Kyrie Irving raised a few eyebrows when he recently admitted to reporters that basketball hasn't been his top priority of late, and that he's approaching the Brooklyn Nets' upcoming playoff run as if it could be his last.
But one of Irving's former teammates believes the star point guard will be focused and determined to win an NBA title once the team takes the floor on Saturday night against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center.
"I think Kyrie does understand what it means to lock-in in a long playoff run," Cleveland Cavaliers veteran Kevin Love told the Tiki and Tierney show on Wednesday. "He was so unbelievable in those runs that we had. He's been great this year, despite what people may think or what we're talking about here. And I'm happy that he's been able to find peace, and look inward, and settle in with really who he is and what he's about. He's an advocate, a philanthropist, and an athlete -- maybe in that order.
"And behind the scenes, if you peel back the curtain, he's been able to make a huge impact in many people's lives, just outside of the realm of basketball. And on top of that, there's times where he may have said the wrong thing. Nobody's perfect. He may have been somewhat of a distraction. But we don't know really what's going on in that locker room... But when it's time to lock-in, Kyrie will be right there. And he had a great season..."
Irving, who scored a team-high 22 points in the Nets' penultimate regular season game against the Chicago Bulls last Saturday, declined to answer game-related questions during his postgame media session, and instead shared his feelings on the ongoing violence between Israel and Palestine.
"There's a lot of things going on overseas," Irving said. "All our people are still in bondage across the world, and there's a lot of dehumanization going on. So, I apologize if I'm not going to be focused on y'all questions. It's just too much going on in the world for me to just be talking about basketball. I focus on this most of the time, 24/7, but it's just too much going on in this world not to address. It's just sad to see this s--- going on."
Love appreciates Irving's social activism and willingness to speak up about uncomfortable subject matters. And as one of the league's preeminent mental health advocates, he hopes that Irving can find a balance between playing basketball and standing up for his beliefs.
"Maybe 'at peace' is the wrong terminology and the wrong word," Love said. "But as far as being able to be comfortable enough to be outspoken, understanding that people are going to hate you for good work and for evil, being comfortable in that and sticking up for what you believe in, if you're intent is there, you have to also make sure that you understand what the impact is going to be, either in the short term or in the long term.
"But I think it comes from a good place for him. I just think we can all stand to also be better educated and kind of find out who we are in a much more impactful and insightful way."
This season, Irving became just the ninth player in NBA history to finish a season shooting 90-percent from the free-throw line, 50-percent from the floor, and 40-percent from three-point range. He also averaged 26.9 points per game -- the second-highest mark of his career -- and led Brooklyn in assists (6.0) and steals (1.4).
According to FiveThirtyEight's most recent projections, the two-seeded Nets have been given a 29-percent chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, and a 13-percent chance to win the championship.
The entire NBA conversation between Love and Tiki and Tierney can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Tiki and Tierney Show on Twitter @TikiAndTierney and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.