Kyrie Irving ready for his return to the playoffs

After sitting out the postseason a year ago due to a knee ailment, the Celtics guard is eager to get the opening round against the Indiana Pacers started this weekend.

BOSTON – His last appearance in the playoffs was Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 12, 2017.

Kyrie Irving was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers that night when they lost to the Golden State Warriors, one year after he hit a clutch shot to deliver the Cavs the 2016 championship.

Irving had to sit out the postseason last spring after undergoing a pair of procedures on his knee, and he has been itching for a return to the playoffs ever since.

That opportunity finally arrives this weekend when the fourth-seeded Celtics host the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers at the TD Garden, and Irving can’t wait for his favorite time of the year.

“I’m just ready to get started,’’ said Irving following practice on Wednesday afternoon at the Auerbach Center. “It’s been a long time just trying to get back to this point. It’s been a year in my career where I just learned about my body over the last year, getting two knee surgeries, getting nose surgery all in the last year.

“I just have a genuine love for the game and just want to be back to this point playing at the highest level. Missed it a lot. It’s just the highest level of basketball.

“I’ve been training (for a long time), really dedicating myself to the game, sacrificing a lot of my time with my family and friends to be able to have a chance to get a shot at the gold trophy. It takes seven-game series, good teams and good players.’’

Irving’s 2017-18 season ended on March 11 when he exited a game against the Pacers and never returned.

He had to have surgery to remove a tension wire from the knee and was expected to return at some point in late April. But during the course of that surgery, it was discovered that screws in Irving’s knee had caused an infection, and a second surgery ended his season.

The Celtics went to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals without Irving and Gordon Hayward, and there were high hopes entering this season with the two of them returning. But the Celtics went 49-33 and barely earned home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs as the fourth seed.

Irving put together a solid season, averaging 23.8 points and career highs in assists (6.9) and rebounds (5.0). He is the first Celtics player to have at least 23 points, six assists and five rebounds since Larry Bird in 1989-90.

But it was a difficult season with Irving and his teammate going through turbulent times. Irving struggled in the role of leader, criticizing younger teammates, and with free agency looming, the question of where he’ll be playing next year has been hanging over the team.

“Lot of (expletive), a lot of just up and downs that just could have been handled better from a professional standpoint,’’ said Irving in looking back at the season. “I’m talking about me personally, I’m not talking about our team. I had a lot of questions, a lot of things that weren’t being answered straight up about what it takes to be a great professional in this league.

“I think the frame of that is just outdated in terms of what you have to be every single day. It’s not that hard. The media and all the stuff that comes with it, I think that’s an exciting part you have to be aware of. But the real part is literally what I used to wake up every single morning to do and that’s to put a ball in a hoop and be great at it.’’

The spotlight that Irving found himself in was not something he relished, but he learned to deal with it as the season went on and appears to be in a better place heading into the playoffs.

“All you guys and all the questions and everything that comes with it, it’s just so irrelevant to what I do on the court and how I work every single day,’’ Irving told members of the media. “That’s been the biggest lesson I’ve learned is how I want to treat my career going forward rather than thinking about the last eight years of what I thought I was struggling with.’’

Now it’s on to the playoffs where Irving has thrived, averaging 25.2 points the season the Cavaliers won the title and 25.9 when they lost in 2017.

“I just think he’s got the ability to go on those runs, make tough shots,’’ said coach Brad Stevens. “Inevitably in the playoffs, it becomes very important to be able to make a play that isn’t there and we have a great deal of faith and trust in him.’’

Injury report: Marcus Smart, who suffered a bruise left oblique in Sunday’s loss to the Orlando Magic, did not practice and “is still pretty sore,’’ said Stevens. “We’ll see where that leads us.’’ … Jayson Tatum was able to go through the light practice after dealing with a bruised left shin over the weekend and he is optimistic about being ready for Game 1. “I feel good,’’ said Tatum. “It’s getting better and better each and every day. I should be all right.’’ … The Celtics-Pacers series schedule is due to be released Thursday morning with Game 1 most likely Sunday at either 3, 5:30 or 8 p.m.

Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.