Kyrie Irving is entering the lion’s den once again as the Dallas Mavericks get set to take on the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. The Celtics have homecourt advantage in the series, meaning Irving will step into TD Garden as the lightning rod for Boston fans who still have a bone to pick with the veteran point guard.
For what it’s worth, Celtics players who were on the team with Irving don’t have any negative things to say about him. Part of that is expected, as you don’t trash an opponent you’re about to face in the season’s most important series. But most players Irving has been around have marveled at his abilities on the court while largely staying away from his off-court business.
Irving spoke about his time in Boston after Dallas’ Game 5 win over Minnesota and while that may be true, he didn’t help his cause with Celtics fans. He made a public promise to re-sign at a preseason event in front of season-ticket holders and starred in a commercial about having his number retired by the Celtics, only to do a complete 180 and say he doesn’t owe the team anything as free agency approached. Irving would eventually sign with the Nets to join his friend Kevin Durant and form a new star tandem.
Plenty of animosity will be directed towards Irving in Boston, but this series isn’t about his revenge or redemption. It’s about his rebirth.
Irving’s rise and exit in Cleveland
In Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Irving hit arguably the biggest shot in Cavaliers history over Stephen Curry to send the 73-win Warriors home without a championship in a miraculous comeback from a 3-1 deficit. It cemented the point guard’s place in the game as one of its best players, and it may have been the start of Irving’s desire to eventually step out of LeBron James’ shadow to lead a team on his own. Irving has always presented himself as a leader, even if his approach has occasionally blown up in his face with odd commentary and sudden outbursts. While there’s nothing wrong with Irving wanting to be his own player and build his own legacy, he did not exit in the cleanest way. And it is something he has admitted he regretted.
Things would sour in Boston for Irving in somewhat stunning fashion, despite the team’s overall success on the court. The Celtics often performed better without Irving on the court, and the point guard’s injuries and absentee behavior didn’t help his case. Things didn’t get much better with the Nets.
A Brooklyn disaster saga
Irving played just 143 games in nearly four seasons with the Nets, with most of his absences coming in the 2021-22 season when he refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine as part of New York City’s mandate. Irving was technically eligible to play in road games but Nets GM Sean Marks said the team didn’t want a part-time player. That stance was eventually changed after Brooklyn suffered injuries to the point where Irving was needed for the team to field the minimum roster required to play a game but the damage was done. Irving’s anti-vaccine stance put himself above the team, pushing James Harden to request a trade. Eventually, the mandates were lifted and Irving came back on the floor as a full-time player but the Nets were swept in the playoffs.
The point guard didn’t help his cause the following season after he posted a link to an Amazon film riddled with anti-Semitic rhetoric on his Twitter account. Irving had the chance to apologize for his actions and accept responsibility but instead went on to mention other conspiracy theories and did his usual “smarter than everyone else” schtick. The NBA suspended Irving and the Nets pulled out of contract extension talks, pushing Irving to request a trade. Irving had previously threatened to take a $30 million pay cut to leave the Nets in the summer before opting into his player option, an action seen by some as selfish and self-obsessed fueled by erratic behavior. The Mavericks, despite these concerns, did trade for Irving to pair him with Luka Doncic. Dallas would re-sign Irving in the summer.
Everything’s quieter in Texas
Believe it or not, Irving actually played fewer games this season than he did in 2022-23 across Brooklyn and Dallas. The point guard had foot and thumb injuries which kept him out for long periods, with some even questioning whether the ailments were legitimate. Irving has previously had injuries that took longer for him to return from than expected but that’s been the only noise surrounding the point guard this season. And even that was tame relative to what he’s experienced of late.
This has been the biggest change for Irving, who likely still holds the same beliefs he publicly expressed during his time in Brooklyn. This isn’t about Irving changing his mind. He’s learned to be more contained about anything that isn’t basketball-related, which has been a great benefit to him and the Mavericks. Irving is letting his on-court performance do the talking, and he’s once again being viewed as one of the most skilled players to ever take the floor. He’s shot his best percentage from the floor in any postseason and has averaged the most points per game in the playoffs since the 2016-17 season. He’s back over 40% from deep for the first time since 2015-16. And he’s back in the Finals, going for a championship one season after he arrived in Dallas as a mercurial player seemingly on the path to flaming out.