Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving finally breaks his silence on being swept 4-0 by the Boston Celtics in the 2022 playoffs.
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There is no denying that Kyrie Irving is the controversy’s favorite child, a tag that was cemented post his recent outing in the 2021-22 season. The former champion’s refusal to take the COVID vaccine caused a storm, with him openly despising NYC’s mandate, which didn’t allow unvaccinated home-team players to practice or play in any of the city’s arenas.
However, this ruling didn’t extend to the visiting teams, exposing some loopholes. Meanwhile, Irving was adamant about not taking the vaccine, with the Nets front office not allowing the superstar to play on part-time status at first but would reverse their decision later.
Amid all the scrutiny, Irving returned after missing half of the season, available for road games. The Nets guard played a mere 29-games, with teammate Kevin Durant ensuring the team stayed in playoff contention until he suffered an MCL sprain.
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Nonetheless, the Brooklyn team managed to make the play-in, defeating the Cavaliers comfortably to face the Celtics in the first round. The Nets were exposed heavily against the Cs, getting swept 4-0 in the first round. Irving, who hadn’t spoken much at the time, broke his silence off-late.
“We needed that humbling experience”: Kyrie Irving addresses getting swept 4-0 by the Celtics.
Irving and Durant had to brace themselves for an avalanche of criticism and hate coming their way post their performance in the 2022 playoffs. Following a controversial season, the superstar duo had the opportunity to silence everyone, with Kai now being allowed to play home games too.
Shockingly, the worst was yet to come, with the Nets being swept 4-0 in the first round against a young Celtics team. The lack of team chemistry came to haunt Steve Nash and his crew. During the series, Irving averaged 21.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 5.3 APG, stats that were underwhelming for a player of Uncle Drew’s caliber.
Recently on Twitch, Irving was at his candid best while speaking on the embarrassing sweep the Nets suffered at the hands of the Celtics.
While the 30-year-old admitted to it being a humbling experience, he added how it would serve as motivation heading into the upcoming 2022-23 season.
While Irving’s statements might fuel the Nets fans, one cannot trust the seven-time All-Star, given his history of not living up to promises.
