BOSTON — Right from tipoff of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the TD Garden crowd had a consistent buzz to it. That was seen during pregame introductions as the Celtics fans booed Kyrie Irving and also hyped up their own team.
While some of the Celtics experienced the Garden crowd two years ago in the Finals, there are new additions where it’s their first experience seeing Boston this deep in the playoffs. And for Jrue Holiday, he only had praise for the home crowd boosting them on in the 107-89 win over the Mavericks in Game 1 of the Finals.
“What I expected: they brought the energy,” Holiday said. “They were live and a great sixth man. But coming out on the court in a Finals game in Boston, there’s nothing like it.”
The Celtics took care of business throughout Thursday’s opening victory. While the Mavs took the early lead, the Celtics sprinted ahead to a 29-point lead in the second quarter. Dallas did chip it down to an eight-point game in the third quarter, but the C’s went on to respond with a 14-0 run.
So the C’s took care of business in protecting home-court advantage in Game 1. But they’ve had some issues with Game 2s these playoffs, dropping both those games against the Heat and the Cavaliers. Two years ago, the Celtics also won Game 1 of the Warriors only to fall in six games.
There was also the extra subplot Thursday that focused on former C’s guard Irving. The vitriol wasn’t quite what it was compared to past playoffs. There was certainly some jeers from the Celtics fans toward Irving, but it wasn’t quite as toxic as the 2022 playoffs when Irving was with the Nets. Regardless, C’s fans will look to bring that same intensity for Game 2 of the Finals, set for 8 p.m. Sunday at the Garden.
“I don’t really notice, if you want me to be completely honest,” Holiday said. “I feel like I’m so locked in with what I have to do. I think whatever they’re saying to Kai, that’s kind of between them. I’ma leave that between them. I’m going out there to do what I can on the court, and that’s how it is.”
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