Kyrie Irving Makes Admission About Past TD Garden Trips To Face Celtics

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving knows what's in store for him Thursday night when he steps on the floor at TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Irving, who played two seasons for the Celtics before departing in free agency in 2019, has already experienced being public enemy No. 1 of the Boston fan base during a playoff series.

Irving, as he told reporters Monday after Mavericks practice, didn't handle that well, especially in a 2022 first-round matchup against the Celtics when the talented guard played for the Brooklyn Nets.

In Game 1 of that series, Irving responded to the raucous taunts and jeers from Celtics fans by mocking them on the court and flipping his middle finger at them, which earned him a $50,000 fine from the league.

"I think I'm better at consolidating kind of the emotions now or being aware of what it's going to be like," Irving told reporters, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "We call it animosity, we call it hate, we call it, 'It's going to be hell in Boston.' I mean, there are real, live circumstances going on in the world that are bigger than the basketball, kind of the competitive side of things and answering those questions.

"But I will say last time in Boston, I don't think that was the best -- not this regular season, but when we played in the playoffs and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my (expletive) a little bit -- that wasn't a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level. It wasn't a great reflection on my end toward the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment, no matter what people are yelling at you."

Irving will try to keep it in check this time around in what is expected to be an emotionally-charged atmosphere with so much at stake. This is the third time Irving has played the Celtics in the postseason since leaving the illustrious franchise. In a 2021 first-round series, Irving stomped on the Celtics logo at center court and even had a fan throw a water bottle at him as he made his way off the floor.

He said he has learned from his past, but that obviously remains to be seen once he's actually on the court.

"I'm built for these moments, to be able to handle circumstances like that, and I've been able to grow since then," Irving said, per MacMahon. "So of course it's going to be a hectic environment, but I'm looking forward to it and I see it as a healthy relationship that I have with the fans. I almost think about 'Gladiator,' just winning the crowd over. It is good to hear the TD Garden silent when you're playing well. They still respect great basketball."