Did Celtics Fans Fluster Kyrie Irving? Stephen A. Smith Explains

The Celtics rightfully deserve all the credit in the world for their dominant showing throughout the 2024 NBA Finals, but it wouldn’t be sports without having someone to toss the blame at.

Bostonians will be happy to learn that Kyrie Irving is getting that treatment from national outlets.

Stephen A. Smith, for instance, took to “First Take” on Tuesday to give a weird, oftentimes rambling, soliloquy about Irving’s performances in the NBA Finals and why he believed they occurred.

“His performances in the three games in Boston was horrid, horrid for his standards,” Smith said. “He was a no-show, and it was shocking to see… Boston got in his head, and I’m not talking about the players. I’m talking about the city, I’m talking about the fans, I’m talking about the ‘Kyrie Sucks!’ chants, I’m talking about all of that.”

Smith went on to discuss Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers for some odd reason, but his point was well taken. Irving did stink in Boston, as his home/road splits tell the entire story.

Boston: 14.3 PPG, .340 FG%, .176 3P%, 39 MPG
Dallas: 28 PPG, .500 FG%, .416 3P%, 38 MPG

That isn’t a recipe for success.

Irving and the Mavericks will have to hit the drawing board as they prepare for next season, with plenty of things to improve if they hope to be hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2025. It’s probably just best to hope the Celtics don’t make it back.