Kevin Durant is a step ahead of everyone predicting the outcome of his future teammates’ relationships. He’s said Kyrie Irving will return to Boston and LeBron James will go back to Cleveland, even if that doesn’t happen until next summer or 2019.
Kevin Durant is onto something with his surprising Kyrie Irving claim, even if Boston fans won’t like it. The Celtics point guard has been a polarizing figure since he was drafted in 2011, but Durant’s words have ignited a firestorm of debate on social media. Read more in detail here: where is kyrie irving from.
Kyrie Irving is wearing the figurative black hat in the Celtics-Nets series, as you’ve probably heard. The guard has been booed upon his return to TD Garden, based on his stint in Boston; to be fair, he’s also struck back with a few middle fingers of his own. Kevin Durant, on the other hand, has a different perspective on the situation.
While it’s clear that Celtics fans aren’t fond of Kyrie’s actions in the past, KD believes they’re booing him for a different reason. Everything, in his opinion, derives from love.
That may come out as strange, but Durant has a point. Even if Bostonians don’t like to acknowledge it, the Slim Reaper has a point regarding sports fanaticism and our connection with them.
Kevin Durant feels that the booing of Kyrie Irving by Boston fans stems from a place of love.
Kevin Durant on Celtics fans’ hostility toward Kyrie Irving: “It’s rooted in love. They once loved you…had life altering experiences coming to games watching you play. So when it gets ripped from them in a trade…it feels like a piece of them is gone too.” pic.twitter.com/P1b6jNnrDq
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) April 19, 2022
Everyone in Boston undoubtedly has a different reason for booing Kyrie Irving, depending on who you ask. Some will criticize him for leaving town in free agency while stating that he wanted to be a Celtic, while others will point to his decision to tread on the center-court logo. However, it’s reasonable to assume that no one at the TD Garden is thinking about how much they like the guard.
However, if you listen to Kevin Durant, you’ll hear where the hatred comes from.
According to Brian Robb of Mass Live, Durant stated, “I mean, it’s founded in love.” “They used to adore you, cheer for you, and buy your products. Coming to the game and witnessing you perform may be life-changing. When it is taken away from them due to anything like a trade, a demand for a trade, or a desire to leave, it seems as if a piece of them is being taken away. It’s an emotional connection kids have to professional sports, which is both a blessing and a burden of growing up with a team in your community. It demonstrates that others care and have feelings, and that people embrace and appreciate us for who we are. It may become dark and profound at times, but that’s how the human brain operates.”
It may seem strange, but KD has a valid point regarding sports devotion.
*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden} html,bodyheight:100% img,spanposition:absolute;width:100% ;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyhe spanheight:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow
Durant’s viewpoint seems to be illogical at first glance. At the risk of generalizing, no one in Boston is attempting to demonstrate their affection for Kyrie Irving. Most people will be offended by how he departed rather than the fact that he’s wearing a new outfit. However, when you consider the peculiarities of fandom, the Nets’ star has a broader point.
We get to know a player when he or she plays for our preferred team. We watch them (depending on the sport) 82 times a year, listen to their quotes, and hear their experiences. We even wear their names on our backs at times. They get ingrained in our daily routines.
And it hurts when things come to an end. No one loves to see someone they ‘know’ go, whether it’s via free agency, a trade, or even retirement. Tyrann Mathieu, Coach K, and Tyreek Hill all experienced it lately.
Even though no one in Massachusetts likes Irving anymore, there’s still a sneering admiration for him. While you might argue that his leaving town was a net gain, the manner in which he left undoubtedly still hurt. At the very least, it may have pricked a collective nerve by implicitly criticizing the Boston Celtics as a whole.
When something hurts, everyone has a different reaction. Some people retreat inside themselves. For a while, others may not be able to enjoy sports in the same manner. Others become enraged and boo.
While it is the kind of circumstance described by Durant, there is another form of emotional involvement shown in booing Irving: love for one’s team.
At the risk of repeating two clichés, the Celtics supporters in attendance at TD Garden are devoted and eager to assist their team in any way they can. In this case, it means pursuing Irving due to his history and the fact that he has the potential to make a difference in the series. “They don’t boo nobodies,” as the (other) adage goes.
To be clear, this does not give supporters carte blanche to do anything they want in the sake of putting the opponent off their game. Professional players are human people, and they should not be attacked for wearing the incorrect color uniform, as Kyrie implied. With that stated, it’s easy to understand how the ordinary fan may get swept up in a tidal wave of jeers.
Durant’s statements on love almost seem calculated to raise some eyebrows in the midst of a hard-fought playoff series; Boston supporters are already putting up sarcastic placards covered with hearts. However, when you approach his words with a clearer mind, they make sense.
When you think about it, sports fanaticism, like every parasocial connection, is a little strange. It’s a tangle of emotions that may make us laugh, weep, or hate for no apparent reason. Is it really that important if someone switches teams or steps on a logo? But, at the end of the day, I’d say that’s all part of the enjoyment. Fandom allows us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves while also allowing us to experience these powerful feelings in a (relatively) secure environment. We can go into combat, feel fear, love, sorrow, and just much every other feeling you can think of, and yet come out on top when the last trumpet sounds. Even though it takes some time to rejoice or lament a loss,
Consider your devotion in light of Kevin Durant’s statements, even if it seems hard to adore Kyrie Irving. If you think about it, you’ll probably agree that he’s probably right.
RELATED: Kevin Durant vs. Kyrie Irving: Who Makes More Money in the NBA?
Related Tags
- kyrie irving celtics
- kyrie irving position
