As the Mavs stepped inside the TD Garden on Thursday for the first game of the Finals, the Celtics fans made it very clear that Kyrie Irving was not welcome. The loud boos every time he touched the ball filled the arena with “Kyrie sucks” chants seemed to throw the veteran guard off his game a bit. And watching Kai crash out in the first game, vet analyst Doug Gottlieb urged him to use Boston’s hostility as motivation to bounce back in this series. However, the Mavs star seemed to have a different approach to the problem.

Addressing Kyrie’s disappointing 12-point performance on The Doug Gottlieb Show, the Fox Sports analyst cited his own experience of being part of several teams and media companies, “Not everything works everywhere.” Apart from the brutal in-arena treatment, Celtics fans also brought a blow-up doll with Kyrie’s face attached to it and stomped on it yelling, “F**k Kyrie!” Gottlieb claimed rather than letting these disrespectful gestures slide, Kyrie should use this hate as fuel in these finals, “Sometimes playing with that anger as energy ends up being the better play… Some people play better when they have stress and anxiety.”

But Kyrie did not seem too intrigued by the advice and deemed Boston’s hate as part of the competitiveness of the Finals. “Putting into perspective the blowup dolls and remarks that are getting said, that’s basketball,” he told The Athletic.

He even took accountability for ending things in Boston that way, 5 years ago. “I failed miserably, while also not knowing how to compartmentalize or accept the emotions that come with failure. And also being on the successful side didn’t know how to handle that either.” Moreover, Kyrie knew that he would get the same reception from the Celtics crowd the next time he was in the building, but was not too bothered by it.

Kyrie Irving still believes there’s mutual respect with the Celtics fans

It was five years ago that Kyrie broke Boston’s heart and his promise of re-signing with the team. Since then, those fans have not had a friendly approach toward the point guard. Even Kyrie was initially resentful toward his former team, as in 2021, after a game against the Cs, he wiped his shoes on the team’s logo and angered the fans even more. But a lot has changed since then. More mature because of his life experiences, Kyrie claims that he still has respect for the Celtics fans off the court and the feeling seems to be mutual.“When I leave out of here and I walk around Boston, I don’t hear a lot of the things that I hear when I’m playing on the court”.

“There’s a lot of mutual respect. There’s a lot of eye-to-eye communication that’s built on just being human, and they appreciate the things I do off the floor, as well,” he said. Kyrie even claimed to have buried the hatchet with his former Celtic teammates, despite the narrative that was being spread after he left. While he might have turned a deaf ear to Doug’s advice with his latest statements, Kyrie needs to find a way to motivate himself and take over as he did in the previous series against the Wolves.

For the Mavs to beat the Celtics, they will need both Luka and Kyrie in their best form. And the kind of shooting night he had on Thursday won’t get the job done. Do you think Kyrie will ball out in the next game in front of the hostile Boston crowd?

Before you go, do not forget to check out how Caitlin Clark’s humility despite the negativity surrounding her is impressing Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato. Keep checking this space for more such updates.