The last time Kyrie Irving stepped foot on the floor at TD Garden in the playoffs was not his best moment, the Mavericks star admitted.
Irving said on Monday that the 2022 playoff incident where he was flipping off Celtics fans while a member of the Nets “wasn’t a great reflection” of who he is.
Irving and the Mavericks are gearing up for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics later this week.
“When we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds, and kind of lose my s–t 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.
“It wasn’t a great reflection on my end toward the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment no matter what people are yelling at you. I’m built for these moments to be able to handle circumstances like that and I’ve been able to grow since then.”
Irving was seen several times during Game 1 between the Nets and Celtics in 2022 taunting the crowd at TD Garden, where he spent two seasons calling home before he jumped ship to join Kevin Durant in Brooklyn in 2019.
Celtics fans have not forgotten Irving’s surprising exit and he has been a villain in Boston since, with fans seen this year chanting “f–k Kyrie” following the Celtics’ sweep of the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Irving is expecting the games at TD Garden to be a “hectic environment” but said he was “looking forward to it” when the series begins on Thursday.
“I see it as a healthy relationship with the fans,” Irving said. “I almost think about ‘Gladiator’ just win the crowd over. It’s good to hear the TD Garden silent. When you’re playing well they still respect great basketball, so regardless of the attention that’s being paid to what it’s going to be like on my end, I have a group to lead that’s going to be looking to me for a voice of peace.
“And to be able to control what I can control and also help them through it. I’ll take the brunt of it, of all the yells and stuff like that. All the remarks, but I’ve been able to grow since then and acknowledge that I can handle things better. Especially when I want to put a majority of my energy into playing well.”
Irving added that he didn’t want to get caught up in arguing with fans “even though it may be fun at times,” but called it a “waste” of his time and energy.”
The Mavericks star has been averaging 22.8 points a game during the postseason this year while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from 3-point range.
Irving had 36 points – the sixth time this playoffs that he’s scored at least 30 points in a game – in Game 5 to help clinch the Mavs’ trip to the NBA Finals.