What is Kyrie Irving’s record in NBA Finals? How many rings?
The Dallas Mavericks are through to the NBA Finals, where they will take on an imperious Boston Celtics in the seven-game series.
Kyrie Irving has been a key player for the Dallas Mavericks this season and he starred again in Thursday’s Game 5 victory. The 32-year-old put in a dominant performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves and put up 36 points for his team as they booked their place in the NBA Finals.
The Mavs will meet the Boston Celtics in the Finals, who Irving left in controversial circumstances in 2019. Before his two-year stint in Boston Kyrie Irving spent six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that selected him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
He made the NBA Finals three times with the Cavaliers, winning the championship in 2016. Speaking after the Mavs’ 4-1 series victory over the Timberwolves, Irving said that he is relishing the chance to compete in the NBA Finals for the fourth time in his career.
“It has been seven long years, but it’s also felt like the right amount of time in order to reward myself to be in the locker room with my teammates and enjoying it,” Irving said. “We are going to enjoy this, but we obviously know this is a pit stop in the journey and we got to get ready for that court turning gold, as I like to say.”
Why did Kyrie Irving leave the Boston Celtics?
The NBA Finals not only offers Irving the chance for a second NBA championship, but also provides an opportunity to beat the team that he left in contentious circumstances.
Irving had reportedly told the Celtics that he would sign an extension at the end of his initial two-year deal in Boston. However after a poor team showing in the 2018/19 post-season, in which the Celtics were eliminated in the second round, Irving reneged on that pledge and entered free agency.
He moved on to the New York Nets where he would make an immediate impact, becoming the first NBA player to score 50 points in his team debut. The following season he put up 37 points and eight assists in a 123-95 win against his former team and subsequently appeared to stamp on the Celtics’ centre court logo.
Irving’s impressive 2023/24 performances have been credited, in some quarters, to a greater maturity. His partnership with Luka Doncic is one of the most creative backcourt set-ups we’ve ever seen in the NBA and the 32-year- is focused on adding a second ring in the Finals. “Boston is between our goal,” he told reporters in Thursday’s post-match. “That’s it.”