Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla on Mavs’ Kyrie Irving: ‘We’re All Villains in Someone’s Eyes’

The Boston Celtics will welcome their former star Kyrie Irving back to TD Garden after the Dallas Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals.

It’s no secret Boston fans and Irving don’t have the best relationship, and some would label him as the villain in this series, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla argued that everyone can be seen as a villain.

“Aren’t we all in someone’s eyes? We’re all villains in someone’s eyes,” Mazzulla said on Friday.

The second-year coach also complimented Irving’s game, recognizing the challenge he brings as the Mavericks face the Celtics.

“He’s a great player. He’s done a lot of good things,” Mazzulla said. “I think just how he’s carried himself, how he’s played this postseason has been one of the fun things to watch. He’s a great player and has done a lot of good things over the course of his career and he’s playing really well. You have to respect that and you can’t take that for granted. You have to be ready to guard him at a high level.”

Irving spent two seasons with the Celtics before departing for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. His exit left a bad taste in fans’ mouths, mostly because of his promise that he would re-sign with Boston after the 2018-19 season.

Irving’s messy exit has made way for tensions between him and fans over the past few seasons. Boos raining down from the crowd and Irving echoing his disdain are commonplace every time he’s in the building.

But as the NBA Finals begin next week, both sides will look to focus on what goes on on the court as the Mavs and Celtics battle it out in what is sure to be a competitive series.

Dallas handled the Minnesota Timberwolves in just five games in the Western Conference finals while Boston swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. Now, one team will walk away with their first title in over a decade.

Irving is hitting stride at the right time and has been the perfect co-star for Luka Dončić this postseason. He averaged 27 points in the Western Conference finals and posted 36 points to close out the series on Thursday.

Whether Irving will embrace the villain mindset in the Finals is unclear, but he certainly would have no problem beating his former team to win his second championship.