BOSTON — Fresh off earning his sixth All-Star nod, Celtics guard Kyrie Irving said he’s honored to be selected a starter but would prefer the game offer a bit more competition than we’ve seen in recent years.
"I'm not a fan of the 198-198 games,” Irving said after practice Friday. "It's a waste of my time. But hopefully, we get some competition where guys go at one another.”
- MORE CELTICS - Smart's impression of Tatum is too good
Irving said he's proud to represent the Celtics and noted, "It's a great opportunity for the best of the best for this season to go out and perform for the fans...I'm grateful.”
Clearly, Irving would prefer that the game not devolve into a glorified layup line. Two years ago, the West defeated the East, 192-182, in the highest-scoring All-Star Game of all-time. Last season, in the first year under the new draft format, Team LeBron James defeated Team Stephen Curry, 148-145.
Asked if he liked the new draft format, Irving said, “I really don’t care.” All-Star reserves will be announced Thursday and a televised draft will follow soon after.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said it’s simply a testament to what Irving has done early in his NBA career that he’s headed to yet another All-Star Game. He stopped short of suggesting that this season is the best basketball of Irving’s career.
"I don’t think that’s fair to say that about him," Stevens said. "He’s been so special so long, I think he continuously gets better and, yes, you want to certainly say that, but he’s the same guy that gave us [42 points against Stevens' Celtics for the Cavaliers] in Game [4] of the [Eastern Conference Finals] a couple years ago. He’s an incredible player and hats off to him for getting another All-Star Game.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
"Six All-Star games by the time you’re 26 is a joke. Pretty special. And it’s not easy for these guys, and we talk about this all the time, to put on that cape everyday. When you’re that consistent and that good for that long, that takes a lot of effort, it takes a lot of focus and hats off to him.”
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.