A few years ago, superstar guard Kyrie Irving landed with the Boston Celtics in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers because the one-time NBA champion no longer wanted to share the spotlight with fellow superstar LeBron James.
Initially, this seemed like a good move for Irving as he was joining a very talented young team led by up-and-comers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, which could have resulted in a lot of success in the near future.
Unfortunately, even though Irving promised to re-sign with the storied franchise rather than leave in NBA free agency, he ended up teaming up with Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets, which didn’t sit well with Celtics fans.
Ironically enough, in the end, Irving and the young Celtics will face off in the NBA Finals this year, where the veteran guard will be labeled the villain for leaving Boston the way he did.
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, who won a title with the Celtics in 2008, has a message for fans of his former team regarding Irving, via NBA on ESPN.
“Leave [Kyrie Irving] the hell alone … You’re not the ones that have to go between those lines and actually guard this man,” Perkins said.
"Leave [Kyrie Irving] the hell alone … You're not the ones that have to go between those lines and actually guard this man." ? @KendrickPerkins has a message for Celtics fans before Game 1 of the Finals ✍️ pic.twitter.com/5YhP7g7A5K
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 3, 2024
With Irving torching the Timberwolves for the majority of the Western Conference Finals, the superstar seems to be back to form as one of the best guards and closers in the league, which doesn’t bode well for the Celtics.
However, Boston has one of the best defensive backcourts in the league with the double-edged sword of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, which means there could be an all-out battle in this series amongst the guards, making for some entertaining and competitive basketball.
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