By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The NBA fined Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving $50,000 for his repeated violation of the league’s code of conduct during Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
Television cameras first caught Irving flashing his middle finger at the TD Garden crowd after a successful jump shot late in the third quarter. Video from a spectator inside the arena also showed Irving wrapping his hands behind his head and directing two middle fingers towards fans midway through the fourth quarter.
“The same energy they have for me, I’m going to have for them,” Irving said following the game. “And it’s not every fan. I don’t want to attack every Boston fan, but when people start yelling “p…” and “b…” and “f… you” and all of this, there’s only so much you can take as a competitor. We’re the ones expected to be docile and be humble and take a humble approach. No. F… that. It’s the playoffs. This is what it is.”
Irving played two seasons for the Celtics. Prior to the 2018-19 season, he vowed to re-sign with them in front of a crowd of season-ticket holders, only to submit a haphazard playoff performance and leave for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 free agency. When he returned to TD Garden for a first-round playoff series last year, Irving purposefully stomped on the Celtics’ leprechaun logo at midcourt to punctuate a Game 4 victory.
Fan footage captured Irving issuing an expletive towards a fan prior to Game 1. He once again wiped his feet on the logo during pregame warmups. Celtics fans responded by booing Irving each time he received the ball throughout the game and chanting “Kyrie sucks” as he attempted free throws in the third quarter.
Game 2 of the Nets-Celtics series is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday night in Boston.