Boston Celtics are the ‘scorned girlfriend’ that bettered themselves

Boston Celtics fans never forget, and they rarely forgive, especially when a player makes a promise like that promise Kyrie Irving made that he planned on re-signing with the team.

On that night back in October of 2018, it was like the equivalent of someone getting on their knees asking for a hand in marriage.  Celtics fans emphatically said yes, both sides were happy and then Irving had a change of mind and a change of heart, then took his talents to the Brooklyn Nets.

Was Irving really in love with the Celtics at that time or was he clearly on the rebound from a failed marriage with the Cleveland Cavaliers where he wanted from under the shadows of LeBron James?

Boston Celtics fans are passionate about their team and hungry to win

Yes, when Irving departed the Celtics became the jilted lover, young, lost and struggling to way their way.  But like with any breakout, it just took time to heal, grow and find a new identity and in 2021-22, that is exactly what Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the C’s are doing, and fans are loving it, which made Sunday’s 126-120 victory over Kyrie, Kevin Durant and the Nets so enjoyable.

Unlike much of the playoff matchup in the first round of the 2020-2021 NBA playoffs, the Celtics didn’t let the Nets have their way.  They pumped out their chest, punched back and showed their Irving that they have bettered themselves.  Yes, the team has moved on but their support system, the fans will not let Irving off the hook.

So, every time he touched the ball, they lit him with a chorus of boos and every time Tatum scored over him enroute to his 54-point performance, the crowd roared even more.  Was it petty or was it deserved?  After the game Kyrie Irving expressed his thoughts regarding Celtics fans and their dismay.

"“It’s like the scorned girlfriend who wants an explanation on why I left but still hoping for a text back,” Irving said.  “I’m just like, ‘It was fun while it lasted.’”"

Not sure about the “text back” part nor the explanation, but Kyrie Irving is right.  It was fun for a minute, but like his final days in Cleveland, Mr. Irving became an annoying nuisance who couldn’t find a way to be a leader.

While the Boston Celtics struggled to find that leader after Irving departed, that leadership just needed time to grow.  It just needed the right pieces around it and as the team rises up the Eastern Conference standing it looks like Tatum and Brown are finding the right formula, which may have been halted if Irving stayed in town.

It took a few mediocre seasons, but the Celtics are a better team without the former All-Star point guard.  It was indeed fun while it lasted and like any failed relationship, the “scored girlfriend” eventually realized their value.

With a coach in Ime Udoka who has finally gotten the team to buy in, a rising star in Jaylen Brown and a player on the brink of superstardom in Jayson Tatum, these Boston Celtics are putting the NBA on notice while Kyrie Irving can’t play games in the state of New York.

It’s kind of like a person being put out of his own home while those he left behind continue to celebrate in victory.  The boos are not about an explanation, the boos are about a failed engagement.  Oh, and it’s also about a fanbase passionate about their team.