Boston basketball is already starting to rub off on Kyrie Irving


Welcome to the best franchise in the NBA, Kyrie Irving.

Most wins in the association? Check.
Most banners? 17 checks.
Recent success? You know it.

While Kyrie may not have had the final call to come to Boston, he's already appreciating it for what it is, and already digging the atmosphere (and the points on that checklist above).


What we've seen in the past from guys like Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder is that "college vibe" seems to bring the best out of players, along with a passion for more than just the franchise, but the city of Boston as well.

On that, Kyrie already got a taste of Boston on just his second day. It happened when his Jeep broke down on his way to a meeting with Brad Stevens. Via Jay King of MassLive:

"I had about four people get out of their cars and ask me if I needed a lift somewhere," Irving explained. "Just to have that type of support anywhere, you know, at any given moment. They had no idea who I was, which makes it even sweeter. Being part of the Boston culture, man, I'm just enthused. And now I can't wait to get started."

Similarly, Celtics fans can't wait for him to get started either, but there's still a lot of question marks from fans and players about how quickly this team will come together, from Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe Kyrie says:

“We’re almost complete strangers. We’re very big fans of each other’s games, but in terms of how we’ll collectively mesh as a group, that’s a ways away. So when we’re talking it’s just literally, when we’re on the court, just getting as best acclimated to one another and our personalities as best you can."

As training camp tips off less than a week from now, we'll get a glimpse at how meshed the team is, but the preseason will be the best indicator of that. For now, we'll have to rely on the hope that it won't take long.

Follow Topher Lane on Twitter, @Topher_L. Photo credit: Omar Rawlings / Getty Images.


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