Nets' Kyrie Irving on boos from Celtics fans: 'It's like the scorned girlfriend'

It's clear that fans in Boston still harbor some ill will when it comes to Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving. Irving and the Nets squared off against the Celtics in Boston on Sunday afternoon, and Irving was met with loud boos when he was initially introduced, and virtually every single time he touched the ball for the rest of the afternoon.

Irving played two seasons with the Celtics, and many fans were unhappy with the fact that he left and signed with the Nets in free agency after publicly stating that he planned to re-sign in Boston. Clearly such feelings haven't subsided much, if at all. Irving didn't seem to be especially bothered by the boos, though. In fact, he's prepared to hear them every single time he plays in Boston for the rest of his career.

"I know it's going to be like that the rest of my career coming in here," Irving said of the boos after the game -- a 126-120 Boston victory.. "It's like the scorned girlfriend who just wants an explanation on why I left but still hoping for a text back. It was fun while it lasted... The reality is that I'm just grateful for my time here in Boston. Everybody in the front office, everybody in that locker room treated me well. I still have lasting relationships in our league that extend as a brotherhood to us, and we still remain close."

With the loss to the Celtics, the Nets dropped to a game below .500 on the season and down to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, so Irving clearly has things to worry about other than some boos from former fans, but it's clear that Boston will continue to be a hostile environment anytime Irving plays there. This backdrop could add a level of intrigue if the Nets and Celtics happen to meet in the playoffs this season.

Comments

Klay Thompson to sit out Warriors preseason games in Japan as Kerr says he needs more time to ramp-up

Klay Thompson may have returned healthy to the Golden State Warriors last season, but the scars from his two missed seasons are still quite visible. The Warriors played their first of two preseason games against the Washington Wizards on Friday and will play another on Sunday, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Thompson will not be playing at all during the trip to Japan. "Just feel more comfortable giving him a little more of a ramp up," Kerr said before Friday's victory over Washington. "He's just not quite ready to play at this point just based on where, you know, we're so early in camp. We just want to be safe and make sure he gets a good ramp-up before he plays in games." Typically, so little time to ramp up wouldn't be a problem for a veteran in a preseason context. The games tend to be so low-impact and demand so few minutes out of a team's best players that they can safely jog through them. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green played 1...

Shaquille O'Neal says Dennis Rodman was his worst teammate: 'He was a great player, but he made it hard'

Shaquille O'Neal played for six franchises over a 20-year NBA career. That's a lot of teammates. Speaking on The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time champion and Hall of Famer revealed which one of those teammates was the worst. "Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman," O'Neal said. "He was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you [are] letting this one guy do whatever he wants. So we had to be there an hour before the game. He'd come in fifteen minutes before the game eating chicken and rice. While the coaches are talking, he would jump in the shower. Cold shower. Come and give you 15-20 rebounds." O'Neal played with some characters in his time. We know about his beef with Kobe Bryant, who we know wasn't always the easiest teammate to get along with, though Shaq has long expressed regret over the way he and Bryant handled their relationship as young superstars, and eventually, he ...

Kevin Durant injury update: Nets rule star out for home-and-home vs. Raptors, hopeful for return later in week

Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to return to the floor this upcoming week. Head coach Steve Nash says it just won't be against the Raptors, either Monday or Tuesday night in the team's home-and-home against Toronto. Durant has started doing more on-court work recently as he recovers from the sprained MCL he suffered in his left knee last month, and Nash is optimistic about his prognosis moving forward. The former MVP will not play on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, however. "I think with Kevin he's been a great healer throughout his career," Nash said Saturday. "So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free. When he's back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor ... one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he's a big miss for us, and whenever he get...

Crossover World

Search This Blog