And if these 2024 Finals between Dallas and Boston allowed Kyrie Irving to definitively bury the hatchet with the Celtics public? After apologizing a few days ago for his behavior at (almost) each of his visits to TD Garden since his departure, the Dallas leader did it again yesterday, looking back at length on his experience and his new way to see things.
In this case, the bickering is now a thing of the past, and Kyrie Irving now wants to focus on his new mission and his role as leader of the Mavs, which consists in particular of bringing serenity to his group rather than the opposite. A speech that Celtics fans would have liked to hear when the player arrived in Boston in 2017, at the time when Kyrie Irving was only 25 years old and obviously not the same level of maturity.
“I realize I've been playing in this league for 13 years, and I've played against the Celtics a bunch of years, with a few playoff series against them as well, both losses and wins. So I try to keep in mind that this is a new situation, that I am one of the leaders of the team and that, in this group, I have to give them peace of mind when things are going wrong. tough. We're facing a historic Boston team, but we're also a great team. We must remember that”he confided yesterday, after training.
Focused on the positive
The animosity between the fans and him is still very present, as Game 1 was able to attest, but Kyrie Irving no longer takes this atmosphere in the same way. A way to show that he has grown mentally.
“It’s always fun to bicker with the fans here in Boston. As I said last week, I'm going to move on from that too, but people keep asking me questions, and that's okay. That's what makes sports fun, what creates stories. Having the chance to face such a giant, whether it's the team, the environment or the fans and how crazy it can get. This is what I imagined when I found this level of competition. We earned the right to be there with my teammates, and to do everything we could to fight against the best of the best. It's everything we dream of. The rest is literature”he continued. “I’ve been able to grow over the last few years and put basketball in perspective. It's an incredible experience that I'm going through for a few years of my life. I will learn many lessons that I will apply for the rest of my life. I failed miserably by not knowing how to compartmentalize or accept the emotions that accompany failure, but also success, which I did not know how to manage either. So the last few years have been about this growth perspective for me and learning how to behave in situations, circumstances that will be more beneficial for me to learn now rather than when I'm 38 and looking at my career in the rearview mirror.”
The memory of the bottle throwing
Kyrie Irving has simply matured, and that has been evident since he arrived in Dallas, as he has greatly contributed to the Mavs' brilliant run thus far. Enough to encourage him to continue on this path.
“I don’t expect to be celebrated by everyone. I remain aware that many people want to see me fail. But then again, I think I pay more attention to how I am celebrated by the people who love me unconditionally and I go home with peace of mind.”he continued. “When I get out of here and walk around Boston, I don't hear a lot of the things I hear when I'm playing on the field. There is a lot of mutual respect. There is a lot of communication between eyes and ears that is based on just being human, and they appreciate what I do off the field as well (…). I haven't forgotten anything though. Someone threw something at me while I was here (a bottle of water in May 2021 during the series between Boston and Brooklyn). I've heard everything about it. No one asked me how I felt after that and why I might have a somewhat traumatic reaction to returning to that environment after someone did something like that. You know, things have changed since then. I was able to accept what I couldn't change, but also change my way of seeing things to be more positive. It's fun for me. It's clean. I'm happy to be able to be here, on this stage, speaking truthfully, but also to go home and be at peace.”
| Kyrie Irving | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2011-12 | KEY | 51 | 31 | 46.9 | 39.9 | 87.2 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 18.5 |
| 2012-13 | KEY | 59 | 35 | 45.2 | 39.1 | 85.5 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 22.5 |
| 2013-14 | KEY | 71 | 35 | 43.0 | 35.8 | 86.1 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 20.8 |
| 2014-15 | KEY | 75 | 36 | 46.8 | 41.5 | 86.3 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 21.7 |
| 2015-16 | KEY | 53 | 32 | 44.8 | 32.2 | 88.5 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 19.6 |
| 2016-17 | KEY | 72 | 35 | 47.3 | 40.1 | 90.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 5.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 25.2 |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 60 | 32 | 49.1 | 40.8 | 88.9 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 24.4 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 67 | 33 | 48.7 | 40.1 | 87.3 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 23.8 |
| 2019-20 | BRK | 20 | 33 | 47.8 | 39.4 | 92.2 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 27.4 |
| 2020-21 | BRK | 54 | 35 | 50.6 | 40.2 | 92.2 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 26.9 |
| 2021-22 | BRK | 29 | 38 | 46.9 | 41.8 | 91.5 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 27.5 |
| 2022-23 * | All Teams | 60 | 37 | 49.4 | 37.9 | 90.5 | 1.0 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 27.1 |
| 2022-23 * | BRK | 40 | 37 | 48.6 | 37.4 | 88.3 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 27.1 |
| 2022-23 * | DAL | 20 | 38 | 51.0 | 39.2 | 94.7 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 27.0 |
| 2023-24 | DAL | 58 | 35 | 49.7 | 41.1 | 90.5 | 0.8 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 25.6 |
| Total | 729 | 34 | 47.4 | 39.3 | 88.6 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 23.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
