BOSTON — Clearly at a better place with his game and comfort than those disastrous seasons in Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving says he’ll have a meditative approach to the hostility that awaits from the Celtics crowd in Thursday’s Game 1 of the Finals.
“You just got to breathe through it,” Irving said. “To all the [younger players] out there that are dealing with some of the crowd reactions, what they’re saying to you, you have to breathe, realize that is not as hostile as you think it is. Don’t overthink it.”
It was different during those Nets seasons, which immediately followed Irving ditching Boston in free agency.
Back then, Irving provoked the Beantown crowd by stepping on the midcourt leprechaun, lighting sage around the sidelines, throwing up a middle finger at a fan and suggesting Boston’s racism as a factor.
Time may have softened some of the anger, but there’s little doubt Irving will be Public Enemy No. 1 at TD Garden.
He plans to weaponize the vitriol.
“Been able to work through that and understand that some of that is anxiety, some of that is nervousness. It could all be turned into a strength,” Irving said. “There’s no fear out here, man. It’s basketball. The fans are going to say what they’re going to say. I appreciate them and their relationship they have to the game. But it’s about the players at the end of the day.”
Boston is among the most hostile NBA arenas with a long history of making the opposition uncomfortable.
One Celtics fan, Cole Buckley, hurled a water bottle at Irving during a game in 2021.
He was arrested.
Current Mavericks coach Jason Kidd once said his family was being harassed by Celtics fans during the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals.
Back then, Kidd was the star point guard for the New Jersey Nets and was the target of “wife beater” chants during the game.
His young son, TJ, and wife at the time, Joumana, were heckled in their arena seats.
“It bothers me. I can’t protect them,” Kidd said in 2002. “I’m worried about them at the same time I’m worried about trying to win a ballgame.
“You can’t do that to somebody’s family, put them in jeopardy for their safety. They came there to enjoy the game just like [Celtics fans] did.”
Luka Doncic is also anticipating an enthusiastic crowd.
“It’s very loud crowd. Everybody knows that. They’ve been known for that,” Doncic said “It’s hard to play in this place. The crowd is amazing for their team. All I got to say is we got to stay together. It’s us against them.”