-
Tim MacMahon, ESPN editor
DALLAS – As Kyrie Irving prepared for his third playoff series against the Celtics since leaving Boston, this time in the NBA Finals, the 13-year veteran superstar reflected fondly on his brief time with the franchise and expressed regret over some of his previous reactions. with the passionate fan base that has been hostile to him.
Irving, who is unanimously considered by his Dallas Mavericks teammates to be the team’s vocal leader, played two seasons for the Celtics before leaving in free agency to join his friend Kevin Durant with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019 offseason.
Irving’s Nets faced the Celtics twice in the playoffs, eliminating Boston in five games in the first round of 2021 and getting swept in the first round of 2022, which ended up being Brooklyn’s final playoff appearance. Some of the most memorable moments of this series were the interactions between angry Celtics fans and Irving, such as when a fan was arrested for throwing a water bottle at him after Brooklyn’s Game 4 win in 2021 and when Irving was fined $50,000 for showing his middle finger to fans during the Nets’ loss in Game 1 of 2022.
“I think I’m better at solidifying some emotions now or being aware of what it’s going to be like,” Irving said after Monday’s Mavericks practice. “We call it animosity, we call it hatred, we call it, ‘It’s going to be hell in Boston.’ I mean, there are real, real circumstances that are happening in the world that are bigger than basketball, kind of the competitive side of things and the answer to those questions.
“But I will say that last time in Boston, I don’t think it was the best – not that regular season, but when we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me make mistakes and lose in some ways. get my shit out—kinda – it wasn’t a good reflection of who I am and how I like to compete at a high level. It wasn’t a great reflection on my part towards the next generation. about what it means to control your emotions in this type of environment, no matter what people yell at you.
“I’m built for those times, to be able to handle circumstances like that, and I’ve been able to grow since then. 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 of “Gladiator”, just to convince the crowd It’s good to hear the quiet TD Garden when we play well.
Irving was an All-Star in his two seasons with the Celtics, arriving in Boston after requesting a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers on the heels of three straight Finals appearances, highlighted by their 2016 championship victory.
An injury sidelined Irving for the entire postseason in 2018, when rookie Jayson Tatum and sophomore Jaylen Brown led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals. Irving’s impending free agency and lack of long-term commitment to Boston weighed on the franchise throughout the following season, when the Celtics were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round.
Irving said “fair criticism” had been leveled at him because of his short tenure in Boston, given his status as one of the league’s best players, but he felt “a little more grace would have been helpful.” could be granted to me, particularly what I have done. that I experienced at that time as a human being.”
“I know sometimes in sports it’s literally all about the end goal and the outcome and what you accomplish, and that’s one thing,” Irving said. “But we’re still human at the end of the day. I wasn’t at my best at that time. When I look back on it, I just see it as a time where I learned to let go and learn how to speak through my emotions.
“It was just a chapter in my life that I was able to enjoy for the most part. We had a great opportunity to do some special things, but it was cut short, just for personal reasons on my part. One thing that I look back on my time in Boston — I’ve said this over the past few years, but somehow it got thrown under the rug — but the biggest thing I learned of Boston was just being able to deal with not only my emotions or just what’s going on on a daily basis, as a leader of a team or one of the leaders, and having young people around you who have their. own goals, but you must learn to prioritize the big picture.
Irving said watching Tatum and Brown become one of the league’s elite star duos made him “just proud,” adding that he tried to share as much advice and wisdom with the tandem as possible during their time as teammates. He said he continued to have a brotherly relationship with Tatum and Brown in the years since, but they haven’t communicated since the Celtics and Mavericks landed their Finals bids.
“This basketball thing is going to be competitive,” Irving said. “No matter what happens, we’re going to compete. But knowing them as human beings, they’re really special people alongside other people I’ve been fortunate to know in the Boston organization .”
Speaking after Boston’s practice on Saturday, Tatum – who said he still spoke to Irving from time to time during the season – said he had “a lot of good memories” of playing alongside ‘Irving during the first two seasons of his career.
“Yeah, obviously there’s been some ups and downs, but I think, for me, being a first or second year player, being around a superstar, basically, every day and seeing how to navigate that space, and then obviously on the court, he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen,” Tatum said. “So it seems like a long time ago, but I have a lot of great memories of having Kai as a teammate.”
And while Tatum credited the way the Mavericks and Irving came together, calling it a “great fit,” he said he also learned a lot from the 2018-19 season, Irving’s second and final at Boston, a tumultuous campaign for the Celtics. it started with them being the heirs to the Eastern Conference after LeBron James went to the Los Angeles Lakers the previous summer, but ended with a loss to the Bucks in five games in the Eastern Semifinals.
“I’m just learning that being on such a talented team, it’s not just talent that’s going to get you to the top,” Tatum said of his experiences that season. “You have to have guys willing to sacrifice, guys willing to do other things for the team to have a chance.
“It wasn’t about Kyrie, it was all of us. We were all part of why this season wasn’t a success and we all learned from it. We all grew. Some d Some of us stayed here, others left, and I’ve done great things since that season, so I’m looking at it as a learning experience in my second year.
Irving understands that his history with the Celtics will be an important element throughout the Finals. He said he had been “bombarded” with questions about Boston since his decision to move to Brooklyn and would not allow the past to “paralyze” him.
“Regardless of how much attention is paid to what it’s going to be on my end, I have a group to lead that is going to look to me for a voice of peace and to be able to control what I can control and also help,” said Irving, who averaged 22.8 points and 5.2 assists per game this playoffs while leading to the Finals alongside Luka Doncic.
“So I’m going to take the brunt of it, all the yelling and stuff like that and all the comments, but I’ve been able to grow since then and recognize that I can handle things better, especially when I want to put I can’t not dedicate the majority of my energy to playing well with fans like that – even though it can be fun sometimes – but it’s a waste of energy and it’s also a waste of my talent trying to. answer questions about the past that people have.
“People will bring up the record and all the extra stuff. Again, there are days, there’s down time in between, so you see the media pundits doing their normal job. It’s cool. But I’m looking forward to the challenge on the court against the Boston Celtics and being able to lead my guys.”
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.