It’s been said many times that tonight’s matchup is unlike what many expected in a late-season matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. But that also goes for sentiments between the two stars on each side, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Irving’s shocking public comment about calling LeBron James and apologizing for how he acted during their time together appears to have wiped away all of the animosity between the two. And when asked about LeBron’s season to this point, something that likely brings great joy to Celtics fans after LeBron handed them playoff defeats for nearly a decade, Irving distanced himself from the norms of the franchise he plays for.
From Joe Vardon of The Athletic, who sat down with Irving.
“I feel for him. I really do. I feel for him,” Irving said. “I’m very empathetic towards it because how much he wanted to play during that time when he messed up his groin.”
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Irving said criticisms of LeBron in L.A. are “a little unfair because of how much time he missed.”
As most of you know, the Lakers were in playoff position when James went down on Christmas Day. The first 2.5 quarters where they dominated Golden State represented the peak of the season and the beginning of the end. Irving, knowing the pain of losing a season to injury himself, can certainly identify.
Also, as far as Irving’s impending free agency, it doesn’t appear that the Lakers are going to be an option for him. All signs are currently pointing to a potential partnership with Kevin Durant on the New York Knicks, if Irving does choose to leave Boston.
