Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving drops 40 points and the mic on Celtics

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving had an emphatic mic drop against his former team, the Boston Celtics.

Irving’s falling out in Boston is well-documented, with former teammates going as far as to (anonymously) rip him for being a bad teammate. Now two seasons removed from that Celtics drama, Irving has pretty clearly won over the public perception — as winning tends to do — with the Brooklyn Nets.

In his latest matchup with his friends turned foes, Irving gave Boston yet another reminder of what they lost. Irving dropped a 40 piece, making 15-of-23 shots from the field, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc.

At this point, even Celtics ownership acknowledged how much losing Irving hurt the team’s championship chances. CEO Wyc Grousbeck stated on the record that Irving’s departure created a “domino effect” that’s still hampering the Celtics now.

Dropping 40 wasn’t the most satisfying part of the night for Kyrie Irving

Irving didn’t need to prove anything on the court to NBA fans or the Celtics, but the efforts by his own colleagues to tarnish his name clearly had an impact on him. After the Nets win, Irving went over the Boston bench and exchanged pleasantries with former teammates. While that may not seem like much to some, to Irving it meant everything.

“Big surprise, huh, to a lot of people. All that s— talking about me and all the relationships I have with every teammate of mine,” Irving said.

Irving’s right, in one sense. After leaving Boston with a bad taste in his mouth, he’s repaired any relationships that had previously been tampered with, either by misconstrued comments or the media. In the end, the NBA is a brotherhood, and Irving’s relationship with many of these young Celtics — including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — is all love.