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Kyrie Irving says he’s ready to face TD Garden crowd with ‘no fear’
"It's basketball. The fans are going to say what they're going to say."
Kyrie Irving hasn’t shifted his overall message all week regarding his return to a boisterous TD Garden.
The former Celtics guard knows the boos and jeers are coming when Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off on Thursday night.
But after two tumultuous years in Boston — and a pair of drama-filled playoff series against the Celtics that featured boos, the middle finger, a stomp at midcourt and a fan throwing a water bottle at his head — Irving is trying to tone things down in this latest matchup, especially with a title on the line.
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“I’ve experienced Boston twofold: my first few years being in the NBA playing for the Cavs, then coming here to Boston, then being right down the street in Brooklyn, now being here in the Finals playing against them in a potential four-to-seven-game series,” Irving said. “You just got to breathe through it.
“To all my youngins out there that are dealing with some of the crowd reactions, what they’re saying to you, you have to breathe, realize that is not as hostile as you think it is. Don’t overthink it.
“Been able to work through that and understand that some of that is anxiety, some of that is nervousness. It could all be turned into a strength. There’s no fear out here, man. It’s basketball. The fans are going to say what they’re going to say. I appreciate them and their relationship they have to the game. But it’s about the players at the end of the day.”
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Indeed, if the Mavericks manage to reel off the upset and defeat the Celtics in the NBA Finals, plenty of it will fall on Irving and teammate Luka Doncic and their ability to carve up defenses.
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At 32 years old, Irving is still one of the most gifted ball handlers and pure scorers to ever play the game.
“Pray,” Jrue Holiday said of the approach when it comes to slowing down Irving. “I think it’s just familiarity. Just, I think, knowing each other’s game, doing your best to stay in front of him, trying to take away the things that will probably hurt you the most.
“Probably most of all having help. Him being able to see multiple guys on the court, making it look like it’s crowded, making shots as tough as possible, even though he’s a tough shot-maker.”
Even though Irving’s tenure with Boston ended in disaster, the future Hall of Famer acknowledged that he’s excited to face off against several of his former Celtics teammates — with their growth fueling Boston’s second run to the Finals in three seasons.
“I’m excited. They’ve gotten tremendously better,” Irving said of Boston’s current core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. “They’ve led their team to this point. So I’m proud of them. I’m looking forward to the competition because this is what we’ve all strived for since we were kids, basketball at this level playing against the best of the best.
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They have a great team over there, led by a great coach. So we’re going to be in for a great series, hard, tough series. They’re going to give us their best. I know they’re not going to slow down when they see me. They’re going to come at me even more.”
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