Kyrie Irving on Pivotal Game 3 vs. Bucks: This Is Why Celtics Traded for Me

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics 123-102 to knot their NBA Eastern Conference second-round postseason series at one game apiece on Tuesday.

Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving was undeterred after the loss, however, and seemed ready to roll for Game 3 on Friday:

"This is what I signed up for," Irving said. "This is what Boston traded for me for. Being able to go back in the trenches, get ready for another battle on Friday. You know, this is what you live for. Basketball is fun when it comes like this, when you have to respond. This is the type of basketball you want to be playing this time of year."

Irving's answer was in response to a question on whether he carries an extra burden following the loss, per Jay King of The Athletic:

Although losing by 21 points is a tough blow, Irving and the Celtics are still in good shape. They still have home-court advantage over the No. 1 seed Bucks, who lost that privilege when they fell in Game 1, 112-90.

Plus, Boston is getting solid contributions from its non All-Stars. Notably, center Al Horford has averaged 13.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

However, other Celtics have struggled of late. Namely, Jayson Tatum has scored just nine total points on 4-of-17 shooting against the Bucks.

Still, Irving knows what it takes to win (and excel in) an NBA Finals: He ran point on the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, who upset the Golden State Warriors to take the 2016 title.

Irving hit the game-winning three-pointer with 53.0 seconds left in Game 7, so he knows a thing or two about coming through in the clutch when it matters the absolute most.

The rest of the Celtics have zero NBA Finals experience, so Irving is the type of player who can shepherd his teammates into those trenches he referenced.

Boston will host Game 3 on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN will televise the game.