Kyrie Irving still hasn't returned to Boston since he signed with the Brooklyn Nets last summer.
But the All-Star guard is champing at the bit to play the Celtics star who took his place -- in a fan-free environment, of course.
Joining former professional basketball player and Brooklyn native Darryl "Truck" Bryant this weekend on Instagram Live, Irving expressed a surprisingly strong desire to play Kemba Walker 1-on-1.
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"We never talk about this: Me and K-Walk," Irving told Bryant. "I want that matchup. I want K-Walk. Me and K-Walk … we have to.
"… That’s my big bro. You know we've got mutual respect, but I know everybody wants to see it -- out of New York, New Jersey. Every time we play against each other it’s always a game. He gave us 40, I gave him 40. Back-and-forth, that’s just part of where we grew up."
The two Tri-State Area natives -- Irving grew up in West Orange, N.J., while Walker hails from the Bronx -- indeed have had some epic battles. Walker dropped 43 points on Irving's Celtics in Nov. 2018 as a member of the Charlotte Hornets, while Irving hung 44 points on Walker's then-Bobcats back in 2014 while with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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A quarantine battle between past and future Celtics guards (assuming both are COVID-19-free) also would be must-see TV with the NBA suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Then again, Irving underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in early March, so we're not sure if he's even healthy enough to lace 'em up.
If Irving gets healthy and the real NBA season resumes, there's a chance he and Walker can meet in an official setting: The Celtics and Nets are the No. 3 and No. 7 seeds, respectively, so if both clubs won their first-round playoff matchups, they'd meet in Round 2.