"We're all villains in someone's eyes": Celtics HC speaks on Kyrie Irving's perception ahead of potentially hostile TD Garden return

Kyrie Irving is set to face his former team as his Dallas Mavericks prepare to take on the Boston Celtics, where he played for two seasons, in the 2024 NBA Finals. While Irving's tenure in Boston ended on a sour note, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla downplayed the notion of Irving being seen as a villain upon his return to TD Garden.

When asked by reporters after Boston’s practice on Friday whether Irving, who had a polarizing journey post-Cleveland before finding stability in Dallas, would be considered a villain from the Celtics' perspective, Mazzulla responded philosophically:

"Aren't we all? We're all villains in someone's eyes."

Kyrie Irving was traded to the Celtics in August 2017 in a deal involving Boston fan-favorite Isaiah Thomas. Before the 2018-19 season, Irving told a TD Garden crowd he intended to stay in Boston:

"If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here."

However, during that season’s All-Star Game, he was seen conversing with Kevin Durant about potentially teaming up.

Leading up to their playoff exit to the Milwaukee Bucks, Irving’s commitment wavered, leading to his signing with the Brooklyn Nets alongside Durant.

Since then, Irving and Boston fans have exchanged jabs, including expletive-laden chants directed at Irving, his comments likening Boston fans to a "scorned" girlfriend and his stomping on the Celtics' logo, among other incidents.

Kyrie Irving says he had a ‘rough time’ in Boston

After winning Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kyrie Irving appeared on Scott Van Pelt’s ESPN show to discuss his time in Boston.

Irving mentioned that his stint in Boston was challenging due to off-court issues but said he has already moved on.

"I'm in a place in my life where I don't even consider those past moments," Irving said. "I was able to unpack them in a healthy way and move forward as a person.”

“I had a rough time there when I was in Boston, just dealing with death in my family and dealing with a lot of off-court stuff that I wasn't ready to handle. So now I'm in a great place to be able to vocalize how I'm feeling. I'm ready to go back to Boston and have fun with my teammates."

Kyrie Irving also expressed his anticipation for facing a Boston team that earned its place in the NBA Finals.

"I know we're going to be locked in, and we're going against a great Boston team that has earned their way to the NBA Finals," Irving said. "So I just see them as a formidable opponent, an honest opponent and we're going to see the best team that wins.

The NBA Finals will kick off on June 6.