During the first two games of the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks had to play in hostile territory, with the Boston Celtics playing host to Luka Doncic and company at TD Garden.
Going all the way back to when the Celtics were a dominant force to be reckoned with in the Bill Russell era to the Larry Bird era and Kevin Garnett era, Boston has always been known as a nasty place to play for opponents, with fans getting out of hand and saying extremely offensive things.
That said, the Mavericks would have their hands full in the first two games of this best-of-seven series in Boston, especially Kyrie Irving, who lied to the fan base about re-signing with the team in favor of signing with the Brooklyn Nets to join forces with fellow superstar Kevin Durant.
Although Irving heard his fair share of boos every single time he touched the ball at TD Garden, rookie center Dereck Lively II wasn’t all that impressed by the noise level as he was expecting more from Celtics fans, via Celtics on NBC Sports Boston.
“I honestly didn’t think it was that loud,” Lively said. “There’s a bunch of rumors about how Boston’s gonna be so loud, so nasty, and I thought it was gonna be worse.”
Dereck Lively on atmosphere in Games 1 and 2: "I honestly didn't think it was that loud. There's a bunch of rumors about how Boston's gonna be so loud, so nasty, and I thought it was gonna be worse" pic.twitter.com/aDWvIipZyM
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 11, 2024
If the Mavericks can avoid elimination by winning at least one game at American Airlines Center in the next two games in Dallas, Lively might regret these comments, as Celtics fans will be in full force waiting for his arrival in Boston.
In the meantime, Lively and his teammates need to get a win on the home floor in order to stay alive and make this a series.
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