The average Boston Celtics fan really, really doesn't like Kyrie Irving, but that hasn't always been the case.
Irving sparked an infusion of excitement in Boston when he was traded to the Celtics in the summer of 2017. The star point guard and the C's shared some great moments over their two years together, but as we know, the partnership had an ugly ending. After vocalizing his commitment to the Celtics in the fall of 2018, Irving jumped at the opportunity to sign with the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent the following fall.
Green Teamers have detested Irving ever since. Speaking to the media prior to Wednesday night's game at TD Garden, Kevin Durant broke down the evolved relationship between the two sides.
"I mean, it's rooted in love," Durant told reporters. per a clip shared by The Athletic. "They once loved you, they once cheered for you, bought your merchandise, had life-altering experiences coming to games when you play. So, when it kind of gets ripped from them with something like a trade or demanding a trade or wanting to leave, they feel like a piece of them is gone, too. It's an emotional attachment that they have with professional sports.
"You could say that's a gift and a curse of having a team in your city where you grew up. That shows that people care, that people have emotions, that people really aspect and admire who we are as individuals. Sometimes it gets a little dark and deep, but that's just how the human brain works. We understand all of that and the fans understand where we come from at this point, too, because we have our own platforms and we speak on stuff like this. It's healthy once everybody understands both sides."
Celtics fans made their current feelings about Irving abundantly clear Sunday, and the seven-time All-Star returned the favor with a middle finger and some profane language. Irving on Tuesday was fined $50,000 by the NBA for those actions.
You can bank on Irving fielding more boos and jeers when the Celtics and the Nets meet for Game 2 of their best-of-seven series Wednesday.
