For Jaylen Brown and Kyrie Irving, time heals all wounds.
It’s no secret that Irving didn’t mix well with the Celtics’ young players during his tenure at Boston. The C’s needed an experienced leader alongside rising stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but Irving was not up to the task.
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Ahead of the Celtics’ first-round playoff series against Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, Brown admitted that he and Irving hadn’t gotten along well during their time as teammates. In a 1-on-1 with Abby Chin, he opened up about how their relationship has evolved since Irving’s days in Boston.
“Off the court, Kyrie and I may have started out with a lot of bumps in the road,” Brown Chin said during NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics Playoff Preview Special. “But lately, Kyrie is someone I’ve bonded with. Someone I call a friend, a brother. Someone calling me to rack my brains at this point.
“It wasn’t like that when we played together. We bumped into each other often. But now in hindsight it’s funny. Kyrie, he talks to me, hits me all the time and our relationship has grown a lot since then.”
Brown isn’t the only C’s player to have come close to Irving since his departure. Tatum opened up about his own relationship with Irving, revealing that the star point guard regrets some of his actions during his turbulent two seasons with the Celtics.
Regarding the upcoming series, don’t expect friendly exchanges between Irving and his ex-C’s teammates until last Summer.
“In terms of basketball, it’s you against them. It’s about survival. There aren’t any friends on the court or anything,” Brown said. “You’re just looking to be there for your teammates, like he’s going to be there for his teammates, and you’re just playing basketball. But it’s definitely a competitive advantage, definitely a warrior mentality. It’s about us against everyone.”
Celtics vs. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30pm at TD Garden. Coverage begins with Celtics Pregame Live at 2:30 p.m. right here on NBC Sports Boston.
You can watch the full 1-on-1 with Jaylen Brown and Abby Chin in the video below: