Nets' Kyrie Irving Gives Middle Fingers, Choice Words To Celtics Fans

BOSTON — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving had some choice words and middle fingers for fans of his old team, but said he was simply giving fans the "same energy" they have for him.

A buzzer-beating layup by Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum gave Boston a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

But talk after the game and around the water cooler Monday centered on videos posted on social media of Irving's on- and off-court antics.

During the third quarter of the game, a frustrated Irving appeared to flip his middle finger toward Boston's fans as he ran down the court. Then during the fourth quarter, Irving appeared to give the Celtics home crowd two middle fingers behind his head, eliciting a roar of applause and heckling. Irving then held his fists to his eyes, an apparent attempt at fake crying.

In other videos, Irving walks off the court and shouts obscenities in response to a heckler in a stadium hallway. After the heckler yells, "Kyrie, you s---," the star guard responds, "S--- my d---, b----."

After the game, Irving, who finished with a team-high 39 points in 42 minutes, told reporters he's "used to all these antics and people being close nearby."

"It's nothing new when I come into this building what it's going to be like ... . But it's the same energy they have for me, and I'm going to have the same energy for them."

Irving added: "And it's not every fan, I don't want to attack every fan, every Boston fan, but, when people start yelling 'p---y' and 'b----' and 'f--- you' and all this stuff, there's only but so much you take as a competitor. We're the ones expected to be docile and be humble, and take a humble approach, f--- that, it's the playoffs. This is what it is."

Irving played for Boston from 2017 to 2019. Despite saying he wanted to sign a long-term deal with the Celtics, he signed with the Nets.

He has said he faced "subtle racism" from fans at TD Garden, and had a water bottle tossed at him by a spectator last postseason after he stepped on the Celtics logo.

"I know what to expect in here," Irving said after the game Sunday. "And it's the same energy I'm giving back to them. It is what it is. I'm not really focused on it, it's fun, you know what I'm saying? Where I'm from I've dealt with so much, so coming in here you relish it as a competitor. ... This isn't my first time at TD Garden so what you guys saw, what you guys think is entertainment, or the fans think is entertainment, all is fair in competition. If somebody is going to call me out on my name, I'm going to look them straight in the eye and see if they're really about it. Most of the time they're not."

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