Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has mastered the trick of drawing positive energy from a house full of negative vibes.
Irving will be tuning out uncompromising hostility and dodging verbal brickbats from all corners of the TD Garden on Thursday night when the Boston Celtics host the Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
“Been able to work through that and understand that some of that is anxiety, some of that is nervousness,” said Irving during Mavericks media day on Wednesday at the TD Garden.
“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.”
Irving appears to have found a stable basketball environment on Dallas head coach Jason Kidd’s roster after burning his bridges in Cleveland, Boston and Brooklyn. After shooting his way out of Cleveland and out from under colossal shadow of LeBron James, Irving was given a savior’s welcome when he came to Boston.
Irving appeared to be the missing piece the Celtics needed while coach Brad Stevens was building his program around rising young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Irving appeared to be on solid standing with his teammates, but his relationship with the Boston fans soured by the end of the 2019 season.
No tears were shed on Causeway Street when Irving decamped for Brooklyn, where his stay in the big borough ended the same way it did in Cleveland and Boston. Cleveland, Boston and Brooklyn are the NBA venues where Irving is the most vilified player on the floor. The bad feelings of betrayal die hard and that malignancy that surrounds Irving will take on a greater dimension under the hot lights of the NBA Finals.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve experienced Boston twofold,” said Irving. “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.
“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.”
For two seasons, Irving presided over the budding Celtics nucleus that has gotten them to this point. Irving had friends in the Celtics’ locker room where he was respected as a person and admired as a basketball player. Four seasons and one global pandemic later, Irving is genuinely impressed by what has become of his former teammates and their young coach Joe Mazzulla.
“Playing against my former brothers, yeah, no, I’m excited,” said Irving. “They’ve gotten tremendously better. 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.
“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.
“This is what I’ve been preparing for since last summer or when our season ended last year of putting in the time to prepare for moments like this.”
Irving has been a force in the playoffs as the Mavericks outlasted the Clippers, Thunder and Timberwolves in the Western Conference. In 17 postseason games, Irving has averaged 40.2 minutes, 22.8 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 boards per game. Irving scored 36 points in 40 minutes in the closeout game against the Timberwolves.
Brown will likely find himself opposite Irving and All-NBA first team point guard Luka Doncic at some point. Brown considered Irving a good teammate, but forces beyond their control placed them on the same stage in opposite camps.
“I think it was great,” said Brown. “Definitely learned a lot from Kyrie while he was here. It’s been great to see his journey, see where he’s at, all the stuff he’s going through, stuff like that, to be where he’s at it’s amazing, it’s dope to see.
“How to stop him? That’s a great player over there, so it’s going to be a full-team effort. Him and Luka. Making sure we’re alert, making sure we’re back in transition, and do the best we can.”