Why Kyrie Irving’s Looking Forward To Facing Celtics In NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics punched their ticket by sweeping the Indiana Pacers and the Dallas Mavericks ousted the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.

With the matchup set, one of the biggest storylines of the series will be Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving returning to Boston after he left the franchise five years ago.

Irving said he is looking forward to facing the Celtics for the championship.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Irving said after Dallas clinched the Western Conference title on TNT’s postgame coverage. “I mean Boston is on the way, in between our goals, so that’s it.”

The Celtics defeated the Mavericks in both contests during the regular season, including a 138-110 victory at TD Garden on March 1. Irving was showered with boos and subjected to “Kyrie Sucks” chants throughout the night.

Whether or not the atmosphere got to Irving, he didn’t have one of his best performances, shooting 39.1% from the field for 19 points and collecting four rebounds in 37 minutes.

Irving has had his best season in years, averaging 22 points, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game in the 2024 playoffs.

Dallas star Luka Doncic said the way for the Mavericks to beat the Celtics in the Finals is based on their defense.

“They’re the best team in the NBA,” Doncic said on TNT’s postgame coverage. “They were first, first record, they have some incredible weapons. So, I think our defense is gonna be the key.”

The Celtics will host the Mavericks on June 6 for Game 1. Tip-off from TD Garden is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and will air on ABC.