Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks attends the press conference after the 124-103 win in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Minnsota Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 30, 2024. /CFP
Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks on Monday recalled his time playing for the Boston Celtics, their opponents in the coming NBA Finals, and told reporters that it was "not a great reflection" of who he is.
Irving was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Celtics in 2017 at his request. He averaged 24.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game during the regular season and 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and seven assists per game in the playoffs for the Celtics before leaving in 2019.
The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018 without Irving who was ruled out after undergoing a minimally invasive procedure to remove a tension wire in his left knee. He played for the team in the postseason in 2019, but they were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 in the Eastern semifinals.
Jayson Tatum (L) of the Boston Celtics guards Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks in the game at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, March 1, 2024. /CFP
"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 s*** a little bit—that wasn't a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level," Irving said at Monday's press conference.
"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," he added.
The history between Irving and the Celtics was complicated. When Irving was with the team, there were reports of locker room conflict. After he left for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, the two teams met twice in the playoffs in 2021 and 2022 and each side won one series. A fan was arrested for throwing a water bottle at him in the Eastern Conference first round in 2021. Irving was fined $50,000 for flashing his middle finger at fans in the first round in 2022.
Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks shoots in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Minnsota Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 30, 2024. /CFP
"It was just a chapter in my life that I got to enjoy for the most part," Irving said of his stint with the Celtics. "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."
Game 1 of this year's NBA Finals will begin on Thursday at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.