Kyrie Irving knows what reception to expect when the Nets play in Boston during their first-round playoff series, which will open Sunday at TD Garden. It’s the same hate he received during the postseason last year, the same bile he’ll likely get for the rest of his career.

He just doesn’t have the time or energy to give a damn.

“I don’t want to focus on anything other than what’s going on with our team, don’t want to focus on the fans, don’t want to focus on any extra stuff outside of my control. The environment is going to be the environment,” Irving said.

“[We’ve seen] guys go to different arenas, and no matter how many times you play there, the fans are going to treat them like whatever. Whether they played there, whether they injured a player, whether something went back-and-forth with the crowd. … So giving the energy to what the fans are doing, that’s not where my attention is.”

Irving’s relationship with Boston — not just Celtics fans, but the city as a whole — is complicated.

Long before he spent two seasons playing for the Celtics, the city had a place in his past. His parents, Drederick and Elizabeth, met there as student-athletes at Boston University.

“I’ve been at Boston University since I was like 5 years old,” Irving said. “They were the first school to offer me a scholarship. So it’s there for me in terms of my childhood. … But me as a professional athlete, this moment in time, let’s bury the hatchet.”

That’s unlikely. Irving is likely as hated in Boston as any athlete in any sport.

He spent two years there, during which he butted heads with younger Celtics players. After initially saying he wanted to extend long term, he did a heel turn and bolted for Brooklyn in 2019, earning their antipathy.

During the Nets’ win at TD Garden in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Celtics last year, a fan threw a water bottle at Irving’s head after he’d stepped on the logo of “Lucky the Leprechaun” at halfcourt.

Does Irving embrace the role of villain?

“All’s fair in competitions. When emotions are running high, anything can happen,” Irving said with a shrug. “I just want to go in there with a poise and a composure and not pay attention to any of the extra noise. … I’m just going to let the actions speak for themselves and go out and have fun and play competitive basketball.

“I don’t have time, the focus to pay attention to all that going on with all the narratives that surrounded me in Boston. … People continue to ask the Celtics players ‘Have you still talked to Ky?’ I’m like bro, just let it go. I’ve moved on, I’m in Brooklyn. It’s been three years. We’ve had enough of the back-and-forth. … The fans can’t come on the court, [media] can’t come on the court, so just enjoy the show and get your popcorn. Say whatever you have to on Twitter and social media and let’s just make this a good series.”

Irving is greeted with profane jeers during every Boston visit. It’s not that he doesn’t hear the noise, both literal and figurative. He just chooses not to acknowledge it.

“I don’t think he cares anymore. He’s been through it now for a playoff series, and five, six regular-season games,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “He’s had over a handful of games in Boston, so I don’t think that he even really thinks too much about it anymore.”

What Irving cares about now is finishing strong. The Nets (44-38) climbed from 10th place in the Eastern Conference to seventh and won their play-in game. Beating Boston would be a sweet next step for Irving.

“I still have relationships with them, but I wouldn’t say we’d like to avoid them in any way,” Irving said of the Celtics. “This is the best part of the story that could be written. We go against Boston and have a chance to redeem ourselves. They have a healthy team, we have a healthy team; now we get to see who’s the better squad. It’s exciting because we know each other. Really well.”

Perhaps too well. You know what familiarity breeds.