Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving clapped back at Boston Celtics fans with a hand gesture where he held up all five fingers multiple times.
The underlying message is that the Mavericks will be back at TD Garden for Game 5 after the Celtics won the first two games of the NBA Finals on their home court.
Dallas would have to lose both of the next two games of the championship series, both at American Airlines Center, to not return to Boston.
Irving played for the Celtics from 2017-2019 and his quick departure for the rival Brooklyn Nets has made him a villain in Boston.
During Irving’s exit from the court, Boston’s fans were chanting at him and he is an easy target. That led to Irving throwing up his hand as he went into the tunnel.
Kyrie Irving held up his hand multiple times after Sunday’s Game 2 loss for the Mavericks
Irving played for the Celtics from 2017 to 2019 and departed for the rival Brooklyn Nets
During Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, Irving had a game-worst -19 in plus-minus. He scored 12 points in 37 minutes in the series opener.
Irving only had a -3 in plus-minus in a 16-point performance during Sunday’s Game 2 loss.
Those performances are below the standard Irving has set for himself, especially playing alongside Luka Doncic.
Irving has won an NBA title before in his career, alongside LeBron James, with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
Now at 32, the back-half of Irving’s career is well underway and the chances he will have at championships will only become less.
Dallas will have to defeat Boston in four of the next five games to lift a trophy this season.
Doing that against a roster with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others looks to be a massive task, especially with at least one more game coming at TD Garden to pull off a series win for the Mavericks.
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