Kyrie Irving responds to abuse received from Boston Celtics fans

Irving has dealt with a ton of boos and profane language from fans in Beantown, but he responded to that with vulgar language of his own and middle fingers.

"Look, where I'm from, I'm used to all these antics and people being close nearby," Irving said. "It's nothing new when I come into this building what it's going to be like - but it's the same energy they have for me, I'm going to have the same energy for them."

"And it's not every fan, I don't want to attack every fan, every Boston fan. When people start yelling 'p***y' or 'b****' and 'f**k you' and all this stuff, there's only but so much you take as a competitor.

"We're the ones expected to be docile and be humble, take a humble approach, f**k that, it's the playoffs. This is what it is."

Irving has learned to 'embrace' the hate that has followed him since his decision to leave Boston, saying that he's on the "dark side."

"I know what to expect in here," Irving said.

"And it's the same energy I'm giving back to them. It is what it is. I'm not really focused on it, it's fun, you know what I'm saying?

"Where I'm from I've dealt with so much, so coming in here you relish it as a competitor. This isn't my first time at TD Garden so what you guys saw, what you guys think is entertainment, or the fans think is entertainment, all is fair in competition."

"So if somebody's going to call me out on my name, I'm gonna look at them straight in the eye and see if they really 'bout it. Most of the time they're not."

A huge reason why Celtics fans feel the way they do about Kyrie is because he once committed to re-signing with the franchise right in front of that very crowd but later withdrew himself emotionally from the team as the season dragged on.

Little did Celtics fans know at the time that Irving was dealing with the loss of his grandfather, which weighed heavily on him throughout the season.

That was said to be a significant factor in his decision to want to play for the team he rooted for growing up and returning closer to his hometown of West Orange, New Jersey, as he began to realize the importance of family, which is totally understandable.

With that said, Celtics fans are still going to boo, which is fine, and a little bit of trash talk is fair game as well. However, Irving is still a human being, a philanthropic, thoughtful, and kind one at that.

Using such vulgar language towards him and throwing water bottles at his head is crossing the line, and while Irving is undoubtedly going to get fined for how he responded to Celtics' fans, let's not make him the villain here.