The NBA Finals certainly don’t lack headlines, and one of the biggest is the return of one of Boston’s most notorious sports villains: Kyrie Irving.
When Irving steps onto the court at TD Garden, he will face a hostile crowd. The tension has been there since he left, and it will only be more intense now—a fact Irving is well aware of.
“I think I’m better at consolidating the emotions now, being aware of what it’s going to be like,” Irving said on Monday. “You call it animosity, we call it hate – we call it, it’s going to be hell in Boston. There are real-life circumstances going on in the world that are bigger than the basketball competitive side of things and answering those questions.”
“I will say, last time in Boston, not this regular season, but when we played in the playoffs, and everyone saw me flip off the bird and kinda lose my s— 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 selection on my end towards the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment, no matter what people are yelling at you.”
“I’m built for these moments, to be able to handle circumstances like that, and I’ve been able to grow since that. 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.”
The jury is still out on whether Irving is ready to face the music. However, he won’t be the only one receiving a hostile reception on the road. According to ex-Maverick Chandler Parsons, Kristaps Porzingis is also in for some hostility when he returns to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.
“It will be way more violent towards Kyrie Irving in Boston, no doubt. But don’t get it twisted: They do not like Porzingis in Dallas,” Parsons said via FanDuel TV. “Luka did not like playing with him. There is an actual beef there. It’s going to be every time he touches the ball, he’s getting booed. There’s a real beef there… I guarantee you Porzinigs gets booed every time he touches the ball.”
Porzingis spent two and a half seasons in Dallas, and, like Irving in Boston, things didn’t go as expected. The tandem of him and Luka Doncic didn’t become the dominant duo they intended to be, and it ended with Porzingis being traded to the Washington Wizards midway through the 2022 season. Since leaving Dallas, Porzingis has enjoyed a career resurgence in Washington and Boston.
While Porzingis’ status for the NBA Finals remains uncertain due to a calf strain that has sidelined him since April 29, signs point to a return. Over the weekend, head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed that Porzingis was a full participant in practice.
At the very least, a return at some point in this series seems likely.
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