Boston Celtics fans have strong memories. It has been five years since Kyrie Irving‘s two-year stint with the Celtics and 1797 days precisely since he left the Celtics to shake hands with the Brooklyn Nets. Regardless, he was booed by the fans as soon as he stepped into the TD Garden for Game 1 against his former team. However, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes that the boos were not as bad as expected! If Irving’s previous instances are to be taken into consideration, Perkins might be right. 

Both Richard Jefferson and Perkins stated that the boos weren’t as loud as they expected. And this is actually a sign of respect. “I mean it wasn’t I thought it was gonna be way worse. It wasn’t that bad,” Perkins said. Jefferson agreed and said during a conversation in the ‘Road Trippin’, “No it wasn’t, no, because that’s a sign of respect.”

Well, it turns out the NBA veteran himself shares the same opinion. He is well aware and familiar with the boos and trolling he was subjected to by Celtics fans. 

“Being in this environment, I’m used to it, at this point. Over the past few years in the playoffs here, regular season, it’s been the same thing. I thought I was going to be a little louder in here. But, I’m expecting the same things. Going to Game 2, crowd trying to get me out of my element,” Irving said by hinting at his previous bad experiences. To back up Perkins’ comment, these mild boos are definitely not as bad as the incident that took place in 2021.

Kyrie Irving’s beef with the Celtics fans 

After parting ways with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving joined the Boston Celtics. Expressing his love for the city and the franchise, Irving promised not to leave the team. However, things didn’t go as he planned.

Soon, Irving cited issues with the team and a lack of NBA veterans leading it. During his two years with the team, Irving missed the 2018 playoffs. The Celtics lost their chance in the second round the next year. And this is when Irving decided to leave the Celtics, sparking the beginning of the beef.

In 2021, one of the fans was even arrested after he threw a water bottle at ‘Uncle Drew’. Since his departure from the team, he has faced the Boston Celtics many times, and the boos were louder every time. This time, Irving’s performance was quite disappointing with him contributing just 12 points and his second straight defeat to Celtics. After such intense hatred, has there been a change among the Celtics fans regarding Irving?

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.