Kyrie Irving’s taunt to the Boston Celtics fans following Game 1 of the NBA Finals backfired on him as the Cs displayed his quote before the second game to rile up the TD Garden crowd.

Before Game 2 began, a picture of Irving was displayed on the jumbotron along with his press conference quote after Game 1, “I thought it was gonna be a little louder in here,” directed at his former team’s fans.

The motive behind this action was to energize the attendees so that the home team could secure their second win against Irving’s Dallas Mavericks, and that’s exactly what happened.

The 6-foot-2 guard did not have the best runs during his time with the Celtics (2017-19). However, his relationship with the franchise’s loyal fan base turned sour after his move to the Nets. Ever since he went back to the Boston arena, Irving has been welcomed with boos from the fans, and this time was no different with the Mavericks.

Though the boos and chants from the fans shifted his focus from the game, and he struggled to score 12 points in the series opener, Irving told the reporters that he was expecting the home crowd to be louder. After losing the game, the Mavs also went on to lose the second game, giving a massive advantage to the Celtics.

Kyrie Irving and the Mavs Go Down 2–0 in the NBA Finals

The Mavericks started well in the first quarter, with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic contributing most of the points. However, the scenario changed in the following two quarters when the Celts took a nine-point lead.

Despite Doncic’s brilliant triple-double of 32 points, 11 rebounds, and assists each, the inexperienced team suffered a 98-105 loss on Sunday. Although the most experienced player, Irving, was running alongside him, the Slovenian guard had to do most of the work.

The 8-time All-Star chipped in 16 points, two rebounds, six assists on shooting 2-of-7 from the field, and two accurate free throws, but none of his threes hit the target.

The Celtics again showed their remarkable shooting skills and performed as a team to snatch the win. To overturn the 2-0 loss, the Mavericks need to grab a win on their home court on Wednesday for Game 3.