Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Admits This About Kyrie Irving

In the world of sports, fans tend to hold grudges longer than the athletes themselves.

Exhibit A: Celtics fans are still angry that Kyrie Irving left Boston to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. It's not so much that he left, but he lied about wanting to stay. He still gets booed every time he returns to TD Garden.

For Celtics star Jayson Tatum, he's moved on from the past and admitted to having fond memories of Irving's time in Boston.

"Obviously, there were some ups and downs, but I think for me, being a first-, second-year player, being around a superstar, essentially, every day and seeing how to navigate that space," Tatum said, per NBA-provided video. "And then, obviously, on the court, he's one of the most talented guys that I've ever seen. It seems like a very long time ago, but I've got a lot of great memories from having (Kyrie) as a teammate."

Tatum and the Celtics begin the final leg in their quest for Banner No. 18 when Boston hosts Irving and the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at TD Garden.

Boston has been here before with Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way in 2022, but there is something very different about this Celtics team -- the killer instinct to close out a series.

The Celtics easily defeated their first three opponents, the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers. Tatum recognized how important that was heading into the Finals.

"This is unique for a lot of us ... it's the quickest we've ever gotten through the first, second, and obviously, the third round," Tatum said, per Sports Illustrated's Bobby Krivitsky. "A lot of previous years, we had a couple of Game 7 series that kind of extended the playoffs. So, I think it was great for us to close out (these) series when we were supposed to, and it's afforded us to have this nice break, and obviously, (thanks to) the work we put in during the regular season, that we get to start the Finals at home."