Kyrie Irving on playing Celtics in the Finals: ‘It’ll be a chess match, I’m looking forward to it’

Kyrie Irving on playing Celtics in the Finals: ‘It’ll be a chess match, I’m looking forward to it’

3636 that’s pretty good hey PJ Wason I had a dozen they’re the second pair of teammates to each have 30-point games in the same uh series three different games they join a pretty nice Duo Elgen Baylor and Jerry West who did so twice in the 1960s Kyrie iring is thrown on a headset Kyrie it’s Scott F Pelt it’s a pleasure to welcome you back to the program after what I described over and over again as an absolutely virtuoso perform from you and from Luca let me just start in the first 12 minutes Luca comes out and man there was a look and a gear you tell me what you saw from that young man in those first 12 minutes I mean I was seeing the same thing you were seeing man 20 points in a matter of seven eight minutes uh I looked up at the uh you know scoreboard and and I saw he had 20 I was just as surprised as everyone here um you know but that’s that’s who Luca is um you know we shouldn’t be surprised should really applaud him for his hard work applaud him for his uh mentality coming out in this game and really setting the tone um that’s what you’re supposed to do as one of the leaders of the team and I mean that’s that’s something that we could follow along and uh know what to expect the rest of the game is going to be like so we picked up our aggression on the offensive end but defensively is where where we made our Mark tonight I want to get to that in a moment but I want to go back to before the game even starts it’s 3-1 our guy chucks in there I don’t know if he gave it a gar on T but he he said Minnesota’s going to win big and I mean that’s a talented team they’re at home but it was clear that there was a focus and a fuel that you guys were working with I just the source of that Kyrie could you explain or describe what that what that was before the game even began yeah I mean you know prior to losing uh last game we had won five games in a row and uh you know it kind of took the wind out of ourselves it surprised us when we lost um you know and I think that was a healthy feeling to to go back home home and uh unpack you know what I’m saying and uh we ended up coming back uh on that flight the next day getting on um you know each other a little bit being honest uh and doing the things that we know we were capable of doing we had to focus on the controllable things out there limit their three-point attempts and uh make it tough on them uh you know game four was a tough game at home it was a very high emotional uh game so we just wanted to settle in and stay focused I think we did that tonight when Luca was a guest with me early in the series he talked about much he’s grateful to play with you and he also his eyes got big when I told him Tim legler praised his defense that was not always the case KY we know this that was not always the case about your team but you just you just described how important the defense was how have you all matured in terms of understanding the importance of that end of the floor uh Team defense wins championships and uh when you’re doing it on that end uh you’re able to scrap a little bit more on the offensive end and uh manufactur or some offense um but that’s that’s where our identity has been uh post All-Star break uh we know that in order to be a special team we got to be up there with some of the top teams in the in the league defensively so uh that’s a challenge and that’s all about effort attitude Focus uh paying attention to the strategy and game plan and doing the little things for your team to win so uh you know I’m really proud of my guys this is a great step in the right direction um but the journey is far from over if I’m if I’m overstepping or overanalyzing by all means correct me but I described joy in in your game uh and seeing it it feels evident I don’t know that it’s necessarily felt that way in the last few years it seems that you have found it with this team this year is is that an an accurate read from afar just watching on a screen sitting here in our office yeah uh Joy is is definitely a good where you can use not overstepping your boundaries I mean I’ve lost uh some pretty close people to me in in the past few years so it hasn’t been easy to find joy in the game of basketball when you have some real life stuff going on um I’ve dealt with a lot of naysayers a lot of chaos around my name that is untrue and um I’ve had to answer that call and I’ve had to deal with the criticism as best I can as a man uh that’s leading my family and my tribe so uh it’s bigger than me this mission is bigger than just basketball uh but when you see me out here expressing myself at a high level I’m glad that you see that because I’m representing not only God and my ancestors but the people who uh support me all around the world in that locker room upper management uh people I barely know uh I feel their prayers I hear their prayers and and I’m grateful for it so uh yeah coming out here it just feels like being back on the playground again in New Jersey uh but this is the biggest stage there is Kyrie and this this this journey will lead you back to a place that was part of a journey in the past and it’s a lengthy layoff but you get an opportunity to go against a very talented Boston team I I I would let you enjoy this and not ask the question now but this is our one chance to chat before the finals so I just a first thought of what that represents an opportunity to play against uh against that team yeah man I’m at a place in my life where I I don’t even consider uh you know those those past moments I I was able to unpack them in a healthy way uh move forward as a person um you know I had a rough time there when I was uh in Boston uh again just dealing with uh death in my family and dealing with a lot of offc court stuff that I I wasn’t ready to handle so uh now that I’m in a great place uh to be able to vocalize how I’m feeling I’m ready to go back into Boston have fun with my teammates I know we’re going to be locked in um and we’re going against a great Boston team that has earned their way to the NBA finals so I just see them as a formidable opponent and honest opponent and um we’re going to see uh the best team that wins no doubt and and you’re gracious with your time I just luuka was so so adamant about what you mean to them and you’ve seen it Kyrie you’ve lived it you’ve been at the top of the basketball Mountain that’s my hermano right there man and well what what’s the uh the the what’s the message to this group cuz they’re going to follow your lead luk LCA and you together are the super super power Duo but they’re going to lean into you what’s the message to the group uh just stay focused stay poised and uh you know remember why we play the game of basketball and who we do it for um and don’t stress the environment it’s another basketball court that we get a chance to uh paint on our canvas and uh enjoy it it’s the finals uh but it’s still basketball at the end of the day it’s going to be some high Lev players going at each other um grateful to be able to against um you know a great coach um great players in Boston it’s going to be a chess match and I’m looking forward to it and you know just tell my guys to enjoy the moment I appreciate the uh the perspective the time uh it’s a joy to watch The Joy on the floor and continue blessings on the journey wherever they take you Kyrie I I appreciate you thanks SVP appreciate you man keep doing your thing bro big Fair I’ll do my best appreciate you Kyrie Kyrie Irving [Music] [Applause] [Music] I’m is

Scott Van Pelt interviews Kyrie Irving on SportsCenter and gets his initial reaction to making it back to the NBA Finals and picks his brain on playing his former team, the Boston Celtics, in the 2024 NBA Finals.

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