"There is an actual beef there” - Chandler Parsons claims Kristaps Porzingis will be booed louder in Dallas than Kyrie Irving in Boston
This year’s NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks is rich with storylines, including Kristaps Porzingis and Kyrie Irving facing their former teams. A former Maverick predicted that while Irving’s return to Boston would be more intense, Porzingis would face more boos in Dallas.
On Run It Back TV, Chandler Parsons, who played two seasons with the Mavericks, said there was tension between Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis when they played together.
He claimed that Porzingis’ injury-plagued tenure in Dallas turned fans against him.
"It will be way more, you know, violent towards Kyrie Irving in Boston, no doubt, but don't get it twisted—they do not like Porzingis in Dallas,” Parsons said.
“Luka did not like playing with him. There is an actual beef there where it's going to be every time he touches the ball he's getting booed."
In 2019, the Mavericks acquired Porzingis from the New York Knicks, sending Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two future first-round draft picks in exchange for Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee.
The Mavericks hoped Porzingis would be an All-Star partner for Doncic, but injuries prevented him from helping the team reach the next level.
"Dallas, for whatever reason, those fans, they're proudful. Like, if you're hurt, if you're not playing, if you're not doing what you were doing the years before you got to the Mavs, they don't like you," Parsons said.
Doncic and Porzingis played 110 games together, achieving a 67-43 record.
Porzingis averaged 20.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 134 games for the Mavericks in his career.
In 2022, the Mavericks traded Porzingis and a protected second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
"Now we're talking about the NBA Finals…so yeah, I think there definitely is more motivation for both these players. It'll definitely be more gnarly in Boston for Kyrie Irving, but I guarantee you, Porzingis gets booed every time he touches the ball,” Parsons said.
Irving was traded to the Celtics in August 2017 in a deal involving Boston fan-favorite Isaiah Thomas. Before the 2018-19 season, Irving told a TD Garden crowd he intended to stay in Boston, but his commitment wavered after several on-court and off-court issues.
Since leaving Boston for Brooklyn, Irving and Boston fans have exchanged jabs, including expletive-laden chants directed at Irving, his comments likening Boston fans to a "scorned" girlfriend and his stomping on the Celtics' logo, among other incidents.
Status of Kristaps Porzingis still up in the air as Game 1 of NBA Finals nears
Kristaps Porzingis has been sidelined since April 29 due to a strained left calf sustained in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round playoff series against Miami.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has not announced an official return date for the dynamic big man but mentioned that Porzingis has been practicing 5-on-5 with his teammates.
“When KP is at his best, he’s been tremendous for us and we expect that from him and we know he’ll give that to us,” Mazzulla said.
In 57 regular-season games, Kristaps Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. In the 25 games he missed, Boston went 21-4.