The Dallas Mavericks will look to sweep the Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Arena tonight to secure a matchup with the Boston Celtics in this year’s NBA Finals. Fans across the board are excited for a Dallas-Boston matchup in the Finals, not just because of the quality of the two teams, but also to witness an intriguing storyline play out in real time. The return of Kyrie Irving to TD Garden in the postseason.
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The Mavs do not have a storied rivalry with the Celtics, historically speaking; but one of their players does. During a first-round road game against the Celtics in 2021, then Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving received a lot of flak from the crowd due to his unceremonious exit from the Boston franchise a couple of years ago.
Apart from the usual jeering and booing, Irving was also hit with a water bottle by one fan as he was trying to enter the tunnel. This prompted the former Celtics star to retaliate in a similarly uncouth manner. The 2016 NBA Champion walked to the middle of the court after Game 4 of the series and stomped on the Celtics’ logo of the Leprechaun named ‘Lucky’.
The Nets had taken a commanding 3-1 lead in the series after their 141-126 Game 4 victory at the Garden on the 30th of March. Kevin Durant and Irving’s combined 81 points carried the Nets past the Celtics quite easily. But Kyrie’s decision to literally stomp his foot on the Celtics after the game didn’t sit well with many.
Celtics legend Kevin Garnett called out the then 29-year-old for his disrespectful actions despite acknowledging the hate he was subjected to. He wrote on his Instagram Stories, “So nobody going to say anything about Kyrie Stomping ‘Lucky’?…We just gonna act like we didn’t see that. TF going on?”
Kevin Garnett did not like Kyrie Irving stomping on the Celtics logo. pic.twitter.com/R4pO9HSmUy
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 31, 2021
“You can’t do that. That’s not cool on no level .. All of us need to be better frfr,” he added.
Kyrie Irving’s history with the Boston Celtics
Kyrie Irving joining the Boston Celtics in 2017 generated great expectations. Fresh off of a Championship win with the Cavaliers, Irving promised Boston fans a long tenure in the city. However, a secret meeting with then Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant soon swayed his mind.
Irving signed with the Nets in 2019 to team up with KD, leaving Boston fans feeling betrayed. Sources also revealed that part of the reason why the crafty guard left the franchise was the city’s infamous track record with racism. Kyrie didn’t feel comfortable representing a city like Boston with its history of discriminating against African-Americans.
However, the eight-time All-Star’s sudden departure and his disparaging remarks about the city didn’t sit well with Boston fans. They made sure that Kyrie felt the heat during all the road games of the Nets’ series against the Celtics. However, the atmosphere got out of hand in what fans realized could very well turn out to be the last game of the series at TD Garden.
Subsequently, Kyrie responded to all the hate by stomping on the Celtics logo and everything it stands for. The incident is still one of the most infamous moments in the NBA’s postseason history.
Three years later, we can expect similar fireworks if the veteran guard returns to the Garden on June 6.
