“It’s not the first time I’ve lost in Boston,” Kyrie Irving said after the loss in the first game of the NBA finals. In fact, it was the eleventh consecutive time that the Mavericks point guard fell during a visit to TD Garden. He was below what was expected: 12 points with 6/19 in field goals, including 0/5 in triples, and three losses.
“It’s our attitude and how we approach things possession after possession. I haven’t had the best games offensively in these playoffs, but now it’s our turn to overcome it together,” analyzed the point guard, who downplays the importance of the atmosphere: “It’s not the boos. I thought there was going to be more noisebut I expect the same in the second game, with the public trying to take me out of my element. “I have to stay composed and confident.”
Irving, 32, played two seasons for the Celtics before leaving for the Nets in a tumultuous departure. He had a verbal commitment to continue in the franchise, but he ended up leaving. On his returns to TD Garden he was the protagonist of controversies by trample the logo in the center of the parquetburned sage before a game as if trying to ward off evil spirits, made obscene gestures to the fans… In Boston he is considered a villain.
Take responsibility
“There were a lot of emotions,” Irving said about the premiere of the final in hostile territory. Looking ahead to the second game, he hopes for “the opportunity to compete against a great Celtics team. We didn’t do it the way we wanted to and that starts with me. “I have to take some responsibility.”.
To close the night, the point guard wrote a message on his social networks: “Tribe, keep God first and stay together. This mission is bigger than us”.
