My Post-Finals Pickup

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SHowley2003
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My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by SHowley2003 »

This is technically a mail day, but I thought I'd start a separate thread to see if anyone else has any cards they've grabbed to highlight significant moments in their personal life or as a sports fan.

I'm a Celtics fan and, as you all likely know, they recently beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Former Celtic Kyrie Irving has seemingly found himself a new home in Dallas. Kyrie's time in Boston was the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It was amazing to see Danny Ainge finally spend some of his draft picks to bring in a winning veteran. Upon his arrival in Boston Kyrie asserted himself as the team leader and for the first 30-40 games was a fan favorite. His offensive abilities are truly remarkable; having the ability to observe his skill game after game was a ton of fun. Things started to go downhill fast though. He was often injured the 2nd half of the 2017-18 season. The team was inconsistent on the court and off the court there was a lot of tension which was highlighted with Jaylen Brown often speaking up to Kyrie or calling him out in the media. Kyrie's injuries continued to limit his ability to be on the court and the team, lead by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, pushed through to the ECF where they eventually lost in 7 games to the team Kyrie forced his way out of.

The next season was even more challenging. It was clear that the team and Kyrie were not on the same page and by the all-star break there were rumors that he was working to get out of Boston. His departure was not graceful and his energy towards the team and city were contentious from that day forward. It was all highlighted by an evening in Boston where after the game Kyrie walked to center court to rub his foot into the Celtics logo. An action that is pity, but has true meaning to professional sports franchises. Kyrie has had nothing but negative things to say about the organization and the city for over 5 years.

Then the Celtics shut down his Mavs in the Finals. For the most of the series Kyrie was a relative non-factor.

I never saw it coming, but this was the one card I bought as a PC item to commemorate the Finals victory, a 2017-18 Flawless Gold Patch/Auto /10

I knew I wanted one card as way to tie my PC into the amazing memories I have of this season. Thankfully, I have pretty much all I need of Tatum, Brown, Horford, etc. I needed something different. Additionally, after getting past Kyrie I felt at peace with all that he brings to the table. I still think he's a jackass, but I can put that aside to appreciate his game and the significant impact (positive and negative) he has had on the current Celtics squad. Without him the team may never have seen the leadership potential in Jaylen Brown and they may have traded him, or they would have continued to try to build around ball dominant guards and lose sight on the need to have versatile wings, or Danny Ainge stays and continues to hoard draft picks. More notably though there are great memories of the moment the Celtics traded for Kyrie, the hope that he brought to the city, the ability for the team early on in 2017-18 to overcome the dreadful Gordon Hayward injury. Kyrie has left a mark on this team that continues to resonate in several way.

So I picked up this card as my "Finals Trophy" I never wanted to own a Kyrie card in my PC until a few days ago. I knew I didn't want a more basic Kyrie card, it had to be something special that I would truly appreciate. I'm a huge Flawless patch fan and now I own one of Kyrie's nicest Celtics cards. This hobby makes you do strange things sometimes!

Please feel free to share other cards you've grabbed to highlight memories.
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Nabroleon
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Re: My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by Nabroleon »

Great read Steve, very well written!

The card is stunning and your post allows us to see through your experience and collection goals why you’d want to acquire such a beautiful piece. Love him or hate it, Kyrie does not go unnoticed.
Collecting Andre Johnson, Tony Parker and Willie Cauley-Stein.

Focusing on game worn and on-card autograph.
Fan of Flawless, Status and Revolution. Silly enough to chase 1/1s and jersey numbered cards.
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FrankAZHP
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Re: My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by FrankAZHP »

You could say that without the highs and lows of Kyrie's time in Boston, the team wouldn't be the team they are today and perhaps they wouldn't be champions without him.
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Hondo
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Re: My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by Hondo »

Beautiful card Steve!

You're a better man than i am. I still can't get myself to spend money on Kyrie. lol But it was very therapeutic for me as a Celtic fan to beat him in the finals. I think i might have a mental breakdown if i see Kyrie hoisting the trophy in the garden. LOL But hey! He kept his promise and hung a banner for the C's by playing bad in the finals. So kudos to him!




Here's my Post-Finals pick-up. Gotta get myself a nice JB to commemorate his Finals MVP and banner 18.
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Deadshot
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Re: My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by Deadshot »

And here I've been sending you Kyrie listings the last couple days. I missed this thread entirely. Nice pickup!
Hondo wrote: Fri Jun 28, 2024 10:27 am


Here's my Post-Finals pick-up. Gotta get myself a nice JB to commemorate his Finals MVP and banner 18.
That's a nice Oshae cameo on that card, too!
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mindcycle
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Re: My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by mindcycle »

I'm a little late to the game but picked the Brown up right before they won the championship. Love the pairing of these two from one of my Favorite Panini sets.

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AbraCalabro
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Re: My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by AbraCalabro »

monster pickups fellas


mindcycle those are great, that blue/teal holofoil is N-Tense-esque / Flair Legacy-esque.
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mindcycle
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Re: My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by mindcycle »

AbraCalabro wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2024 1:18 pm monster pickups fellas


mindcycle those are great, that blue/teal holofoil is N-Tense-esque / Flair Legacy-esque.
Thanks! That's exactly why I love that set, definitely reminds me of Flair legacy. I'm currently only 11 away from the platinum set, they just rarely show up anymore..
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AbraCalabro
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Re: My Post-Finals Pickup

Post by AbraCalabro »

mindcycle wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2024 8:53 pm
AbraCalabro wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2024 1:18 pm monster pickups fellas


mindcycle those are great, that blue/teal holofoil is N-Tense-esque / Flair Legacy-esque.
Thanks! That's exactly why I love that set, definitely reminds me of Flair legacy. I'm currently only 11 away from the platinum set, they just rarely show up anymore..
getting close, 11 isn't far off, but when they barely show up it could take years lol

i know these feels
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