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Bulpett: Kyrie Irving pronounces himself fit for All-Star duty

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CHARLOTTE, N. C. — After a week of rehab and consultation with his body, Kyrie Irving is going to be playing some basketball Sunday night. The All-Star starter also is looking forward to rejoining a Celtics crew that
CHARLOTTE, N. C. — After a week of rehab and consultation with his body, Kyrie Irving is going to be playing some basketball Sunday night. The All-Star starter also is looking forward to rejoining a Celtics crew that’s been on an upswing since critical comments from Marcus Morris that he supported.
On Saturday, Irving quickly answered what had become an important question to some Celts followers: whether he would participate in the All-Star Game after missing the past two outings with a strained right knee suffered a week earlier against the Clippers.
Asked where he was health-wise and if he expected to start in the game, Irving replied simply, “Yeah, I’m good.”
Much later in his 16-minute chat, the subject came back to his rehab both in Boston and in Charlotte, where he’s been accompanied by his personal trainer and Celtics physical therapist Brian Dolan. His answer essentially explained his decision to play.
“I mean, I’ve been resting for a [while], so the treatment is… it’s not fun,” said Irving, who felt good enough to stand during the entire Rising Stars game in his role as honorary coach. “It’s not fun doing that stuff every single day, but it’s part of the job trying to stay in shape, you know, not being on the court as much as I would like to be. But it really just puts in perspective how much I know my body. So that’s the most important thing.
“(The rehab process) factored in a lot. “For me, I just wanted to go out there and play if I had the opportunity. You know, I do get paid to play basketball, so being out for seven days, six days, you know, doing treatment every single day, doing what I can to prepare my body and being able to go up and down before I play next Thursday (in Milwaukee when the Celtics’ season resumes), I was like, hey, if I have the opportunity, great. But if I don’t, then I wasn’t going to be sad or anything like that.

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