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May 30, 2017Since the moment he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first-overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Kyrie Irving has made quite a name for himself across the NBA. Whether it’s his ability to use the ball like a yo-yo and break opponent’s ankles or spin the ball off the glass and (somehow) make it go in the basket at an impossible angle, Uncle Drew has already become not only a household name, but is among the top point guards in the NBA.
During his six-year career so far, Irving has been named an All-Star four times, was the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year, 2013-14 All-Star Game MVP, 2015 All-NBA, and last but certainly not least, 2016 NBA Champion. Even with all those accolades already, the 25-year-old is playing his most efficient and arguably his best basketball of his NBA career right now, at just the right time leading into Cavs-Warriors III.
Irving has already shown that, even with a Cavs team that features LeBron James and Kevin Love, he can take over the game and allow the other two, along with the rest of the wine and gold, to not only sit back and watch, but continue to marvel and be surprised of just how good the 6-foot-3, 193-pound point guard can easily make highlight-type plays every night. Just how easy is it for him? He makes an 8-pound basketball look like a yo-yo that weighs just a few ounces.
Here’s just one of many examples of just that:
He may have been one of the main reasons why the Cavs won Cleveland their first major sports championship in 52 years last June, but No. 2 has never played as well as he is right now.
Let’s take a look at how his Eastern Conference Finals performance against the Celtics compares to the rest of his time with James:
Looking at the chart, compare the amount of shots Irving took last series against the Celtics to the amount he has taken in everything else since the start of the 2015-16 regular season. He not only averaged just as many points, but he did so on almost four or five fewer shots per game, while playing the most efficient basketball he has ever played and not touching the ball as much as he has over the last couple years.
If that isn’t enough, in the final four games of the five-game series against Boston, Irving shot a 66.7 percent (42-of-63). And even more incredible, he also nailed 15-of-27 three-pointers (55.6 percent).
Just how good was he against the Celtics? Following a stunning Game 3 loss at home to the Isaiah Thomas-less Boston squad, Irving stepped up in Game 4 and led the Cavs to a 3-1 series lead in a game that WFNY’s Scott Sargent called the “Kyrie Irving Game“. With James receiving his fourth foul in the first half, Cleveland needed someone to step up. Irving did just that—and even more. No. 2 finished with 42 points on 22 shots while shooting 68 percent (!) from the floor and 57 percent (!) from beyond the arc.
Listen to what Irving had to say to WFNY about his efficiency following his incredible Game 4 performance:
So far this postseason, the point guard has been almost impossible to stop on any shots from the left side of the court, along with from most spots below the free-throw line and free-throw line extended.
Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry may be known for his offensive game, but he struggles defensively. If the 2016 Finals didn’t already prove it, Irving can take advantage of Curry’s defense—or lack thereof. If Irving can continue his play and momentum from the Boston series into the Finals, it would not only be a humongous boost for the Cavaliers, but would give the wine and gold quite a better chance to win back-to-back championships.
Also, if Irving can continue his efficient offense and light up the scoreboard from both beyond the arc and inside the paint, it would also ease the burden off James and allow him to get some rest both in terms of being on the bench a little longer and when he is on the count and Irving is doing his thing with the ball in his hands.
In case you were wondering if the Warriors are aware of Irving’s greatness in recent weeks, both Golden State associate head coach Mike Brown and Curry made it known that he is well aware of what the point guard has been doing, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Here’s what Brown had to say, per The Mercury News’ Carl Steward:
“When you talk about Westbrook, he can’t shoot the 3 like Kyrie. Not only that, Kyrie’s pull-up game is off-the-charts remarkable. And James Harden is either going to shoot the 3 or get to the rim, so you know you only have to prepare for one of those things.
“With Kyrie, his versatility to score from all three levels (drive, mid-range pull-up and long distance), plus his ability to go either direction with his dribble, it makes it tough. With other guys, you have a feel for what they like to do. It doesn’t mean you can stop ’em, but you feel a little more confident in what you’re trying to do to make them work to score points.
“All great players, you have to mix up the coverages every once in a while,” Brown said. “If you give guys like him a steady diet of the same thing, they’re going to figure out ways to beat it. So we’ll mix up coverages, mix up guys who’ll guard him, and try to force the action with him and make his uncomfortable as possible. But you can do all that stuff and it may not work. That’s how good he is.”
Curry, who will be opposite of Irving at the point guard position in the Finals, knows just how good his opponent is. While Curry is known for his ball-handling and ridiculous shooting ability from long distance, he respects just how good Uncle Drew truly is.
“His ballhandling skills are probably tops in the league,” Curry said. “He’s so shifty and finds way to create space. He’s tough to guard, and you just have to try to take one thing away and hope for the best in that aspect and funnel him in to your defense.”
Klay Thompson, who may also have to guard Irving at times throughout the series, said that it’s more about taking the challenge of guarding him rather than dreading the matchup. Dreading it will only make it worse.
“You can’t hold him in check but you can try to make it tough by throwing different bodies at him, mixing coverage and making him work on the defensive side of the ball, too, expending energy. We have a gameplan for him and it should be fun.”
We already know just how great The King has been so far this postseason, but as one of his sidekicks, Irving’s greatness has gone unnoticed, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. WFNY’s Jeff Nomina called it back on May 11 when Uncle Drew was somewhat struggling so far in the postseason.
If we’ve learned anything about Irving over his career in Cleveland, it’s that he saves his best performances for when they matter most, and the Cavaliers have not needed his heroics through two rounds of the playoffs. But as the Cavaliers move towards the Finals, opponents will attempt to pick at every weakness and isolate any advantage they can garner.
That’s when Kyrie is at his best.
With Game 1 of the Finals set to begin Thursday night, Irving is playing his best ball and it’s just what the Cavs may need to win their second title in as many years.