Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving knows what’s in store for him when he returns to TD Garden on Thursday night.
The former Celtics star has long been considered one of the most disliked athletes in Boston sports history, especially after leaving the Celtics in free agency in 2019.
Add in several confrontational encounters during playoff games at TD Garden while playing for the Nets, and it’s all but a given that the boo birds will be out whenever Irving steps onto the parquet floor during the NBA Finals.
Irving’s last two playoffs series against Boston featured several unfortunate moments — be it a fan throwing a water bottle at his head after Game 4 in 2021, Irving stepping on the Celtics’ logo at mid-court after that same game, or Irving flipping the middle finger to the crowd in Game 1 in 2022.