The Dallas Mavericks will be representing the Western Conference in the upcoming NBA Finals, and guard Kyrie Irving is a big reason for the team’s surge to the championship. He and his teammates will be going up against the Boston Celtics, one of the teams that Irving was a member of before creating plenty of bad blood on his way out the door.
Irving Speaks About Boston Fans Ahead Of NBA Finals
Mavs guard Kyrie Irving on his time with the Boston Celtics and facing them in the NBA Finals:
“When we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my sh*t a little bit, that wasn’t a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a… pic.twitter.com/PqGAcVDrIa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 3, 2024
His return to Boston is perhaps the most talked about story line when it comes to this year’s Finals. The relationship between the two sides hit its low point when Irving (then a member of the Nets) stomped on the head of the Celtics’ mid-court logo, which was one of a few different antics that continued to rub the fan base the wrong way. Even during regular season matchups, Irving is booed endlessly by the fans inside TD Garden.
Irving downplayed the situation when speaking at a press conference on Monday:
When we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my sh*t a little bit, that wasn’t a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level… I’ve been able to grow since then. Of course, it’s going to be a hectic environment, but I’m looking forward to it and I see it as a healthy relationship to have with the fans
Irving was expected to be one of the final pieces to the puzzle for the Celtics back in 2017, but he spent just two seasons in Boston.
Celtics Are 6.5-Point Favorites
“Leave [Kyrie Irving] the hell alone … You’re not the ones that have to go between those lines and actually guard this man.” 😂 @KendrickPerkins has a message for Celtics fans before Game 1 of the Finals ✍️ pic.twitter.com/5YhP7g7A5K
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 3, 2024
The potential for a hostile environment could factor in to the spread that the oddsmakers have placed on the first game of the 2024 NBA Finals. The Mavericks will enter the game as underdogs, and the odds aren’t particularly close. The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points for the first game at home, and are listed at -210 to win the series.
Game 1 will be played on Thursday night and will be broadcast on ABC.
