Kyrie Irving's numerous interactions with Celtics fans at TD Garden on Sunday have elicited a difference in opinions.
On one hand, some like Charles Barkley can't help but view Irving as soft for letting the Game 1 atmosphere get the best of him as the Brooklyn Nets guard flashed his middle finger to those in attendance.
On the other end, though, are those like Stephen A. Smith.
Smith had no problem with Irving answering the heckling from those at TD Garden with his own antics and NSFW profanities. And the well-known ESPN personality used 700-plus words Monday morning on "First Take" to share why he felt that way.
"Should he have done that? Here's the problem: No, because obviously he's going to get fined by the league knowing the league and its rules and stipulations. He deserves to be fined, but I have to tell you this -- are you ready for this (Kendrick Perkins)?," Smith asked the NBA analyst joining him. "I completely support Kyrie Irving on this one 1,000%. I found absolutely positively no problem with what Kyrie Irving did whatsoever.
"The fact of the matter is the fans were coming at him. They were bringing that mess," Smith continued. "Now, I don't condone violence. I don't condone you going and attacking fans and all of that other stuff. But, you know what, he knew when he flipped the bird at the fans that he's going to get fine. He made a decision, 'I don't care.' And the reason why he said 'I don't care' is because of what they were subjecting him to. I'm sorry, I don't have a problem with that whatsoever. Not even a little bit."
Another reason Smith didn't have a problem with the back-and-forth is that it didn't impede the game, it heightened it. Irving, who scored a game-high 39 points, went on to lead the Nets on a fourth-quarter run to get Brooklyn back in the game and even take the lead midway through the period.
If not for a Jayson Tatum buzzer-beater handing the Celtics the 1-0 series lead in the best-of-seven, Irving ultimately would have had the last laugh Sunday.
" ... Because they brought the smoke so he said 'Let's get it on.' And what he was doing was basically replicating what transpires on the playground and beyond," Smith said. "Excuse me, you want to talk some smack I'm not going to fight you, this isn't a boxing match, this is a basketball game. But you want to talk smack at me, I'm gonna talk at you."
Smith added: "I stand here this morning, completely supporting Kyrie Irving defending himself against that shrapnel of vitriol that was thrown in his direction."
The Celtics and Nets will take the floor for Game 2 on Wednesday at TD Garden.
