BOSTON — In addition to airing every game of the 2024 NBA Finals on our station, WFAA is also hosting a special presentation called "The Pregame" before each and every matchup in the series. Head here for more information.
It's no secret Boston fans hold resentment toward Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.
Irving left the Celtics in 2019 after a tumultuous two seasons, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals and Semis.
Now a Dallas Maverick, Irving is taking on his former team in the NBA Finals. Ahead of Game 1, a group of Boston fans dressed a blow-up doll in Irving's Celtics jersey and paraded it through the streets. A group of fans then threw the doll around and onto the ground, stomping on it as they shouted "F--- Kyrie!"
Celtics fans took to social media, posting multiple angles of the beatdown.
This isn't Kyrie's first brush with Boston fans this season. Celtics fans also let Irving hear their displeasure for him in the fourth quarter of a March blowout win.
Irving has reflected on his time in Boston ahead of this series publicly, including his interactions with fans during his time on the Brooklyn Nets.
“I will say last time in Boston, I don’t think that was the best — not this regular season, but when we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my (stuff) a little bit — that wasn’t a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level,” Irving said.
“It wasn’t a great reflection on my end towards the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment, no matter what people are yelling at you.”
After the Western Conference Finals win, Irving unpacked his perspective on facing his former team, indicating that this "beef" is likely one-sided.
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