Celtics villain has found his peace playing for Mavericks

Kyrie Irving has been with the Dallas Mavericks for 15 months, and being in Texas is something the guard and his family have very much enjoyed.

“I feel like it’s a great chapter that’s being written right now,” Irving told reporters after the Mavs’ Game 3 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I’m enjoying every step of the way, I’m not taking anything for granted. I’m enjoying the hot weather right now, I’m enjoying the Dallas community, and the fans here. You know we talked about this earlier in the season, just how much I felt embraced, but I think it’s gone a little deeper than that. It’s really helped me grow as a human being and find my peace out here.

“It’s good to breathe fresh air, get outside. Seasonal depression is real when you’re growing up up north,” he continued. “I spent 12 years in the Eastern Conference in three cold cities that deal with four seasons. So you come out here and you’re able to get outside and ground yourself a little bit more and spend some time with your family, watch your kids run outside.”

Irving spent his first six NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also made stops in Boston with the Celtics and in Brooklyn with the Nets. He was traded to Dallas in February 2023.

With a 3-0 lead over Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals, Irving and the rest of the Mavericks have a chance to close things out Tuesday night in Game 4. Should the Mavs punch their ticket to the NBA Finals, they’ll take on the Celtics, who closed out their Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night with a sweep of the Indiana Pacers.