Perhaps the biggest subplot of these Finals is Kyrie Irving‘s return to Boston after his rocky two-year stay with the Celtics. Irving expressed contrition for some of his actions during those 2017/18 and ’18/19 seasons, as well as two subsequent playoff series against the Celtics when he played for the Nets, Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes.
The Mavericks guard views his time in a Celtics uniform as a learning experience.
“It was just a chapter in my life that I got to enjoy for the most part,” Irving said. “We had a great opportunity to do some special things, but it was cut short, just based off personal reasons on my end. One thing I look back on my time in Boston — I’ve said this over the past few years, but somehow it gets tossed under the rug — but the greatest thing I learned from Boston was just being able to manage not only my emotions or just what’s going on on a day-to-day basis of being a leader of a team or being one of the leaders, and having young guys around you that have their own goals, but you have to learn how to put the big picture first.”
Irving also admits he deserved some of the criticism that came his way during his two seasons in Boston. Irving was often moody and aloof during that time.
“I don’t mind, after a few years, taking the brunt of the blame (for my time in Boston not working out),” Irving said, per Tim Cato of The Athletic. “(I’m) one of the best players in the world so I know what comes with that fair criticism. You know, it’s just that a little bit more grace could have been extended my way, especially with what I was dealing with during that time as a human being. I know sometimes in sports, it’s literally about the end goal and result in what you accomplish, and that’s one thing. But we’re still human. At the end of the day, I wasn’t my best self during that time. When I look back on it, I just see it as a time where I learned how to let go of things and learned how to talk through my emotions.”
Irving had difficulty handling his emotions during the 2021 and 2022 playoffs. In the latter, he was fined $50K for flashing his middle finger at fans during the Nets’ Game 1 loss.
Irving says he’s better prepared and more mature now, as he and Luka Doncic try to lead Dallas to a second championship in 14 years. Irving knows the road games during the Finals, which begin Thursday in Boston, will test his patience. But he feels he’s better equipped to block out the noise.
“I think I’m better at consolidating kind of the emotions now or being aware of what it’s going to be like,” Irving said. “We call it animosity, we call it hate, we call it, ‘It’s going to be hell in Boston.’ I mean, there are real, live circumstances going on in the world that are bigger than the basketball, kind of the competitive side of things and answering those questions. But I will say last time in Boston, I don’t think that was the best — not this regular season, but when we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my (bleep) a little bit — that wasn’t a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level. It wasn’t a great reflection on my end towards the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment, no matter what people are yelling at you.
“I’m built for these moments, to be able to handle circumstances like that, and I’ve been able to grow since then,” he added. “So of course it’s going to be a hectic environment, but I’m looking forward to it and I see it as a healthy relationship that I have with the fans. I almost think about ‘Gladiator,’ just winning the crowd over. It is good to hear the TD Garden silent when you’re playing well. They still respect great basketball.”
Irving has been stellar in this postseason, averaging 22.8 points and 5.2 assists per game. He has made 48.5% of his field goal attempts, a career best in the postseason.