Don’t believe Kyrie Irving for a moment when he says today’s match at the Q will be just like any other in the six years he called it home. “It’s just hoops,” he said when asked about the Celtics’ opener against the Cavaliers and how he expected to be received by spectators who hitherto cheered for him since he was drafted first overall in 2011. Considering the circumstances that had him shunning wine and gold for green and white, he will undoubtedly be spurred to make a good showing. He will be pumped, and not just because all and sundry figure to view the first set-to of the National Basketball Association’s 2017-2018 season with keen interest.
Needless to say, Irving’s new teammates will be pumped as well. “It’s a huge game for Kyrie, and I think one we’re all looking to play our best for him. Not only for the team, but for him, disclosed fellow franchise newbie Gordon Hayward. The objective is clear: It’s to help him prove that he made the right decision in leaving the Cavaliers for the Celtics, as he had been only too glad to point out from the moment his departure was formalized in late August. Heck, he even got around to praising Boston’s culture at the expense of Cleveland’s. As he told The Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell, “I’m driving in and [asking], ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?’”
If the Cavaliers are ticked off, they aren’t showing it. In fact, they plan on officially showering the four-time All-Star with praise; they’re preparing a video tribute for the point guard who helped net them their first-ever title last year. And based on statements from such notables as Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, and even LeBron James, the overall tone is more conciliatory than defiant, more “best wishes” than “good riddance.”
Don’t tell that to Cavaliers fans, though. Reactions have been mixed, in large measure because Irving was crucial to Cleveland’s championship curse being lifted after 52 years, but then couldn’t wait to pack his bags just a season later. Pressed to gauge how the Q faithful would welcome their erstwhile hero, head coach Tyronn Lue refrained from guessing. “We’ve got the best fans in the world, and they’re going to do whatever they see best.” Given the complicated past, a hearty applause before the opening tip and then continued jeers with the ball in play may well be in the offing.
In any case, Irving will want to give the Cavaliers a healthy dose of the talent that made him indispensable for them. The game will obviously not make or break his 2017-2018 campaign, but there can be no underestimating the value of a good start.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
