Kyrie Irving's Brutally Honest Quote After Mavs-Celtics Game

Kyrie Irving (Dallas Mavericks) met with the media after Game 5.

May 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) looks down during the first quarter against the LA Clippers during game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday evening, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics by a score of 106-88 (in Game 5 of the NBA Finals).

Irving finished the loss with 15 points, three rebounds, nine assists and one steal while shooting 5/16 from the field and 3/9 from the three-point range in 41 minutes of playing time.

After the game, Irving met with the media and shared an honest reaction to his season ending.

Irving: "Failing at this stage definitely sucks. It's a bitter feeling. You want to keep playing, and you feel like your best game is coming up next, and the shots that you shoot next game are coming up. And now we gotta wait two and a half months, three and a half months till the new champion gets a chance."

Irving also added: "That's the difficult part of being human. When you really love something, you really want to win and it doesn't happen. How do you respond from that? I think that's where we are now."

Irving finished his second season in Dallas with averages of 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 49.7% from the field and 41.1% from the three-point range in 58 games.

In addition to the Mavs, he has also spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics over 13 seasons in the league.

This was his fourth time in the Finals, and he won the 2016 NBA Championship as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers when they beat Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.