The most potentially explosive reunion of this NBA Finals wasn't Kyrie Irving and the Celtics, or Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavs — it was Jason Kidd and the Boston fanbase. The two sides had one of the most vitriolic and infamous showdowns of the early 2000s and yet for all the debate and attention surrounding the return of Irving to Boston, and Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas, it's been largely overlooked in the series thus far.

To be fair, it didn't prove to be an issue in the first two Boston-based games of this series, so maybe the media just had some foresight there. The only controversy Kidd has stirred up thus far with Boston fans was his (unsuccessful) mind game ploy of casually dropping a mention — not once, but twice — of Jaylen Brown and not Jayson Tatum being the biggest star of the Celtics.

But the earlier Kidd controversy from his playing days was major news in its day, so it's definitely worth revisiting.

Kidd was notoriously heckled by Celtics fans during the 2002 Eastern Conference finals in Boston, along with his then-wife Joumana and their three year old son T.J.

The previous year, Kidd had been arrested for domestic violence after assaulting Joumana. Kidd had to pay a hefty fine and undergo anger management counseling after pleading guilty in that case, and the much-publicized incident did considerable damage to his reputation. It was partly what led to him leaving the Phoenix Suns for the New Jersey Nets the following season.

When Kidd's Nets found themselves down two-one in the playoffs to the Paul Pierce-led Celtics, some unruly fans decided to taunt Kidd with chants of “wife beater” and hurled even more cruel comments at Joumana and T.J. in the stands, according to Jason.

Kidd was visibly angry and emotional during the heated series. He said the fans' treatment of his family left him fearing for their safety while he was playing. Despite this, the Nets went on to win those Eastern Conference finals four-two.

It's been 22 years since that infamous series. Jason and Joumana have been divorced since 2007, and TJ is now a grown man. If Celtics fans want to get under Kidd's skin again, they'll have to find new sore sports.

But Jason Kidd returned to Boston as the coach of the red-hot Dallas Mavericks, so the chances were never high of him taking the bait this time. What was surprising was Kidd's willingness to play head games with the two stars of the NBA's best team, who undoubtedly didn't need further incentive or motivation in their second visit to the NBA Finals. Perhaps Kidd's contentious relationship with Celtics fans was still percolating in the back of his mind, and he's still a tad bitter — but he might want to focus more attention on his own squad if the Mavericks are going to make this a series back in Dallas.