The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves by a final score of 124-103 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. With the victory, Dallas is now headed to the NBA Finals to battle the Boston Celtics. Kyrie Irving, who played for the Celtics in 2017-18 and 2018-19, will face his former team.

Irving's time with the Celtics did not go according to plan. He ultimately joined the Brooklyn Nets after just two years in Boston, ending a brief and far from ideal partnership for Irving or the Celtics. The fit just did not work.

Fast-forward to 2023-24, and now Kyrie Irving has a home where he enjoys playing basketball. Additionally, Irving and Luka Doncic have emerged as one of the best duos in the entire NBA. This time around, the fit works.

Irving probably will not receive a warm reception when the Mavs play in Boston. On TNT, Kyrie was asked about playing his old team in the NBA Finals after Dallas' Game 5 victory on Thursday.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Irving responded when asked if he's looking forward to playing against the Celtics in Boston. “I mean, Boston is in the way between our goal.”

Kyrie Irving vs. the Celtics

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) celebrates after winning the Western Confrerence Championship against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center.
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Basketball is a team game. The NBA Finals is going to be between the Mavericks and Celtics, as that goes without saying. However, one of the primary storylines will be the “Kyrie vs. the Celtics” narrative.

Kyrie's first game back in Boston (with fans in attendance) was in 2021 while he played for the Brooklyn Nets. He received no shortage of boos in the contest.

Now that Irving will play against the Celtics in the NBA Finals, one can only imagine that the TD Garden will be loud as ever. Fortunately, Irving plays well under pressure. Irving tends to rise to the occasion when he's given a challenge.

Another intriguing storyline will be Kristaps Porzingis vs. the Mavericks. Porzingis has been dealing with an injury in the NBA playoffs, but if he returns and plays in the NBA Finals Mavericks fans will certainly take notice.

Porzingis' departure from Dallas was not quite as messy as Irving and the Celtics fallout. Still, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis were expected to be the next great duo in Dallas. They had some memorable moments together, but Porzingis dealt with injuries and the team never lived up to their lofty expectations.

Things have worked out for all parties involved, as now Luka, Kyrie, Porzingis, the Mavericks, and the Celtics are all set to compete for a championship.