My ears have never been the best. I often needed classroom instructions explained to me, and my alarm? Forget about it.
That said, my apartment is about 25 miles from TD Garden, and I’m still going to hear them.
Bear with me. I’m getting to the point.
At approximately 8:30 p.m. next Thursday, the moment Kyrie Irving is introduced in Dallas’ starting lineup ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the “boo” chants are going to reach noise levels that LeBron, Kobe, and Magic never even heard.
To the City of Boston, Irving is the enemy for the foreseeable future, but why?
It’s a long story. Heck, if you’re reading this section, you already know it.
Irving was traded to the Celtics in 2017. He wasted no time in Beantown, leading the C’s to a 55-win season and earning a starting spot in the All-Star Game.
“Uncle Drew,” as many know him from his 2018 film of the same name, averaged around 24 points and five assists. He shot nearly 50 percent from the field, and 41 from 3-point land.
Don’t act like you’ve always disliked him, either. Irving’s Celtics’ jersey was a top-five league seller in 2018, according to Interbasket.net.
But heading into the 2018-19 season, Irving made – what would soon become – his biggest mistake: “I plan on re-signing here.”
Irving said those words with no hesitation, but it was all downhill from there.
Was it the criticism of his leadership? Was it his performance on the court, especially in the semifinals against Milwaukee? Was he happy off the court?
Only Irving knows. It’s none of our business.
Next thing you know, he’s off to Brooklyn to play for the Nets.
To those who say Irving “lied” about re-signing with Boston, no. Just no.
He didn’t lie. He changed his mind. Ever heard of it?
Fast forward to playoff games between the Celtics and Irving’s Nets. He was booed like crazy, and one fan threw a water bottle at him.
I know. I know. It was a two-way street.
Irving flipped his middle finger to some fans and intentionally smushed the parquet floor’s half-court logo, Lucky, among other acts.
Not cool.
But, what are we supposed to do, torture this guy for the next 70 years?
Let’s pretend he’s not a beloved basketball star – just a regular guy.
He had a job, wasn’t happy, then left that job.
Again, ever heard of it?
Back to the present day. Irving is all Celtics’ fans are talking about, while, to my knowledge, he’s barely said anything at all.
Talk about real estate.
Throughout his 26-point, five-rebound, five-assist season with Dallas, it appears as if he’s completely rebranded himself, too.
He’s smiling, engaging with members of the media, and leading younger players as a 32-year-old veteran on the Mavericks.
Irving isn’t 26 anymore (his age when traded to Boston).
Look, I’m not trying to change anyone’s opinion. This is just mine.
But have you ever looked back on your life and thought, “Man, I could’ve done that part a little differently.”
That’s how I look at the Irving situation.
Is he perfect? No. That’s because, nobody is.
And Celtics’ fans weren’t perfect throughout this ongoing saga, either.
Here’s to some good basketball next week…
