot great shots," he added.
The Celtics now own a 1-0 series lead over Irving and the Mavericks. Going against his former team hasn't been much fun for Irving, who has now lost 11 straight to Boston, a slump that goes back three years.
"It's not the first time I've lost in Boston. I don't want to continue to make it a habit but they've had a few games over me and they have our number -- not our number, I don't want to say our number -- but the past few teams I've been on, they have had my number a little bit," he said. "You have to give credit to a good team. They have been good the past three or four years."
The last time Irving faced the Celtics in the playoffs, they swept his Nets out of the first round two years ago. We'll see if a similar fate awaits Irving with an NBA title on the line.