Just outside of the TD Garden, rain-stained printed black and white designs of former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving with blood-red lettering of “Coward” lie on his face. These posters, plastered around whatever traffic light or telephone pole disgruntled C’s fans could find, tell you just how disappointed they have been (and still are) in their former franchise guard who opted to the lesser pressurized pastures of Brooklyn, a destination destitute of the overzealous media personalities that criticized his every breath whilst in Celtic green, regardless of a win or loss.
Aside from embracing the elephant in the room this Wednesday night, and Thanksgiving Eve, the Boston Celtics still have a game to play and a chance to reassert themselves as the East’s most-dominant team with a premiere battle between them and their Atlantic Division rivals, the Brooklyn Nets.
To the Chagrin of Celtics fans who undoubtedly wanted to wish all of the on-court schadenfreude on Irving if he was to play, that energy will have to be conserved for a later date, as he is still dealing with what Nets officials deem a “shoulder impingement”.
However, ask any fan of the 17-time champions, and you’ll probably draw an emotional response of the one-time champ and six-time All Star displaying cowardice to the one team he failed in molding into a championship contender as a “focal point” when he announced his desire for a trade in the summer of 2017. Expect a flurry of boos and chants of discontent regarding Irving, who in his short two-years as a Celtic only won five playoff games before his departure.
Looking at this matchup, Irving isn’t the only impinged Net that won’t be present on the Parquet tonight. DeAndre Jordan is out, leaving the nine-win Nets with very little efficacy in their shot-blocking efforts. Jarrett Allen has stepped up tremendously and finally looks as if he’s living up to the expectations of the organization who drafted him.
Allen is averaging around 1.4 blocks per game, and he has shown during the eclipse of the new year that he can provide offense, and not just in the screen-setting sense. 11.5 points per contest and 10.1 rebounds a game are no discernable numbers on a scouting report. It’s just his inability to confidently put up more shots from deep is what limits a considerably important part of Kenny Atkinson’s offense.
As for the Celtics, they went 2-3 during their road trip, and were inches close to losing their Kyrie replacement in Kemba Walker for a lengthy period of time, as the former Charlotte Hornet suffered from concussion-like symptoms and a sprained neck from accidentally tripping and lunging the crown of his head into Semi Ojeleye’s sternum during Friday’s 96-92 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Luckily, he’s back tonight and though it is yet to be determined regarding his minutes, the Celtics feel more than lucky to have 4/5 of their starting five on the floor tonight against an injured Nets team that’s barely got its head above the .500 mark.
The cinematic effect of this game has certainly been extinguished due to Irving’s absence on the floor, and in Boston, Massachusetts for that matter, since he decided not to fly with the team during their one-game road exploration.
The Celtics, however, have an opportunity to exact revenge against Irving and his new look Nets in back-to-back games, the second coming only two nights later on Friday.
For now, tune into the tip-off between the Nets and Celtics in their first of four games against each other at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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