Kyrie Irving reflects on his time with the Boston Celtics as he prepares to face-off against them in the NBA Finals.
When Kyrie Irving became a member of the Boston Celtics back in 2017 after playing six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the vision was for Irving to come over and join forces with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in order to help guide and show them how to win in this league.
Fresh off of winning the NBA championship, Irving desired to go to a destination where he could be the alpha and Boston was the perfect spot for him to do that. Brown was entering his 2nd year and Tatum was just a rookie at the time as Irving was trying to find his footing with his new team.
During Irving's first season as a Celtic, he led the team to a 55-27 record as the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals only to be eliminated in seven games by none other than the Cavaliers. During Irving's 2nd season in Boston, the Celtics finished 49-33 and earned the number 4 seed in the East. They suffered a disappointing playoff exit during the 2nd round which resulted in the end of the Irving era with the Celtics.
After verbally promising to return to the team, Irving went back on his word and instead decided to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. He stepped on the Celtics logo after defeating his former team during the 2021 postseason and also made an obscene gesture towards the fans. The narrative had been that Irving is a selfish player, he's a ball hog, and cancer in the locker room. Another title would be sweet redemption for Irving as he gets ready to take on his former team in his quest for his 2nd NBA title.