Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics made a statement in a win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, one that had Irving addressing the drama surrounding the team.
Irving scored 27 points and dished out 18 assists in the 117-108 victory. He also delivered the knockout punch — a huge 3-pointer from deep to help seal the game.
Afterwards, Irving was interviewed by ESPN’s Lisa Salters, who asked about some of the recent headlines surrounding the team.
“What’s the NBA without a little drama?” Irving said in response. “For us, it’s literally about growing. That’s all. Maturing as a group, maturing as individuals and coming together at a time like this. It’s great to see that we can still smile and still compete at a very high level against the best. We just gotta become more consistent. Once that happens we’ll run over everybody in this league, I can guarantee.”
He’s right. There is always drama in the NBA, and that’s some of the fun. It’s part of the path for many competitive teams. This season’s Warriors squad has endured plenty of drama, while past LeBron teams always seem to have had it.
The drama with the Celtics began after a loss on Saturday when Irving visibly reprimanded Gordon Hayward for a pass on the final play of the game and culminated with Irving saying the team’s young players don’t understand what it takes to win a championship. While some understood his remarks, at least one teammate took issue with it.
