Jan 25, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving Makes Honest Boston Celtics Statement

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Ben Stinar | Last updated Jan 26, 2025 3:21 PM ET

On Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks hosted the Boston Celtics in Texas for a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals.

However, they were blown out by a score of 122-107.

Kyrie Irving finished the loss with 22 points, four rebounds, five assists and one block while shooting 11/23 from the field and 0/3 from the three-point range in 42 minutes of playing time.

After the game, he spoke about his former team when he met with the media.

Irving: "Outside of JT and JB, when those other guys get it going like D-White when he's hitting some tough threes and it's hitting nothing but the bottom of the net, and Jrue Holiday's hitting some tough ones. That's what makes them special; that's what makes them great. Everybody kind of criticized them based on what their season is this year, but if you look at their first 42 games. Pretty similar to last year... I've been studying them a lot. This is a well-coached basketball team, and so are we."