"Hey Kairi, I thought we could talk!"
The night the Boston Celtics lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving never left the North Shore Garden Arena.
After the game, he didn't even go to the locker room, but stayed here for extra practice until late at night.
Only the light above his head was still on in the arena, where Irving was holding the ball while dribbling and shooting.
When the time on the electronic screen reached 12 o'clock, a voice finally broke the silence here.
Irving, who was sweating profusely, stopped and looked back. The person coming was none other than Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.
After seeing the visitor, Irving said nothing and just stood there and continued to dribble the basketball.
"Kyrie, I'm sorry for my previous decision in the game..."
Stevens took the initiative to express his position as soon as he came up, which made Irving look at him with a little more patience.
"It's not that I don't want to support you! You know, the Celtics have always focused on team basketball. Even if a player like Kevin Garnett comes, he must do his part. I’m afraid it’s difficult for anyone to change this point…”
Owen finally turned around after hearing Stevens' words.
"Coach Brad, what exactly do you want to express?"
"Are you coming to me just to apologize? Or are you trying to comfort me?"
Owen asked rhetorically.
"If you're not going to reuse me, then I don't think our conversation is of much use!"
After finishing speaking, Irving paused, "I respect Kevin Garnett very much, but he is him and I am me. The Celtics team now is not the Celtics team back then. If you don't If you need me, I can leave after the season, but if you still need me, you must give me enough ball rights and respect!"
Irving's words silenced head coach Stevens.
By the time he thought about it for a moment before speaking, Owen had no intention of listening to him anymore.
Snapped.
Irving threw the basketball, turned around and walked outside the arena. Stevens originally planned to give up, but thinking that the team was now beaten 2-0, he gritted his teeth and caught up with Irving.
"Kelly, wait!"
"I promise you, I will give you enough power to take action in the next game, and I will also give you enough support!"
Hearing this, Owen finally stopped.
"Very good. Coach Brad, I hope you can fulfill your promise by then!"
Two days later, at the Quicken Loans Center in Cleveland, Game 3 of the series between the two sides came again. Before the game officially started, many Cleveland fans stood at the entrance of the arena waiting for the Celtics team bus to appear. As the game approached, the Celtics team finally got off the bus.
Of course, what Cavaliers fans are waiting for is not the Celtics, but Irving going home to play.
No matter what, Irving has brought too many surprises to this city. Even though he has done many reckless things, he has always been the No. 2 player in the hearts of Cavaliers fans.
"Kairi!"
"Kairi!"
"Welcome back!"
The welcome from Cavaliers fans was overwhelming, and Irving was touched at one point.
He waved to the fans and followed the team inside the arena. On the road, fans handed over his posters for autographs, and Irving did not refuse. He stopped to sign his name to the player and even took a photo with him.
"Damn it! If I hadn't left, maybe this season wouldn't be like this..."
Owen sighed in his heart.
Of course he knows what the Cavaliers are like today. Although it is not as strong as the previous two seasons, with the help of Zhao Feiyang, the team will definitely be even more powerful for the Cavaliers. If he had not chosen to leave, the Cavaliers would definitely have the strongest competitiveness in the Eastern Conference, bar none.
Unfortunately, nothing can go back!
Beep.
In the Quicken Loans Center Arena, ten minutes before the game started, players from both teams entered the infield. Irving received applause from many fans the moment he appeared on the court, and even the Cavaliers played a video highlight about him before the game to thank him.
The video shows some of Irving's wonderful moments with the Cavaliers, especially his key performance in the playoffs. This scene not only made the fans excited as if they were back in that time, but also made Irving feel nostalgic.
call out.
The referee's harsh whistle sounded, and the warm scene was finally broken.
The game between the two sides begins.
The Celtics' lineup has indeed made adjustments this time. Irving was placed in the starting No. 1 position, Jaylen Brown was replaced, and substitute Marcus Smart took his starting position.
Jayson Tatum was also replaced and replaced by substitute striker Abdullah Nadir.
Such a lineup not only shocked the Celtics themselves, but also shocked the Cavaliers fans on the sidelines. Many people are surprised by the Celtics' arrangement.
"Oh! What are they planning to do?"
"Do these guys look down on our starting lineup so much? They even replaced Brown and Tatum?"
"No, it seems that Coach Stevens is compromising! He is going to build a starting lineup with Kyrie as the core... If Brown and Tatum are here, they will definitely not listen to Kyrie. The command...so to support Kaili, you must replace them..."
This arrangement also caused a stir among the Celtics lineup.
Especially Brown and Tatum, they are very dissatisfied with this arrangement. Fortunately, Stevens communicated with them in advance, so even if they were dissatisfied, they would just sit on the bench and sulk, without further amplifying the conflict.
On the Cavaliers side, many players were surprised by the Celtics' lineup adjustment. Only core players like LeBron and Zhao Feiyang are not surprised.
According to the previous arrangement, head coach Tyronn Lue still put Zhao Feiyang into the second team, which can give LeBron more ball rights and give Zhao Feiyang more singles opportunities.
Both sides boarded the court to jump the ball.
Snapped.
The referee threw the ball high, and the Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson took the lead and slapped the ball away. The basketball fell out and J.R. Smith got the ball. This time he did not rush to attack, but gave the ball to LeBron.
After halftime, LeBron played singles at a 45-degree angle on the right side.
He met the Celtics' substitute striker Nadir and shook the opponent away. After easily passing the opponent, LeBron dribbled the ball into the basket. Before the Celtics players could take over in time, LeBron jumped high and dunked the ball into the basket.
boom.
The ball went in.
