For once, Kyrie Irving is right.
For the second straight year, fan behavior at games has become a bigger story than the NBA playoffs themselves. And once again, Irving takes center stage. Last season, a Celtics fan threw a bottle at him. We also watched someone pour popcorn on Russell Westbrook. Trae Young was spat on in Madison Square Garden. And like Irving, Immanuel Quickley of the Knicks had thrown something at him. When it happened I wrote this Players should be allowed to breathe some sanity into the cowards. Unfortunately, Adam Silver didn’t take my advice. But if he had, maybe we’d be talking about how great Irving’s performance was in a hostile environment on Sunday, despite a terrible performance from Kevin Durant. However, we ignore all of that — and Jayson Tatum’s exploits — because what Irving did in response to fans (flipping them) is “the bigger story.”
It’s happening in a post-Will Smith/Chris Rock world where it’s become pretty clear who believes there should be consequences for the things you say and who doesn’t.
“Look, where I’m from, I’m used to all these antics and people around.” said Irving after losing a game-high 39 points to his former team. “It’s nothing new coming into this building as 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 yelling ‘P*ssy’ or ‘B*tch’ and ‘F*ck you’ and all that stuff, there’s only but so much you take on as a competitor. We’re the ones expected to be docile and humble, take a humble approach, fuck it, it’s the playoffs. That’s it.”
If the past few weeks have taught us anything, it’s that America doesn’t like it when black people hit people or dodge people who deserve it. Violence is never the answer, even if it’s just a wave of the hand, they say. But when blacks are affected by this violence, there is rarely an outcry. Just ask Patrick Lyoya’s family as a police officer in Grand Rapids, Michigan killed him when they shot him in the head for nothing.
So what are Irving and other players supposed to do about these idiotic fans who seem to get bolder and more disrespectful every season? Allow players to react appropriately as giving them some sanity doesn’t seem to be allowed. Also, a few choice words between adults is a better alternative than what Irving’s critics did when they were in his place.
“Please stop today, athletes. Whining like a little…” said Charles Barkley.
Plot Twist: Here’s the part where I remind you that Barkley is the last person to tell anyone how to deal with fans. In 1991, he was fined $10,000 and suspended for a game He spat on an 8 year old girl. And here’s the link to a clip of Barkley telling fans: “Keep your mouth shut‘ while at the free-throw line.
Ironically, what happened between Irving and fans in Boston happened on the same day that the latest episode of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” premiered, which showcased just how disgusting fans in that city have been decades are. especially to black athletes who have played against and for their teams. It was a reminder that the NBA has allowed this type of thing to happen for so long that it has become extremely unpopular and shocking for someone to balk at the idea of not wanting to be treated like an animal in a zoo while doing their job .
But Sunday was also a reminder that the No. 2 vs. No. 7 matchup between the Celtics and Nets now wouldn’t even happen if Irving hadn’t voluntarily missed all those games due to his anti-vaccine stance and mandates. The Nets would be a higher seed and might not have played the Celtics at all.
Kyrie Irving made his bed and now he’s lying in it. I just think he should be allowed to curse the housekeeper who keeps shitting on his sheets. (whispers) That’s what once happened to Bill Russell in Boston.
