Irving goes quietly into Boston night

8 Jun 2024 - The Boston Globe

By Amin Touri GLOBE STAFF 

Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.

And so ends a rough return to Boston for Kyrie Irving, who through a smattering of boos, and with another awful shooting night, left the floor in the final minutes of a title-clinching defeat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals monday night.

Irving knew the reception he’d receive in Boston, five years after he bolted for Brooklyn in acrimonious fashion, and the booing never subsided. he didn’t exactly answer it with his play: he was awful through the first two games of the series, averaging 14 points on a combined 13 of 37 from the field.

He broke out of that slump with 35 points in another defeat in Game 3, and added a solid 21 points as the mavericks dominated Game 4.

Then it all came crashing back down monday night, as Irving shot a paltry 5 of 16 as Boston put Dallas away.

“Failing at this stage definitely sucks,” Irving said. “it’s a bitter feeling.

“Basketball is a game of centimeters, man. When the ball’s flying out of your hand, sometimes it’s going to feel good, sometimes it isn’t, and that’s the maturity aspect, you have to be able to move onto the next thing.

It was a strange 10 days or so for Irving, who oscillated between accepting responsibility for his seemingly irreparable relationship with Boston and taking the occasional snipe at the city and its fanbase. in the end, the booing and “Kyrie [expletive]!” chants hit a fever pitch in Game 5, making clear that there are no hatchets buried between Boston and its one-time star.

But all seems OK between Irving and his former teammates, as he embraced each player and member of the celtics’ coaching staff while leaving the floor for the final time this season.

“When i was shaking everyone’s hands, that was more a sign of respect for their journey,” Irving said. “they’ve been through an incredible five-year span, going to Game 7s or losing in the Finals, so they know what this bitter feeling feels like, sitting up here answering questions about next year.

“they just came together as a team, and were OK with each person being great in their role, and selflessly putting their best foot forward. i think we learned, more than anything from this series, not only what it takes to get to this level but to win at this level, and the celtics are the perfect example for us.”

In the end, Irving shot 41.4 percent for the series, by far his worst shooting mark in four career trips to the Finals. it’s his third-worst playoff shooting performance overall, trailing his disastrous final series as a celtic when he shot 35.6 percent in a five-game second-round loss to the Bucks in 2019.

Only three celtics remain from that ill-fated 2018-19 team: Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, Jayson tatum, and Al horford. Irving embraced each a little longer at the end of Game 5, before watching his former teammates claim their first title.

“For [Brown and Tatum], in particular, they’ve had a similar trajectory or career paths to some of the greatest to play the game,” Irving said. “Where they’ve lost early in their career, and now they’re at the top of the mountain because they’ve earned their way there. i’m nothing short of proud of those guys.”