The Knicks can’t start officially talking to Kyrie Irving until 12:01 a.m. on July 1.
Their fans began the recruitment Friday night.
On the same day Irving backed off his preseason declaration that he planned to re-sign with the Celtics, the point guard was showered with a loud ovation and chants of “We Want Kyrie” at the Garden while leading Boston to a 113-99 win over the Knicks.
“It’s nothing but a distraction at this point,” Irving said after posting 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. “I’m appreciative of the fan support I get in any arena, but of course coming back home, obviously what’s going on in terms of that noise and commentary, it’s just a bunch of nonsense right now.”
Irving had partly set himself up for the red-carpet homecoming earlier in the day when he was asked if he had shifted his mindset since telling thousands of fans in Boston nearly four months ago that he planned on re-signing there.
“Ask me July 1,” Irving said at the Celtics’ shootaround.
Of course, Irving was saying this in the arena New Yorkers have long hoped will be his future home. Those feelings only intensified Thursday, when the Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade of Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas, opening up room for them to sign two max-contract free agents this summer.
So, about that commitment to Boston?
“I spent the last eight years trying to do what everybody else wanted me to do in terms of making my decisions and trying to validate through the media, through other personnel, managers, anybody in this business,” Irving said. “And I don’t owe anybody s–t.”
The NBA schedule-makers hit the jackpot on this one, with Irving making his return from a hip injury Friday in the arena that suddenly had gained a glimmer of hope to end up hosting him full-time next year. He received the biggest ovation in pregame introductions, the crowd buzzed any time he touched the ball early on and the chants came early in the third quarter, loud enough to register with Irving.
“Everybody heard it,” said Irving, who added he “figured” something like that might happen considering the commentary surrounding him.
Irving also had a special moment with his dad after the game, calling him out of the stands and sharing a long hug before giving him his jersey.
“I’m home, so it was a big moment for me and my dad,” said Irving, who went home to New Jersey on Thursday.
With the win over the Knicks (10-41), the Celtics improved to 33-19 and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They are beginning to find their groove, winning eight of nine and distancing themselves from early-season struggles, during which Irving didn’t hide his frustration.
While he could have quashed some of the speculation about his future Friday morning, Irving seemed annoyed his name had been tied to trade rumors at all and blamed the media for the distraction. The noise has only increased since Anthony Davis requested a trade from the Pelicans on Monday, which kicked off a week of hysteria in the NBA ahead of the Feb. 7 deadline.
“I still have confidence in Boston and what they can promise for the future and what we have in terms of pieces,” Irving said. “Set a goal and go after it and then see what happens at the end of the season. That was the plan before and that’s still the plan now. Obviously Boston’s still at the head of that race.”
But calling it a “race” means the recruiting of Irving is unlikely to die down anytime soon.
“Obviously you would hope it would quiet down, but it doesn’t help when across the league, it’s just outside noise again and my name gets thrown into it,” Irving said. “I have a focus on winning a championship this year and that’s where my focus is going to stay.”