Celtics post Kryie Irving's quote about Boston crowd on jumbotron ahead of Game 2
BOSTON -- Kyrie Irving expressed some disappointment in the Boston crowd after the first game of the NBA Finals, saying he expected the TD Garden to be a "little louder" than it was during Game 1 on Thursday night. The Celtics did what they could to make sure the Boston crowd lived up to Irving's expectations in Sunday night's Game 2.
Shortly before the Celtics and the Mavericks tipped off, Irving's quote about Celtics fans was posted on the jumbotron inside TD Garden. Boston fans responded as they do when they see Irving on the court: With a loud smattering of boos and a lot of "Kyrie Sucks!" chants.
Irving was booed again when he was introduced in the Mavs' starting lineups. And then again and again and again anytime he touched the ball or got involved in the action.
And much like he did in Game 1, Irving struggled again on Sunday night. He shot just 7-for-18 and finished with 16 points as the Mavericks lost, 105-98, to fall into an 0-2 series hole. He didn't say anything about Boston fans while at the podium following Dallas' loss.
But Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown -- who had urged Sunday's crowd to be even louder than Thursday's Game 1 crowd -- loved the atmosphere inside TD Garden during Game 2.
"I thought it was great. In moments where we gained some momentum, that helped us get over the hump," said Brown. "So tonight we came out, we didn't shoot the ball well. We were a little flat, but I felt like the crowd helped us stay in the game."
Irving has a long history with Boston fans after he left the organization as a free agent in 2019 following two seasons with the Celtics. He stomped on the Celtics logo at midcourt during one of his returns as a member of the Nets, and then flipped off C's fans two years ago during a Boston-Brooklyn playoff series at TD Garden. After one of Irving's games in Boston, a Celtics fan was arrested after throwing a water bottle at the guard.
Both Irving and Boston fans were on their best behavior over the first two games of the series. With the Celtics up 2-0, there's no guarantee those two sides will be seeing each other again in the NBA Finals.
