The first night of the NBA season is a landmark occasion for many fans of the sport and the 2017-2018 is no exception. However, this particular campaign boasts a wide variety of story lines that touch the opening double-header and one of those central themes is the return of Kyrie Irving to Cleveland as a member of the Boston Celtics.
There was plenty of buzz before Irving ever arrived at Quicken Loans Arena but, in predictable fashion, the talented point guard was greeted with a chorus of boos from the Cleveland faithful.
Kyrie introduced for the first time as a Celtic 👀 pic.twitter.com/hLKc9hwJHn
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 17, 2017
Here’s the angle from in the stadium, which makes it sound even louder.
Kyrie Irving hears boos as he's introduced first for Boston. pic.twitter.com/ok0wdS73e5
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) October 18, 2017
It isn’t exactly a shock that Irving would earn this type of reception, especially in light of the trade request he made that eventually landed him with a chief rival in Boston. In fact, it could be perceived as something of a slight that he was introduced first, albeit an easily explainable one given his status as a point guard.
On one hand, things worked out quite well for Cleveland in that the organization garnered a big-time haul in return for the All-Star point guard. On the other, it remains both strange and intriguing to see Irving in a different uniform, especially when that means lining up in direct contrast to LeBron James and his former teammates in mid-October and throughout the campaign.
Kyrie Irving has a fresh opportunity in Boston and seems quite content in his new home but that didn’t stop him from being “welcomed back” with less than open arms in his old stomping ground.
