Mavericks' Kyrie Irving reflects on personal growth as he gets ready for raucous NBA Finals vs former team

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Kyrie Irving returning to Boston as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in hopes of knocking off his former team in hopes of an NBA championship is one of the top storylines of the NBA Finals.

Irving was traded to the Celtics after the 2016-17 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He spent two seasons with Boston before unceremoniously hitting free agency and signing with the Brooklyn Nets. 

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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving answers questions during a news conference after the team's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals on Thursday, May 30, 2024 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

His returns to Boston have not always gone well, as fans remember Irving pledging his loyalty to the team months before leaving and failing to accomplish what he had set out to do there – win a title.

On Monday, Irving lamented the last time he was in the TD Garden – especially when he gave middle fingers to the crowd.

"I think I’m better at consolidating kind of the emotions now or being aware of what it’s going to be like," he said, via ESPN. "We call it animosity, we call it hate, we call it, ‘It’s going to be hell in Boston.’ I mean, there are real, live circumstances going on in the world that are bigger than the basketball, kind of the competitive side of things and answering those questions.

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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, right, celebrates with teammates after their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals on