The Boston Celtics fans had pre-planned it to give Kyrie Irving a hard time in the NBA Finals, but the Dallas Mavericks guard claimed that he was expecting a more hostile welcome at TD Garden in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
During the post-game press conference, when the reporters asked him about the home-court fans and the environment in the arena, taking a dig, Irving replied, “Being in this environment, I’m used to it at this point. Earlier in my career, there was a different relationship that I had with Boston… I thought it was gonna be a little louder in here.”
Irving came to the bad books of the Celtics loyalists after leaving the Boston franchise, even though he had promised the fans that he would consider re-signing with the Cs. The 32-year-old guard saw the negative side of the fans on his appearance at Boston’s arena in the 2021 playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets.
On Thursday, the rage could still be seen every time Mavs No. 11 touched the ball. Though Irving thought the crowd’s energy fell flat, their plan worked on the guard and his Dallas teammates, and they recorded an 89-107 loss in the opening game.
Irving attempted 19 shots from the floor, but only 6 of them hit the target, but none of his threes reached their destination, and he finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Amid their playoff run, the 8-time All-Star was questioned about his future, and he certainly sounded positive.
Kyrie Irving Delves Into His Future With Mavs
For most of his NBA career, Kyrie Irving has been complementary to star figures like LeBron James in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Durant in the Brooklyn Nets. Still, he enjoys being the sidekick of Luka Doncic in the Mavs.
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During his recent interview with Malika Andrews, when the 2016 champion was asked about his future in the Dallas franchise, Irving said, “The future is still being written. But I can tell you that with all the extensions that are going around with [Jason] Kidd and Nico [Harrison] and potentially this summer with Luka, I think, again, I don’t mind being complementary if we’re going to continue to put this band together and have some great pieces around us. I’ve been enjoying my time here. It’s been a great journey thus far.” (4:00)
Irving has a three-year contract with the Mavs with a player option clause in the 2025-26 season. However, looking at his strong bond with Doncic, it does not seem like the 6-foot-2 guard has a tough choice to make.
