Kyrie Irving shouldn’t expect a hero’s return to Boston for the NBA Finals.
The Dallas Mavericks point guard will play his former team, the Celtics, at TD Garden on Thursday night. Irving explained how he’ll deal with a likely hostile crowd.
“You just got to breathe through it,” Irving told reporters, via the New York Post. “To all my youngins out there that are dealing with some of the crowd reactions, what they’re saying to you, you have to breathe. Realize that is not as hostile as you think it is. Don’t overthink it.”
Irving said he’s learned that he can turn nerves and anxiety into a strength on the court.
“There’s no fear out here, man. It’s basketball,” he continued. “The fans are going to say what they’re going to say. I appreciate them and their relationship they have to the game. But it’s about the players at the end of the day.”
Irving spent two seasons in Boston before joining the Brooklyn Nets through free agency. The point guard expressed a desire to stay with the Celtics early in his tenure, so fans didn’t take his departure too well.
Wednesday’s comments demonstrate personal growth from a past experience at TD Garden. Irving gave Celtics fans the middle finger while facing them in the 2022 playoffs with the Nets.
“That wasn’t a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level,” Irving said of the incident earlier this week. “It wasn’t a great reflection on my influence on the next generation, (with) what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment no matter what people are yelling at you.”
Irving returns to the NBA Finals in search of his second ring after averaging 27.0 points in the Western Conference Finals. Based on past trips to Boston, he’ll probably face vociferous boos whenever he touches the ball.
ABC will televise Thursday’s Game 1, which starts at 8:30 p.m. ET.