Kyrie Irving seems to be at peace with the Brooklyn Nets' early exit from the playoffs at the hands of the Boston Celtics ... saying, "It was meant to happen like that."
Irving made the comments while gaming on Twitch -- as he was recalling the Celtics' 4-0 sweep of the Nets in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season.
"We got 4-0'd, my G," Irving said. "We got 4-0'd, bro. We needed that humbling experience, especially going against the Celtics. It was already built to be that matchup."
Irving -- who faced scrutiny all season for his COVID-19 vaccine stance -- averaged 21.3 points per game alongside Kevin Durant, who led the team in scoring.
The Nets, led by their two stars, were slight favorites heading into the series ... but the budding duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown proved too much.
"Those youngins over there in Boston, I got to see them grow up," said Irving, who spent two seasons in Boston with the Celtics. "To see them doing what they did last year on the final stage, making it that far, I'm glad they had to go through us."
Kyrie said he is using the sweep as motivation moving forward and is eager to play Boston in the playoffs again.
"We gon' see them again," the Brooklyn point guard said. "We gon' have to. They gon' be where they gon' be."