NBA Buzz: Kyrie, Celtics, Westbrook, Lakers, Thunder, LeVert, Sexton

Kyrie Irving dealt with a ton of boos and profane language from fans in Boston during Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Nets and Celtics, 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— 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— that, it’s the playoffs. This is what it is.”

Game 2 will be on Wednesday, with the Nets hoping to tie up the series. It will be interesting to see how things play out during that game.

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Marcus Smart took home Defensive Player of the Year honors, NBA Communications tweets. Mikal Bridges finished second and Rudy Gobert finished third.
Robert Williams III is expected to miss the entire first-round series against the Nets, Conor Roche of Boston.com writes. He’s currently nursing a torn meniscus.
Russell Westbrook will have “more boundaries than advertised” on the trade market this offseason, Marc Stein writes at Substack.com. That makes it unlikely that they would entertain swapping Westbrook for Gordon Hayward, which has been a possibility that has been widely discussed.
The Lakers are looking into Nick Nurse, Doc Rivers and Quin Snyder as their next head coach but could also look into Scott Brooks, Terry Stotts, Mike Brown and Alex Jensen, per Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The Lakers’ head coaching vacancy isn’t seen as attractive as many would think, however.
The Thunder are interested in extending Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley at the right price, GM Sam Presti told The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto and other media members on Monday. “They’re both great guys,” Presti said. “I want to hear what they’re thinking, and I need them to understand we have to also balance the interest of the team as well.”
Caris LeVert and Collin Sexton both want to return to the Cavaliers next season, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. Either guy could thrive in the sixth man role next season in Cleveland.