Jayson Tatum gets candid about Kyrie Irving’s disappointing Celtics run ahead of 2024 NBA Finals :- From the moment the matchup for the 2024 NBA Finals was decided, Kyrie Irving’s turbulent stint in Boston became a topic of conversation almost immediately. The top player for the Mavericks is only five years removed from his two-year stint with the Celtics, despite the fact that it seems like a lot of time has passed since then.
Jayson Tatum gets candid about Kyrie Irving’s disappointing Celtics run ahead of 2024 NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics assembled what appeared to be one of the strongest lineups in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on paper, with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Gordon Hayward all playing off of one other. However, the success never materialised on the court. Injuries sustained by Irving and Hayward undoubtedly played a part, but even when the squad was in good condition, they were never able to find their rhythm.
The only season in which all five players were relatively available was the 2018–19 season, and the consequence was a dismal exit from the playoffs in the second round, which was won by the Bucks in five games.
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After it became apparent that Irving and Boston would not be a good match for each other, the All-Star guard decided to go on and sign with the Nets in the 2019 free agency period. On account of the fact that Irving had verbally committed to re-signing with the Celtics prior to the beginning of the season, that choice was met with hostility by Celtics fans.
The fans of the Celtics are still unable to let go of their feelings, and their resentment will be heard in the form of booing throughout games played at TD Garden. In his first media availability for the NBA Finals, Boston star Tatum addressed the situation head-on, speaking candidly about how he remembered Irving’s time with the Celtics.
Tatum’s comments helped clear up the situation. When asked about Kyrie Irving’s lacklustre performance for the Celtics, Jayson Tatum is frank. During the time that Tatum and Irving were teammates, Tatum was considered a rookie and was in his second year of playing in the NBA.
Tatum was adamant that the problems were not limited to Irving alone, and he stated that the dynamic that was generated by the combination of young, up-and-coming talent and experienced veterans in Boston was unclear.
“It’s just that playing on such a talented team has taught me that it’s not only talent that’s going to carry you to the next level. In order for the team to have a chance, it is necessary to have members who are willing to make sacrifices and who are also willing to perform the other tasks. According to what he said to the reporters, “It wasn’t a Kyrie thing; it was all of us.”
“Everyone was a contributor to the reasons why that season (2018-19) was not a success. It was a lesson for all of us. Together, we moved on. While some of us remained here, others of us departed, and these guys have gone on to accomplish a lot since that season.
“I just look at that as a learning experience from my second year.” Tatum continued to respond to queries regarding Irving’s time spent in Boston, stating that he remembers those times with a greater degree of fondness than other people might believe.
I think that for me, being a first- and second-year player, being around a superstar every day and seeing how to negotiate that environment, and then obviously, on the court, he is one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen, there were some ups and downs. “Obviously, there were some ups and downs,” I said. “It seems like a very long time ago but I have a lot of great memories from having Kai as a teammate.”
