Kyrie Irving is now showing off his maestro ball handling skills and ability to score the ball in numerous ways in Celtic green and white instead of Cavalier wine and gold (can we just call it yellow?).
There could be a litany of reasons why Irving requested a trade this off-season, including projecting LeBron’s impending exit, wanting to be the leader of his own team or just being a mid-20s guy wanting a different living experience in a new city.
Apparently that last reason may hold some more weight than you would think.
Here is Irving talking to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:
“It’s exciting to be back on the East Coast,” said Irving, who grew up in New Jersey. “It’s fast-paced. A lot of different cultures, food and people. You get it all, especially in Boston.
“You would go to Cleveland, and it would be at nighttime, and things would be going on, but you just see a vast difference.”
A difference, too, Irving said between Boston and Cleveland as sports cities: “Boston, I’m driving in and (thinking), ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?’ ”
While I don’t necessarily think it was intended as even a subtle dig by Irving (wouldn’t be surprised though, NBA players are petty see: Russell Westbrook), it will be taken that way by Cleveland fans and probably even Cavaliers players and that is understandable. It will also be seen as a point of pride for Boston sports fans as they believe themselves to be the best and most passionate in all of sports (they’re no SEC football fans).
While this comment is not a big deal, it was probably something Irving should have thought to keep to himself to not offend all of the Cleveland fans that supported him the past six years and it adds even more fuel to the fire of what may be the NBA’s best rivalry this season.
