Shaq and Charles Barkley are not here because of the “dark side” of Kyrie Irving, which he admitted he embraced while pushing fans away from the Nets’ 115-114 loss to the Celtics on Sunday.
After the game, Irving said his double bird to Boston fans was kindly assisted by the fact that he “kept the same energy” brought to TD Garden during the opening of the first round series on Sunday.
“I really don’t want to hear all this,” Shaq told TNT’s Inside the NBA during the Bucks-Bulls half-time break.
“In some cities they don’t care what you say at the press conference. Do you know what will happen in Game 2? There in Boston they will talk more bizarrely … It happens to the best of us, “he added, noting the time he played for the Celtics in 2010-11 – his last season in the NBA.
Kyrie Irwin gives middle fingers to Celtics fans on April 17, 2022. Sean Gill / Twitter Kyrie Irving (11) repels Celtics fans during the loss of the Nets in Match 1 in Boston on April 17, 2022. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Charles Barkley intervened and said, “Please stop, you athletes today are whining.”
“Man up,” Shaq added.
Irving has played for Boston since 2017-19 and has been a Celtics villain since leaving the organization. Last season, Irving was hit with a bottle of water by a Boston fan after stepping on the Celtics’ logo on center court in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
On Sunday, Irving scored 39 points as Boston fans booed him with each shot. During the match, the defender was seen mocking the Celtics’ loyalists and at one point raised two middle fingers behind his head to the audience.
“Do you know what will happen in Game 2?” They will speak more ridiculously. ”@SHAQ and Chuck consider Kyrie Irving’s comments and exchange after the match with the Celtics fans. pic.twitter.com/llmSvuBK4y
– NBA TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 18, 2022
“Look where I’m from, I’m used to all this nonsense and people around,” Irving said after the game. “It’s nothing new when I enter this building how it will be – but it’s the same energy they have for me, I will have the same energy for them.
“And it’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every fan, every Boston fan. When people start shouting “p-y” or “b-ch” and “f-k you” and all that, there is only but so much that you consider a competitor. We are the ones who are expected to be obedient and humble, to take a humble approach, hell, that’s the playoffs. That’s what it is. “
“I know what to expect here,” Irving continued. “And that’s the same energy I give them back. It is what it is. I’m not very focused on that, it’s fun, you know what I’m saying?
“I’ve come up with so many things from where I come from, so coming here, you enjoy it as a racer. … This isn’t my first time at TD Garden, so what you saw, what you think is fun, or fans think it’s fun, it’s all fair in the competition. So, if someone calls me by my name, I’ll look them straight in the eye and see if they’re really interested. Most of the time they are not. ”
Shack on TNT on Sunday.TNT Charles Barkley on TNT on Sunday.TNT
Irving also claims that this is not the first time he has repelled fans during a match.
“This is the first time you’ve caught him, because it’s a big game,” he said. “I answer in different ways. I’m not trying to focus on that. If you want to ask me questions about the fans, go ask them. Go to the street and ask them questions. ”
When asked if the “energy” of the Boston audience showed the best in his game, Irving said, “Hug him. Embrace him. This is the dark side. Hug him. ”
Last month, Irving compared the Celtics to a “despised girlfriend” after the loss of the Nets to Boston. On Sunday, he said he was not focusing on his history with his former team.
“It simply came to my notice then. … I’m in the Brooklyn Nets. “I am happy to be with my teammates and compete there,” he said.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET in Boston.
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