Shaquille O’Neal was never one to shy away from the occasional bark at a teammate or even coach or ref. But this week the big man is talking about one player going shall we say – a bit overboard with his reactions to things NOT happening on the court during the game.
Both Shaq and fellow NBA analyst Charles Barkley are telling New York Nets star Kyrie Irving to “man up” and basically shut up after the first game of the Nets series with the Boston Celtics.
In case you missed Game One of the Eastern series, the Celtics pulled off an exciting buzzer-beater win as Jayson Tatum made a really nice move and layup as time expired. The Celtics now lead that series 1-0, with Game Two Wednesday night this week (as of this writing).
Still, Nets guard Kyrie Irving kinda, sorta stole the show and made most of the headlines after the game (and the next day) with what analysts are calling “constant chirping” at fans in the Boston arena.
Did you see it? There was more than one incident of Irving – live on camera! – flipping off Boston fans during the game. After the buzzer sounded and the teams were clearing the floor, an open microphone picked up Irving shouting vulgar obscenities to a Celtics fan as he entered the tunnel.
Click here to see the full video.
Keep in mind, all this is coming in the first game of the series. What’s going to happen as the series progresses? What’s it going to be like for Irving and teammates the next time they enter the Garden? Should be interesting, as they say. We can’t wait to see and hear the action!
As for Shaq and Sir Charles, they’ll have none of it. After the game, Shaq put it simply: “I don’t really wanna hear all that.” He was most likely talking about comments made by Irving that he was going to keep the same energy that Celtics fans had for him.
Shaq: “…you know, certain cities, they don’t care what you say at the press conference. And do you know what’s gonna happen in Game 2? They’re gonna be talking more smack up there in Boston. I played in Boston for two years, but listen. It happens to the best of us. You don’t think people said stuff to Charles Barkley or Hakeem Olajuwon?”
As for the game itself, Irving put in a very good effort. He racked up 39 points on 12 of 20 shooting. A good night by any estimation. Still, Irving has shown in the past – and again in this game – that he’s not cool with getting heat from fans along the sideline.
So depending on when you’re reading this, Game 2 – also in Boston at TD Garden is set for Wednesday night. You can probably expect more verbal fireworks from Celtics fans. It remains to be seen how Irving will react to it all. to be just as hostile, if not Fans in Boston can be – shall we say – a little shark-like? If they smell blood in the water, they’re going to go nuts (or should we say “more nuts?”)
Stay tuned…buckle up! We’re just getting started.