"He's best villain the Celtics crowd has had... since Laimbeer" - Celtics supporter Bill Simmons gives props to Kyrie Irving for flipping off Boston fans in Game 1

Boston Celtics supporter Bill Simmons has said Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has successfully riled the team's fanbase.

Irving dropped 39 points in the Nets' Game 1 loss to the Celtics on Sunday at TD Garden. He was loudly booed by the Boston crowd every time he touched the ball. The beef between Irving and the Celtics fanbase has been one of the biggest storylines in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

The Nets superstar played two underwhelming seasons with the Celtics from 2017 to 2019 before signing with the Nets. The latest chapter of the beef happened in Game 1 when Irving appeared to flip the crowd with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.

On "The Bill Simmons Podcast," the host and longtime Celtics fan Simmons called Irving the best villain in Boston since Bill Laimbeer. Simmons believes it's great for basketball, as the Celtics' jeer fuels Irving to have a great game at the TD Garden.

"He is the best villain, and I mean this in a totally benevolent way," said Simmons. "He's the best villain the Celtics crowd has had, I don't know since... I'm going way back to (Bill) Laimbeer. Like when Laimbeer decked (Larry) Bird in '87 and the next game, when it was just like, 'We hate this guy,'" Simmons added.

In Game 3 of the of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals in Detroit, Laimbeer took down Larry Bird in a rough play that resembled a wrestling move. Bird retaliated with a punch on Laimbeer, resulting in a $2,000 fine. Laimbeer was handed a $5,000 fine for his hit on "Larry Legend."

The move made Laimbeer the most hated man in Boston in 1987. The Bad Boys lived up to their reputation as a rough and dirty team. Robert Parish retaliated in Game 5 with two shots to Laimbeer's face, causing him to get dizzy and bloody. Luckily for the Celtics, Parish was not even called for a foul or thrown out for the shots.

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How did Kyrie Irving's beef with Boston started?

Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets in Boston

The beef between Kyrie Irving and Boston started when the former signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. Irving spent two uneventful seasons in Boston. In his final season there, Irving claimed that he would sign an extension if the team wanted him to stay.

However, Irving bolted to Brooklyn, and the feud has become one of the most entertaining in the league. In his first game back in Boston as a member of the Nets, the seven-time All-Star burned sage and walked around the TD Garden with incense before tip-off.

In last year's NBA Playoffs, the Nets and Celtics faced off in the first round. A Celtics fan threw a water bottle at Irving in Game 4 and was kicked out and arrested.

Irving retaliated by stomping on the Celtics logo after the Nets' 141-126 win.