WATCH: Kyrie gets deafening boos in return for TD Garden for Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON – Kyrie Irving is public enemy No. 1 at TD Garden for the 2024 NBA Finals.
The former Celtic, who now faces off against his ex-teammates for the Dallas Mavericks, received thunderous applause when he took the floor for Game 1 on Thursday evening.
Irving played two tumultuous seasons with Boston between 2017 and 2019. The star point guard fell out of favor with C fans after vowing to re-sign with the team when his contract expired, leaving for the Brooklyn Nets in the summer.
Since then, every time Irving returns to TD Garden, he has been greeted with loud cheers and expletive-laden chants. Irving has responded by stomping on the C logo at center field during the 2021 playoffs and waving the middle finger (twice) at Boston fans in the 2022 Celtics-Nets postseason series.
Before Game 1, Irving downplayed the hostility that comes with playing at TD Garden.
“You just have to breathe through it. For all my young people who have to deal with the reactions of the public and what they say to you, you have to breathe and realize that this is not as hostile as you think. Don’t think about it too much ,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ve been able to work through that and understand that some of that is fear, some of that is nervousness and it can all be turned into a strength.”
Irving is making his fourth appearance in the NBA Finals. His previous three came alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
