BROOKLYN, NY — Several Celtics embraced Kyrie Irving after they lost to his Nets in Brooklyn on Friday. Across the locker room they expressed exhaustion from all the talk about him, and are ready to move on to this season. Irving didn’t play, but the game revealed some rotation adjustments potentially coming through Stevens into December.
Brad Stevens: “They really punched us in the mouth. They scored 22 points in the first six minutes. Any day that you let a team get going like that, it’s going to be a long day.”
The Celtics lost the first quarter 31-24 and couldn’t recover from a slow start in an early wakeup. Stevens opted for Enes Kanter and Robert Williams over Daniel Theis for most of the game, a coach’s decision as Kanter gets healthier and Boston features a rotating cast of centers based on matchups.
Marcus Smart: “I’m tired of hearing about Kyrie.”
Smart embraced and defended Kyrie Irving as his brother when the Nets defeated the Celtics on Friday. Kemba Walker and Irving shared a similar moment after the game, stymieing the perceived heat present between the two sides after Irving defeated Boston.
Jayson Tatum on his conversations with Irving
Kemba Walker: “Time to move past (Kyrie).”