Kyrie’s Return To Boston Should Be Interesting

Irving burned some bridges on the way out of town and Boston fans have not forgotten

One of the more interesting story lines in the 2024 NBA Finals is the return of former Blue Devil Kyrie Irving to the TD Garden to play his old team, the Boston Celtics.

As you probably know, things didn’t end well for Irving and the Celtics.

Irving said he left because his grandfather died and he wanted to be closer to his family in New Jersey, but there was also some tension in the locker room. He ultimately signed with the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent in 2019, just in time for the Covid pandemic.

The idea was that Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden would be a Big Three but it never worked out, not least of all because Irving refused to take the vaccine, which meant that he was not allowed to play under New York regulations.

The Nets were frustrated with Irving and traded him to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first round pick and a pair of second-round picks.

At the time, people thought that Dallas might be Irving’s last chance. He’s turned it into a lot more than that.

His partnership with Luka Doncic, which a lot of people thought couldn’t work, has been a spectacular, potentially historical success.

But his return to Boston could be fraught.

Celtics fans have never forgiven him for his departure and they’re going to be all over him when he returns.

Given his competitive desire, Irving has an excellent chance of tuning the noise out and doing something special.

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