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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Karl Rasmussen

Kyrie Irving Says He's Grown Since Last Playoff Matchup Against Celtics

The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics will be squaring off in the 2024 NBA Finals, meaning star guard Kyrie Irving will be up against one of his former teams with a championship on the line.

Irving spent two seasons with the Celtics from 2017-19, and his exit from the franchise was anything but ceremonious. After joining the rival Brooklyn Nets in '19, the relationship soured further over the next few seasons, including one infamous moment in which Irving could be seen "flipping the bird" at a fan in the TD Garden crowd after a Game 1 loss back in the 2022 playoffs.

Irving was fined $50,000 for that incident, and he admitted to ESPN's Tim MacMahon that he doesn't feel his actions then were strong reflection of who he is now.

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