LOS ANGELES — Midway through the fourth quarter Saturday night, with the Boston Celtics holding a comfortable 16-point lead that was virtually insurmountable for the injury-riddled Los Angeles Lakers, Kyrie Irving saw his 270-pound former teammate heading to the basket.

LeBron James got a step on Al Horford, and Irving abandoned whom he was guarding and stepped right into James’ path. James plowed into Irving and struck the point guard in the chin with his elbow. Lying on his back in pain, Irving moved his jaw around to make sure it was stable as the official whistled him for a blocking foul on James.

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The hustle was there and that’s the type of sacrifice, dedication and leadership Irving wants to impart on his teammates and young players who follow him. It’s the opposite of the irritated star who has recently been combative with reporters.

After the 120-107 win over the Lakers, Irving opened up to Yahoo Sports on how burdensome it was living up to James’ resume earlier in his career, how he’s still evolving as a person and explaining why former players might not understand how the social-media landscape — a feature that wasn’t around for them — can negatively affect one’s mental state.

“The way I’ve handled things, it hasn’t been perfect,” Irving told Yahoo Sports as he rested his feet in a bucket of ice at his locker stall. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes that I take full responsibility for. I apologize. I haven’t done it perfectly. I haven’t said the right things all the time. I don’t want to sit on a place like I’m on a pedestal from anybody. I’m a normal human being that makes mistakes. For me, I think because of how fixated I was on trying to prove other people wrong, I got into a lot of habits that were bad, like reading stuff and reacting emotionally. That’s just not who I am.”

Kyrie Irving says it wasn't easy playing in LeBron James' shadow. (Getty Images) More

This was a calm, introspective Irving, 26, reflecting on how he has conducted himself in his eighth NBA season. After scoring 30 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists, he acknowledged frustration getting the best of him in interactions with the media.

He made it clear that his gripes still stand about how some media manufacture drama, but he confessed he was disappointed in himself for displaying an example that he doesn’t want mimicked.

“Being one of the top guys in the league, this all comes with it,” Irving told Yahoo Sports. “It’s a responsibility that I have to make sure that I know who I’m doing this for and know why I’m doing this. It’s for the players that are coming behind me who will be in this league and setting an example for them on how to handle things and how to evolve within your career.”

After soaking his feet for about 15 minutes, Irving stepped out the bucket of ice, stood up and said, “I’m still learning, bro. I come from a suburb of New Jersey. I’m not used to all this [attention].”

The All-Star guard was roundly criticized last week when a clip circulated of him walking into an arena in which he was met by cameramen and he was heard saying, “I’m not going to miss this [expletive] when I’m retired.”

His critics, which included retired players, quickly pointed out that he didn’t have a problem using cameramen and social media to help promote his “Uncle Drew” movie.

Irving smiled and nodded his head, conceding he’s heard the remarks.

“My [Uncle Drew] character, I never took any acting classes. I didn’t put any extra work into it. It was just something I was able to do and it became this,” he told Yahoo Sports. “Look, I respect the ones that came before me, but they didn’t endure social media, the 24/7 news cycle. [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver was right; it really affects people in different ways. These are just different times. People are dealing with anxiety, depression and other disorders that affects their well-being. Some people can’t handle all of this, and we need to be mindful of that.

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