“When people start yelling ‘pu**y,’ and ‘bi**h’ and ‘f**k you' and all this other stuff” - Kyrie Irving remains defiant, outlines the importance of giving it back to hecklers

Kyrie Irving’s return to New England to spearhead, along with Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets’ bid to eliminate the Boston Celtics in the playoffs was predictably contentious. Even during warm-ups, the raucous and rowdy Green Machine crowd was already hyped up for a merciless night of going after "Kai."

It didn’t take long for the Boston Celtics crowd to get it going once Kyrie Irving received the ball for the first time in the game. And for the rest of the night, the former Celtic was booed and heckled relentlessly by the Boston faithful. Irving refused to take the high road throughout the match and repeatedly flipped at and ridiculed the fans.

When asked by a reporter in a postgame interview why he was unusually feistier than ever, the Nets’ starting point guard had this to say:

"It's the same energy they have for me, and I'm gonna have the same energy for them. And it's not every fan. I don't want to attack every Boston fan. But when people start yelling, 'pu**y' or 'bi**h' and 'f**k you' and all that stuff, there's only so much you can take as a competitor."

For Boston Celtics fans who think Irving’s nasty comebacks will cease, they will be hugely disappointed:

"We're the ones who are expected to be docile and be humble and take a humble approach. Nah, f**k that. It's the playoffs."

The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics also met last year in the playoffs, where the undermanned Cs fought gallantly before getting dismissed in five games. Kyrie Irving was the subject of vitriol in that series and even had a water bottle thrown at him.

This season, the 7x All-Star also made underhanded comments to Boston Celtics fans, adding more fuel to this already hotly-anticipated playoff series. It looks like the TD Garden crowd will have to contend with a more defiant Irving this time around.

The Celtics-Nets series is arguably the hottest showdown of the first round of the playoffs. Brooklyn is not your regular seventh seed and are only going to get healthier if Ben Simmons improbably suits up at some point for the Nets.

Add the history of both teams, particularly concerning Irving, to the equation and this will not be the last exchange between the superstar player and the Cs’ fans.

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Kyrie Irving was spectacular in the fourth quarter against his former team

"Uncle Drew" dropped 18 of his 39 points in the final quarter. [Photo: Sportcasting]

Kyrie Irving became even more engaged as the fans kept on with the unforgiving booing and heckling. “Uncle Drew” reminded the Celtics how he can turn on the heat, especially when his team needs it the most. Despite being guarded by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Marcus Smart, Irving sizzled for 18 points in the fourth quarter.

Irving made his baskets in whichever way possible. He scored off the dribble, sliced his way to the basket, showed off his silky handling before feathery finishes and drained spot-up jumpers. “Kai” displayed the full bag and almost carried the Nets to the win if not for Jayson Tatum’s buzzer-beating layup.

The Nets fell 115-114 as the Celtics took a 1-0 lead in the series.

If Game 1 is a harbinger of things to come, there will undoubtedly be more fireworks coming in the rest of the series. The cherry on the cake will be at least one more game between Kyrie Irving and the Boston fans.