Kristaps Porzingis explains why boos at Madison Square Garden don’t bother him
"I prefer any kind of emotion over no emotion."
As his consistency and charisma continue to appear on a daily basis, Kristaps Porzingis continues to gain more and more respect and admiration from Celtics fans.
Despite his recent success, there’s a disgruntled fan base out there that’s not quite as enamored.
When the Celtics returned to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Knicks fans treated their ex-star to a chorus of boos. Porzingis got the last laugh, pouring in 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 116-102 win.
Afterward, when asked about the not-so-warm welcome, Porzingis sounded like someone who’s heard it before, will hear it again, and is at peace with it. He even said he enjoys it.
“I prefer any kind of emotion over no emotion,” Porzingis told reporters. So either it’s cheers or boos, I want it.”
Porzingis said the boos decreased a bit when he was with the Wizards. Now that he’s with the Celtics, they’ve increased again due to the nature of the rivalry.
“Tonight was no different,” Porzingis said. “Big game, TV game. Fans were into it. We just took care of business.”
Teammate Jrue Holiday echoed those thoughts and said the Celtics “love it” when Porzingis hears boos.
“He loves it, we love it,” Holiday told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “It definitely boosts the energy and morale. We love to hear it. There were also Celtics chants.”
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