Kyrie Irving's Honest Quote About Boston Celtics Fans Before NBA Finals Game 2

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving met with the media on Saturday.

Jun 5, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the NBA Finals Media Day at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday evening, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks will play the Boston Celtics (in Massachusetts) for Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

The Mavs are coming off a tough loss in Game 1 (also in Boston) where they lost by a score of 107-89.

Irving struggled and finished his night with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 6/19 from the field and 0/5 from the three-point range in 36 minutes of playing time.

One of the biggest storylines of the series is Irving playing his former team.

On Saturday, he was asked about Celtics fans he met with the media.

Irving: "Thinking about my time in Boston, I could go down a myriad of things that none of you in here know that I was dealing with. I don't think a lot of people would care. I think a few people would care and want to hear about it and I would leave that space open in the future if you ever wanted to hear about it. Putting into perspective the blow up dolls, all the remarks that are getting said, that's basketball. When I leave out of here and I walk around Boston, I don't hear a lot of the things that I hear when I'm playing on the court. There's a lot of mutual respect. There's a lot of eye-to-eye communication that's built on just being human, and they appreciate the things I do off the floor as well. There are a lot of Celtics fans out there that still love me too, surprising to everybody. When I'm on the street walking around, which I do, it's a lot of love."

Irving spent part of two seasons with the Celtics from 2017-19.