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BOSTON – Kyrie Irving is different. He has just run on the grounds of the center of Auerbach after an informal pickup session with his Boston Celtics teammates and his much sharper upper body is covered with sweat.
He wears a headband to keep a hairier head and he smiles. A lot.
There is a simple reason for this: it does not hurt anymore.
Last season, Irving fled because of persistent pain and irritation caused by surgery in 2015 to repair a broken patella. He was forced to close in March, underwent two more surgeries, and then spent much of his off-season methodically polishing that left knee, to the point where he believes he has been the strongest and healthiest in three years.
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Celtics striker Gordon Hayward, 11 months after suffering an ankle injury, said he was in top form on Thursday and was playing 5-on-5 games with his team-mates before camp. training.
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"I'm moving completely differently," Irving told ESPN on Friday, just days before the official start of the training camp. "I worked on my strengths and became aware of what my body needs on a daily basis.I spent all summer trying to catch my left leg by the leg. left, and it's there. "
Irving said he was ready to compete without restrictions. His knee, he said, was tested during the off-season in Seattle with Jamal Crawford and Zach LaVine, a trip to the Bahamas with Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant and, in recent weeks, with his teammates.
"Our pickup matches are at the next level," said Irving. "I mean, at the next level, you can not believe what we're doing there, we can not wait to get started."
When the Celtics acquired Irving in August 2017, he and his agent, Jeff Wechsler, informed Boston that a tension wire stemming from the 2015 operation was a source of pain for the leader and that he was in trouble. it may need to be remedied.
"We told them everything," Irving confirmed. "It was not a surprise."
He hoped to be able to pass the season, but eventually succumbed to a minor surgery to remove the tension wire in March, and then needed a second, more serious procedure in April when pathological tests revealed a bacterial infection. The surgeons removed two screws from his left patellar tendon to eliminate the infection. This procedure left him hooked up to an intravenous line for the next six weeks.
Irving said all those questions behind him. He avoided most extracurricular activities in the off-season to focus solely on his rehabilitation and paid dividends. He claimed to have confidence in his lower body that simply did not exist during his abbreviated 2017-2018 season.
"Now, when I go to the edge," explained Irving, "I am able to maintain my strength and my athleticism, so when I am there, I have all sorts of options – no limit. I can choose my places better. "
Expectations skyrocket for a Boston team that thrived at the end of last season, but missed Irving's offensive talent early in the playoffs. When asked if it would be disappointing that the Celtics did not attend the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019, Irving responded firmly: "Yes."
Pressed he would be disappointed if they did not win a championship, Irving replied, "Can we beat Golden State in a seven game series? Yes."
What makes it so safe?
"Because of who we have," replied Irving, "and what we are establishing here, not just for this season, but for the next few years, hopefully, something really special.
"I played against Golden State in three consecutive finals (2015-17) – two to which I was able to participate – and see them evolve, with the talent that they have, and then adding the Cousins of DeMarcus [this offseason]This is like "OK, all the league is on alert."
"But there's one factor they're aware of, and I'm aware of it, and I've seen them up close, I've played them so many times, we've gone into a seven-game series. [when he was in Cleveland]so I know what it takes.
"Now, how can I communicate to our guys that this is the top team, and we have to grow tremendously in the next six months to beat them steadily? Not just a game, not only two, but seven series games, because they are so great, they are a power. "
Irving said he was aware that he had been linked to Jimmy Butler in persistent rumors about free agents about a mutual desire to play together in New York, but he said he had not had any such discussions with Butler. In fact, he said, the last time he spoke at length to Butler, was when they were playing with USA Basketball, and the two started a spitball session with Durant and cousins.
"And that," laughs Irving, "it was in 2016."
"Who would not be part of that?" Irving said, gesturing to Boston's new practice facility. "Who would not want to be part of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum and Al Horford and Gordon Hayward?" People continue to say, "Why would not he be hiring in Boston? "
"Well, there are financial implications involved."
If Irving had signed an extension with Boston last summer, he would potentially have left more than $ 80 million on the table than he expected and would re-sign with the Celtics next summer.
"I accept that it's going to be a constant story," shrugged Irving. "It's a point in my professional career where it's an important decision." I left Cleveland officially for a year now and finally got acclimated to Boston.
"Last year was almost like a trial. There was a lot going on. It was sometimes difficult to focus on improvement and help my new team win a championship instead of focusing on everything. outside noise [regarding his departure from Cleveland] it affected me personally.
"I was afraid to admit it at first, because I wanted to be proud and manage everything, so we had to find and develop.
"It only affects me when it affects my teammates, I keep them informed of everything, we have to communicate like that, because there are very few years where you have a chance to be a championship team – unless it's Golden State. "
Irving acknowledged that there were a number of talents at some positions on the Celtics list and that healthy competition would only push them harder.
"The quest for greatness, the desire to win a championship, is all that interests me," he said. "The rest does not matter."
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