Kyrie Irving says Boston is ‘a real, live sports city’

Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics looks on during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden on October 2, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina—Boston star Kyrie Irving has added more spice to the Celtics-Cleveland season opener.

Irving, who asked to be traded out of Cleveland and wound up with the Celtics this summer after three straight NBA Finals trips with LeBron James and the Cavaliers, says he sees “a vast difference” between the cities.

“Boston, I’m driving in and (thinking), ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?'” Irving told reporters Wednesday, in comments published by The Charlotte Observer.

“A lot of different cultures, food and people. You get it all, especially in Boston,” Irving also said. “You would go to Cleveland, and it would be at nighttime, and things would be going on, but you just see a vast difference.”

Remember, Irving and the Celtics open in Cleveland on Tuesday night.