When a chorus of “Kyrie sucks” broke out among the Boston Celtics crowd, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was confused, considering that Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was out for the game with a shoulder impingement.
“We all know Kyrie doesn’t suck,” he quipped after the game.
Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown characterized the anti-Kyrie chants, which began before the game even started, as “interesting but probably unfair.”
Jayson Tatum on the "Kyrie sucks" chants: "We all know Kyrie don't suck."
He acknowledged the chants were weird because Irving wasn't even in the building.
— Clevis Murray (@ClevisMurray) November 28, 2019
In fact, Brown took a deep dive at the crux of the anti-Kyrie sentiment, pointing the finger of blame at the media for overblowing the situation and mischaracterizing last season’s issues:
“I think the media has made it much bigger than what it actually is… It almost makes like you’re opposed, like one turns against one another… I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”
More Brown on chants: "I think the media has made it much bigger than what it actually is and things like that. It almost makes like you're opposed, like one turns against one against another. I don't think it's that big of a deal, right? I don't think it's that big of a deal."
— Clevis Murray (@ClevisMurray) November 28, 2019
Continuing his spiel, the polymath would implore the fans to focus on the positives, like the success and lightened atmosphere of this season’s team versus last year.
“I think everything worked out for the better for everybody,” says Brown (h/t The Athletic’s Clevis Murray). “I don’t think anybody in Boston should have anything to complain or boo about, to be honest. We’re winning, we’re playing good basketball, the Celtics look good.”
“Boston fans should be nothing but happy,” Brown suggests. “The energy should shift from that to more positive.”
Whether Celtics heed Brown’s advice or not, it’s clear that not only are some of Irving’s more prominent former teammates set against dragging Irving’s through the mud — even the ones you may not expect — but that they’re far more invested in what could transpire this season than what did happen last year.
They want their fans to have that same focus as well.
Irving had a rough season last year, particularly off-the-court and has readily admitted he fails as a leader last season. He deserves the ire of the fan base for his petulance and perhaps even his decision to back away from a commitment to re-sign in Boston and given the zealous nature of fandom, the Celtics boos may come raining down Kyrie for years.
Nonetheless, Boston has a new beau and rather than focusing on their old flame, fans would probably find more enjoyment in cheering on their new arrivals and applauding the growth of their holdovers.
Wednesday’s matchup against the Nets was cathartic for fans but now, it may be time to turn the page as the Celtics embark on a new chapter: the Kemba Walker Era.