Kyrie Irving is not going to receive a warm welcome when the NBA Finals tip off in Boston on Thursday night, but the Dallas Mavericks star continues to insist he is prepared for whatever comes his way.
It is no secret that Irving will be the most hated man at TD Garden during Game 1 of the NBA Finals and beyond. The star point guard spent two seasons with the Celtics from 2017 to 2019, and things did not go well. Irving openly said he planned to re-sign with Boston before leaving to join Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets. The relationship between Irving and Celtics fans has since been tenuous, to say the least.
Many have wondered how or if Irving will be impacted by the hostile environment, but he said he already has a plan in place to deal with it.
“You just gotta breathe through it,” Irving said. “To all my youngins out there that are dealing with some of the crowd reactions and what they’re saying to you, you have to breathe and realize that this is not as hostile as you think it is. Don’t overthink it. I’ve been able to work through that and understand that some of that is anxiety and some of that is nervousness, and it can all be turned into a strength.”
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Irving said earlier this week that he regrets his past interactions with Celtics fans, which have included him making multiple obscene gestures toward the TD Garden crowd. Irving also disrespected his former’s team’s midcourt logo, which may have been one of the reasons he had a water bottle thrown at him.
Irving faced the Celtics twice in the playoffs when he was with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets beat Boston in five games in the 2021 first round and were swept in the first round by the Celtics the following year. The stakes are even higher this time, and it sounds like Irving is going to do everything he can to block out the noise.
