Kyrie Irving regrets giving Celtics fans middle finger in 2022 incident

NBA

From Christian Arnold

The last time Kyrie Irving stepped onto the court at TD Garden during the playoffs, it wasn’t his best moment, the Mavericks star admitted.

Irving said Monday that the incident during the 2022 playoffs in which he gave Celtics fans the middle finger while a member of the Nets was “not a good reflection” of his personality.

Irving and the Mavericks are preparing for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics later this week.

“When we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip the bird and lose my composure a little bit, it was not a good reflection of my personality and my desire to compete at a high level,” Irving said.

“That was not a good example of what it means to control your emotions in that environment, no matter what people say to you. I am made for those moments and can handle those circumstances, and I have been able to evolve since then.”

Irving was seen several times during the Nets’ first game against the Celtics in 2022, taunting the crowd at TD Garden, where he called home for two seasons before jumping ship in 2019 to join Kevin Durant in Brooklyn.

Celtics fans have not forgotten Irving’s surprise departure and he has been a villain in Boston ever since. Fans who chanted “f–k Kyrie” this year after the Celtics’ victory over the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.

Irving expects the games at TD Garden to offer a “hectic atmosphere,” but said he is “looking forward to it” when the series begins on Thursday.

“I see it as a healthy relationship with the fans,” Irving said. “I almost think ‘Gladiator’ will just win over the crowd. It’s nice to hear the silence in the TD Garden. When you play well, they still respect great basketball. Regardless of the attention that will be put on it, as it will be from my side, I have a group to lead that looks to me as a voice of peace.

“And being able to control what I can control and help them with that too. I’ll take the brunt of all the yelling and stuff like that. All the comments, but I’ve been able to grow since then and realize that I can handle things better. Especially when I want to put the majority of my energy into playing well.”

Irving added that he did not want to get involved in arguments with fans, “even though it can be fun sometimes,” but called it a “waste” of his time and energy.

The Mavericks star averaged 22.8 points per game this postseason, hitting nearly 50 percent of his field goals and 42.1 percent of his 3-pointers.

Irving scored 36 points in Game 5 – the sixth time in these playoffs that he scored at least 30 points in a game – to help secure the Mavs’ place in the NBA Finals.