The Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics have emerged victorious from their respective conferences and will battle it out on the biggest stage – The NBA Finals. As the NBA community waits in bated breath, Stephen A. Smith recently decided to come out and say some very bold things about this upcoming clash of the Titans.
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On the latest episode of ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith couldn’t contain his exhilaration while giving a preview of the upcoming finals. He said,
“I don’t know how much I have looked forward to an NBA Finals as much as I’m looking forward to this one in the last decade… I’m thinking about Kyrie and Luka and I’m thinking about how they bust Minnesota’s living you know what. I’m thinking about Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum – two brothers who just finished averaging 30 (points) in a conference finals – had the best record in basketball all season,” Smith said.
SAS also dove deep into the Boston Celtics and how their All-Star pairing of Tatum and Brown still had so much to prove.
“I’m thinking about a First Team All-NBA in Jayson Tatum, who’s got a lot to prove because there’s one thing that we’re looking for from him and that’s his ability to close being in his 5th conference finals and his 2nd NBA Finals appearance. We got a guy in Jaylen Brown, who’s a $300 million man… He didn’t get an All-NBA Team vote, I voted for him, he didn’t get selected rather,” Smith stated.
.@stephenasmith says this might be the most exciting NBA Finals matchup he’s ever witnessed
“These finals, ladies and gentlemen, brace yourself! … This is gonna be special.” pic.twitter.com/UQv9FH2eh2
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 31, 2024
Smith isn’t wrong in terming this series as one of the most special ever. Even though the Boston Celtics might be given more respect by the bookmakers, having defeated the stacked Los Angeles Clippers, the #1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, and the unpredictable Minnesota Timberwolves, Jason Kidd’s boys are certainly capable of orchestrating yet another upset.
As if this wasn’t enough, Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis playing against their respective former teams will only make things that much more interesting.
Kyrie Irving prepares to return to Boston
Kyrie Irving infamously departed Boston with some serious bad blood with the fans. That said, many expected him to downplay this contest, and call it similar to any other. But, it appears that the now-Mavs star was in no mood for it.
Known for taking on a challenge, Irving isn’t shying away from going up against the Cs. After winning the Western Conference Finals, the shifty guard said:
[Per ClutchPoints] “I mean, Boston is in the way between our goal.”
Due to a forgettable stint with the Cs, Irving has been subjected to boos every time he makes his way to the TD Garden. Undoubtedly, the same can be expected in the potential four games that are to be played in Boston.
Boston fans have made Kai some sort of a villain. But, the 2016 champ was dealing with a tough phase in his life during his two years with the franchise.
“I had a rough time there when I was in Boston, again, just dealing with a death in my family and dealing with a lot of off-court stuff that I wasn’t ready to handle. So now that I’m in a great place to be able to vocalize how I’m feeling, I’m ready to go back into Boston and have fun with my teammates,” Irving said, Yahoo! Sports reports.
Irving rarely folds when facing pressure. While he’s been phenomenal when playing at the American Airlines Center – 24.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds, it’ll be interesting to see how the eight-time All-Star can perform against a hostile crowd on the road.
