Reliving Celtics fans’ beef with Kyrie Irving ahead of NBA Finals

The Celtics and Mavericks are both onto the NBA Finals in what should be a highly-anticipated matchup between some of the best players in the world. But among the top storylines going into the Finals focuses on former C’s guard Kyrie Irving, who spent two seasons in Boston from 2017-19.

But ever since Irving’s departure during the summer of 2019, there’s been plenty of back-and-forth between C’s fans and Irving. That feud, though, has cooled ever since Irving was traded to Dallas last season. To his credit, Irving has also stayed out of the controversial headlines as that was a consistent during his rocky Brooklyn tenure.

With Game 1 set for 8:30 p.m. June 6 at TD Garden, how Celtics fans react to Irving back in their home stadium will be a sight to watch. At this point, it’s unclear how Irving himself will react, though he hasn’t said anything noteworthy about playing Boston in the Finals. Regardless, aside from the basketball, that’ll be one of the storylines to watch.

Here’s a look at some of the noteworthy moments between Irving and Celtics fans since the guard left back in 2019:

May 28, 2021 — Irving plays in front of Celtics fans for first time since departure: Between a mix of injuries, unavailability and the COVID-19 pandemic, it took years for Irving to play in front of C’s fans. Even then, it wasn’t the full scope as the Garden’s attendance was limited to roughly 5,000 fans because of the pandemic. So there wasn’t quite as much vitriol as Irving struggled in Game 3 of the first round between the Celtics and Nets. But there were certainly some boos from the C’s fans in attendance.

May 30, 2021 — Irving stomps on “Lucky” the Leprechaun mascot, fan throws water bottle: There were plenty of fireworks that came after Irving had a great Game 4 to lead the Nets to a 3-1 series lead in the first round back in 2021. Irving stomped on “Lucky” the Leprechaun after the victory, spurring outrage from Celtics fans and alums. Not just that, but a Celtics fan was also arrested after throwing a water bottle at Irving as he exited the court. This was right about when the hate for Irving really started from Celtics fans that lasted for the next year.

March 6, 2022 — Irving calls Celtics fans a “scorned girlfriend” after loss: Irving played in his first game at the Garden since the 2021 playoffs, and Celtics fans weren’t going to let him forget. They booed and jeered him at every possible moment, including “Kyrie Sucks” chants throughout the night. After the game, Irving took a shot at Celtics fans, calling them a “scorned girlfriend,” among other words.

April 17, 2022 — Irving flips off Celtics crowd in Game 1 of playoffs: As fate had it, the Celtics and Nets met in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season. That put Irving right back into the spotlight as Celtics fans were arguably at their peak of hatred for the former Boston guard. Irving had a masterful Game 1, pouring in 39 points, while the crowd booed him at every chance. Irving also flipped off the Celtics crowd twice during the game. There weren’t too many huge headlines from Irving for the rest of the series, which ended in the C’s sweeping the Nets.

Feb. 1, 2023 — Celtics beat down Nets in final Irving visit before trade: As the Celtics wrapped up 10 straight wins over the Nets with a beatdown, Irving was clearly frustrated with the state of the organization. C’s fans still jeered Irving, but it was a one-sided affair as the Celtics easily came away with the win. Notably, this was also Irving’s final game visiting Boston in a Nets uniform as he was soon traded a few days later to the Mavericks. The tension between Irving and Celtics fans peaked during the 2022 playoffs as it cooled somewhat as the Nets toiled in mediocrity and a change.

March 1, 2024 — Irving makes his lone visit to Boston during the regular season: Unsurprisingly, Celtics fans booed Irving as they weren’t about to let him off the hook. It was the lone time during the regular season that the Mavs were in town. Notably, it also marked the 10th straight game Irving has lost to the Celtics on an individual level, dating back to his Nets days. Irving was low-key about the boos he heard: “They have a right to boo,” Irving said. “From my career record against them in the last few games, I haven’t won so until I beat them, they have all the right to continue to boo. I think that’s what makes the theatrics of sports and competitive sports fun. Just gotta embrace it. It’s part of it.”

That’s about where Irving is at with Celtics fans in the present. The distance has seemingly made it less toxic as more time passes since the peak of the beef between Irving and the Garden crowd. It’s unclear what it’ll look like in the NBA Finals as C’s fans will be ready to boo Irving. But the 32-year-old guard appears to want to move on as he’s looking for the second championship ring of his career.