Kyrie Irving gets surprising reception prior to Game 4
Kyrie Irving has had a tough series against the Boston Celtics, and if Game 4 is the end of his season, it is not exactly going to end in a memorable way for him either.
Irving got a decidedly mixed reception from the Barclays Center crowd prior to Game 4. As he was introduced to the Brooklyn crowd, some boos could clearly be heard mixed in with cheers.
Celtics fans boo Kyrie Irving at Barclays Center during pregame introductions pic.twitter.com/Qjs2D5BSYH
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) April 25, 2022
As was noted by many who observed the reception, the boos likely weren’t from Nets fans. Instead, the likely cause was a sizable contingent of Celtics fans who made their way south for a potentially decisive Game 4.
Kyrie hearing the boos from the Brooklyn crowd during introductions. Likely from the large contingent of Celtics fans in the building. Lot of empty seats for this 7 pm start.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) April 25, 2022
That’s certainly a valid explanation, but still kind of embarrassing. Irving essentially took on Celtics fans in Game 1 but backed it up with his play, scoring 39 points in a heartbreaking loss. Since then, he’s been very quiet, scoring just 10 points in Game 2 and 16 points in Game 3. There’s the possibility that the whole Game 1 affair got in his head a bit too much.