When staying the night in Miami during a midseason road trip, many NBA players would enjoy the South Beach nightlife before moving on to the next city on the docket.
Kyrie Irving, however, is a little different.
Following the Boston Celtics’ 115-99 loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday, Irving elected to go back out onto the hardwood and go through a solo shooting session rather than take part in the colorful nightlife the Florida metropolis is known for.
“That’s my job, right? So it’s always good to get some extra work after a tough loss,” Irving said, via NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. “(The Heat) shot extremely well. They did some great things (Thursday). I’ve got to give credit to the Heat team today. They came prepared, made some big shots. We just couldn’t get that run.
“I just wanted to get some extra shots, feel good going into the next game. We’re staying over in Miami, so I’d rather be in here than be out in Miami right now.”
So, why the need for a late-night shooting session after a loss on the second night of a back-to-back?
“It’s not so much about the frustration from the game,” Irving said, via Forsberg. “It’s just more or less therapeutic for you just to go out there and mentally just feel good about your game and things you could have taken advantage of and you could prepare better for next game. I’m going to see different defenses all year, but when you can go out there and be well-conditioned and go from the game and go up to get another workout in, it’s always good. You just want to be smart about it. But like I said, it’s just a great, great stress reliever when I see some shots go in.”
Boston had been playing well prior to Thursday’s loss, having won seven of nine including a blowout win over the Indiana Pacers. But Irving knows he and his teammates will need to get tougher.
“It’s going to get harder, especially when you have that goal of getting that gold trophy,” said Irving. “It’s going to get tough and we gotta be able to withstand plays and things that happen within a game.”
