The Boston Celtics have taken a step forward with a revamped roster this season, and they’re now just four wins away from their 18th NBA championship.
One of their new pieces is point guard Jrue Holiday, who essentially replaced Marcus Smart, the Defensive Player of the Year two seasons ago.
Holiday was asked about how Boston has embraced him, and he said he first thought the fans there would hate him, but they have shown him nothing but love, per NBA on ESPN.
"When I first came [to the Celtics], I thought that they would hate me. … Once [Boston] loves you, there's nothing like it." 
Jrue Holiday on guarding Kyrie and his journey after being traded to Boston 
pic.twitter.com/bE5BRYLsIb
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 5, 2024
Holiday had previously spent three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he won it all in 2021, and the following year, the Bucks lost a contentious seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series to the Celtics.
His scoring this season dipped to 12.5 points a game from 19.3 per game last year, but he shot a career-high 42.9 percent from 3-point range and helped Boston finish second in 3-point accuracy.
While he has kept up his hot outside shooting during the playoffs, his biggest asset is his defense.
Holiday is one of the NBA’s very best point-of-attack defenders, and in the upcoming NBA Finals, he will be tasked with guarding the Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving, whose offensive arsenal is about as big as it gets.
Irving, who spent two seasons with the Celtics in 2017-18 and 2018-19, has found a home in Dallas, and he has developed tremendous chemistry with fellow star guard Luka Doncic.
It won’t be easy for the Celtics to claim the world championship, given the clutch exploits of Irving and Doncic, but if Holiday makes Irving struggle a bit, the Larry O’Brien Trophy could return to New England for the first time since 2008.
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