Joe Mazzulla On Kyrie Irving Being Perceived As A Villain In Boston: 'We're All Villains In Someone's Eyes'

That was quite the philosophical answer from Mazzulla, who was trying to downplay this whole Irving-Boston narrative. What the 35-year-old said was true, though, as no matter how much good you might do, there will always be someone who views you in a negative light.

As for Irving, he did not do a lot of good during his time in Boston and didn't exactly endear himself to the fans after leaving either. He was traded to the Celtics in 2017 after requesting a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers and was supposed to lead the team to the promised land.

Irving failed in that quest, and his tenure with the Celtics proved to be rough as well. His relationship with the young players on the team was reportedly not all that great and in 2019, he decided to pack his bags and leave for the Brooklyn Nets in free agency.

Just a year earlier, Irving had told fans that he planned on re-signing, so the exit stung a lot. He was unsurprisingly greeted with boos when he did return to Boston and the situation got even worse during the 2021 playoffs when the Nets and Celtics faced off.

After Game 4 of the series, Irving stomped on the Celtics logo in what I would say was an ill-advised move. The Nets would go on to win that series in five games and while Kyrie was all smiles afterward, the tables were turned the next year.

The Celtics swept the Nets in the 2022 playoffs and Irving admitted he was embarrassed as he left the court. A year later, he had left the Nets too, as he was traded to the Mavericks.

Irving's stock was at an all-time low when he arrived in Dallas, but things have certainly changed now. The 32-year-old has been a model citizen and a great leader for the Mavericks. He is a big reason why they are in the Finals and will have to come up big again if they are to get the better of the Celtics.

Kyrie Irving Spoke About Facing The Celtics In The Finals

After the Mavericks dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals, Irving opened up on returning to Boston to face the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

"I am at a place in my life where I don't consider those past moments. I was able to unpack them in a healthy way, move forward as a person. I had a rough time there when I was in Boston, just dealing with a death in my family and off-court stuff I wasn't ready to handle.

"Now that I am in a great place to be able to vocalize how I'm feeling, I'm ready to go back into Boston and have fun with my teammates. I know we're going to be locked in and we're going against a great Boston team that has earned their way to the NBA Finals. I see them as a formidable opponent, an honest opponent, and we're going to see the best team win."

Irving does indeed seem to be in a great place now, and it's resulted in him excelling on the court. The eight-time All-Star averaged 27.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game against the Timberwolves. That vaunted defense had no answer for him and it'll be interesting to see how the Celtics deal with him.