Kyrie Irving spent two years in Boston with the Celtics. He has spent two years being hated by his fans since leaving.
Now, bringing his Nets back to TD Garden with a 2-0 lead in this first-round series, Irving knows full well what to expect when he gets there.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been an opponent in Boston. So I just can’t wait to compete with my teammates and hope we can just keep it strictly in basketball, ”Irving said. “There is no belligerence or racism – subtle racism – shouting people from the crowd, but even if it does, it’s part of the nature of the game and we’ll just focus on that. that we can control. ”
When Irving missed last season’s two trips to Boston due to his shoulder injury, Celtics fans always put up posters calling him a coward and chanted profane curses about him. His trips this preseason and the regular season were played without fans.
TD Garden is expected to be at 25% capacity for Friday’s Game 3, but Game 4 will be near full capacity.
When asked if he had ever been a victim of racism in Boston, Irving shrugged, threw his hands in the air and said, “I’m not the only one who can attest to this, but this it’s right, you know… that’s what it is. The whole world knows it.
Jeff Green left the game in the second quarter with a bruised left foot and did not return. The Nets had no update on his status after the game.
Boston star Jayson Tatum left the game after being inadvertently stung by Kevin Durant. Brad Stevens said the forward came back and tried to test him but the lights were too bright for his eyes.
Tuesday marked the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by police on a Minneapolis street. It’s still a driving force for social justice and still a talking point in NBA locker rooms, including those in Brooklyn.
“I just wanted to say my condolences to his family, that social justice is a very important issue in our country and our world,” said Steve Nash. “It’s about education, conversation and action. The more people talk about it, educate themselves and find a way to become more active will only help us have a better country, a better society, a better community and more love for each other.
Nash had Floyd’s photo as his Twitter avatar, while Irving bought a house for Floyd’s family.
“It’s always a constant conversation because it’s something that’s going on all the time in our world,” Green said. “We’re doing everything in our power to make sure it stays on the light and we don’t allow it to go out.” … It’s something that we try to keep in the public eye that these things still happen. We have to keep talking about it, until we find some sort of solution. “
Sportico has the Big 3 of the Nets all among the 25 highest paid athletes in all sports, with Kevin Durant ninth overall.
Saturday’s first game drew 3.8 million viewers, according to Sports Business Journal.
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