Has my pro hoops team become the Boston Blue Devils?

I liked Kyrie Irving the minute I saw him play for Duke and was disappointed, for him — not me and other Tar Heels, when Irving missed most of the 2011 season with an injured foot. And Jayson Tatum, what’s not to like about him? He stayed one season and only did Carolina minor damage.

I’ve rooted for the Celtics since the days of Russell and Havlicek and will continue to do so with two Dukies in their starting lineup. The trade that brought Irving to Boston in exchange for offensive sensation but defensive liability Isiah Thomas is being scrutinized, but four-time all-star Irving is a definite upgrade even from Thomas. And Tatum showed in the NBA summer league that he will be even a better player in the open-court, pick and roll, isolation game played by the pros.

Irving wanted to be star of his team, not second banana to LeBron James, whose total command of a franchise must be maddening for the other players. LeBron is the best player on the planet, but the trouble is he plays all five positions when the Cavaliers need even more from him. Irving wasn’t left without the ball too much, but enough for him to want out.

The third new Celtic with a Duke connection for me is Gordon Hayward, another all-star Boston signed as a free agent in the off season. The 6-9 Hayward looks like a perfect fit for Brad Stevens, his coach at Butler. You remember Butler’s back-to-back trips to the Final Four? The first was against Duke in 2010 that went down to Hayward’s heave at the buzzer.

I was mad at him before that shot, when Butler was down one point with the ball and a timeout. Hayward had an awful game, finishing 2 of 11 from the floor and 0 for 3 from the arc. But he did get inside on Duke and went to the foul line often, where he made 8 of 8. That’s why I was sure Hayward would again try to abuse Duke’s Brian Zoubek at the post.

But instead of going right at Zoubek and initiating contact that would have sent him to the line to win the game, Hayward pivoted toward the baseline and shot a fall-away jumper that missed. His long ball is remembered but he had a much a higher percentage chance to win it before then.

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