KYRIE IRVING RETURNS TO BOSTON: THE RAGING LUNATICS WON’T LET HIM WIN
It’s hard to believe he’s back, in the place where he flipped birds and strolled on the leprechaun logo, and if Irving and Doncic give the Mavericks a shot, the crowd will bring frightening torture
He started by flipping two birds behind his head, followed by a bold middle finger, which only pre-empted his venture to the distinguished halfcourt logo of the Boston Celtics. There, Kyrie Irving wiped his red shoes on the leprechaun. Not only was he booed out of New England, he was told never to return unless he wanted to be tied and gagged and left half-dead near a screaming witch.
“It’s in the arena, man,” he said that night, with the Brooklyn Nets, when a fan threw a water bottle toward his head. “They have a right to boo. I haven’t won against them … until I beat them.”
Three years later, here he is, off to the TD Garden with a second NBA championship in his gaze. Joined by Luka Doncic, who aches to prove he’s the best baller in the NBA, Irving will relive one of the ugliest local experiences in modern sports history. “F— Kyrie! F— Kyrie!” fans chanted in the streets after the Celtics won the Eastern Conference. There is no telling what they’ll do beginning Thursday evening, but more police are expected and bottles might be loaded with dung. He might survive a fabulous matchup with Jrue Holiday. He will not survive the crowd.
No matter how well he has adapted to the Mavericks — and no matter what he says about his comfortable new life in Dallas — Irving must face the evil wrath of people he treated like garbage. He played for the Celtics when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown needed guidance and treated their situation like it was beneath him, which preceded a nightmare when he preached antisemitism and refused COVID vaccinations with the Nets. Only Irving could blow off LeBron James after a title in Cleveland, look down at young stars in Boston and tease Kevin Durant and James Harden in Brooklyn. Yet he is back in the Finals, forming an immense backcourt duo with Doncic, who is from Slovenia and can’t believe the will of his running mate.
All eyes are on Irving, who must negotiate the rage against a team that will have nine days off before Game 1. No fan has forgotten what he yapped about Boston in 2022: “I know it's going to be like that the rest of my career coming in here. It's like the scorned girlfriend who wants an explanation on why I left but still hoping for a text back.” He’s trying to move beyond the rotten times, matching Doncic with 36 points in a rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He went on TV and began his peacemaking.
“I’m at a place in my life where I don’t even consider, you know, those past moments. I was able to unpack them in a healthy way and move forward as a person,” Irving said. “I had a rough time there in Boston, just dealing with a death in my family and dealing with a lot of off-court stuff that I wasn’t able to handle. Now that I’m in a great place to vocalize what I’m feeling, I’m ready to go back to Boston, have fun with my teammates. I know we’ll be locked in. We’re going against a great Boston team that has earned their way to the Finals. They are a formidable opponent, an honest opponent.”
His words mean nothing. The guy trashed one team and was traded to another, where he waged battle with New York mayor Eric Adams about vaccines and promoted a film called, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” It’s pleasant to see Irving find a maturation key, but he’s about to be tested even after he continued to empty his heart in a news conference following the Western Conference finals. His life has changed while playing for Jason Kidd and unlocking Doncic. The Hubsters still hate him. I’d rather be a member of the New York Yankees or go through previous Big Dig headaches than live Irving’s life next week.
“I’m grateful because it was an easy road,” he said. “I was able to grow as a person way beyond, you know, as quick as I was growing as a player. And when you’re in a professional environment like this where you’re only judged by on-court performances — what people say off the court, and they don’t know who you are, I think that’s a little unfair. That’s the life we live in. Life is not fair all the time. So I just stopped being a kid toward this industry. And I really grew up and grew my wings. I had another phrase I wanted to say.”
For years, he would have used the phrase. Not at 32. “I developed a mentality to be able to brush off a lot of that stuff,” Irving said. “I realize that when they say things about me as a teammate, that’s not where my focus is. I want to make sure my teammates know what I want to accomplish with them. Being selfless is my approach. Everyone is going to have a past. Everyone is going to be judged for that. But I think putting your best foot forward and focusing on the future is the best way to be. All the stories and narratives will exist forever. I’ll hear it until I retire. This is what comes in the industry. There are no rules in this league. Being a professional and coming to work every single day is how I want to be remembered. I’ve been there for these guys. They’ve been there for me. I’ve told them some intimidating things and vulnerable things about me. They’ve showered me with support. They protect me. I protect them. Human emotions can get the best of you, but how you respond is how you’ll be remembered.”
How many years have passed since Irving hit the winning shot to beat the Warriors? Eight, folks. If this is how he wants to be recalled, it beats never returning from hell — when he was called a cancer and a lost cause without James. “He self-inflicted himself, he’s got to take some responsibility. I think he’s grown up. I think he’s matured,” Charles Barkley said on TNT. “People criticized him and he deserved it. You can’t go out there and be antisemitic. You can do the vaccination thing, that’s your own thing. But he deserved the criticism he got. He deserved the suspension he got. As a basketball player, I think he’s really grown up. We’ve all made mistakes. I’ve done plenty of stupid things, but at some point you need to grow up.”
Another broadcaster, Stan Van Gundy, referred to Doncic and Irving as the greatest offensive backcourt of all time. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson would balk. Others would, too. “Who said that? It doesn't mean anything if we don't win a ring together, and I say that very responsibly,” Irving said. “Right now, I want to show a lot of respect to the guys that have come before us and have actually did it. And our time will come. I've always felt like I'm one of the best in the world because I'm able to play with other great players.”
Wouldn’t you love hearing him compare Doncic to LeBron, Durant and, for that matter, Tatum and Brown? “I told him, ‘I’m tired as sh-t.’ He told me that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Luka said. “He brought that calmness to our team, to me, the maturity, and it’s been unbelievable to have him. Learning from him every day, positive energy always, just a blessing having him on our team.”
Kidd’s presence has been dramatic. The coach struggled through serious public discussions as a player and has spoken deeply with Irving. The result is magical. “He has been in this situation before in Cleveland with LeBron. His calming influence has helped Luka,” he said. “Luka is fiery. Having someone who is calming helps.”
It’s hard to believe, but Irving will have to be the cool guy while Doncic toys with the wrong audience. Luka had fun in Minneapolis, shouting at a boisterous fan, “Who’s crying now, motherf—er?” Will Kyrie behave? Anthony Edwards started the series by saying, “My matchup is gonna be Kyrie. So that’s gonna be fun. We’re gonna see what I can do versus him.” He didn’t play like the next Michael Jordan. Credit Irving. “Right after the game, it was funny, because (Edwards) said it right then and there (on TNT),” he said. “And I think the whole world was looking like, ‘OK. You know, you better know what you're talking about, Ant.’ And I respect that.”
Who knew Irving would become the Chamber of Commerce leader in Dallas? All it took to improve his viewpoint was better winter weather? “I feel like it’s a great chapter that’s being written right now, and I’m enjoying every step of the way. I’m not taking anything for granted,” he said. “I’m enjoying the Dallas community and the fans — just how much I’ve been embraced, but it’s gone a little deeper than that. It’s really helped me grow as a human being and find my peace. You go outside. Seasonal depression is real. I played in three cold cities in the Eastern Conference. You come here and spend time with your family. The kids are happy. My wife is happy. You know what they say about a happy wife — a happy life.”
The media laughed a bit, for the first time with Irving in years.
“I’m serious,” he said.
Wait until he approaches the leprechaun logo before Game 1. Then he’ll know how serious the fans are on Causeway Street and Legends Way. Or, savage.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.