It was seven months ago that Kyrie Irving told a raucous Boston crowd he was going to re-sign with the Celtics. That now seems as likely as the Earth actually being flat.
Irving played what is likely his last home game with the Celtics on Monday night, shooting 7-of-23 in Boston’s 113-101 loss to the Bucks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals that put them in a 3-1 series hole.
“Who cares?” Irving told reporters of his shooting woes after the Celtics were booed off the court. “I’m a basketball player. I prepare the right way. Like I said, it’s a little different when your rhythm is challenged every play down.
“You’re being picked up full court. They’re doing things to test you. The expectations on me are going to be sky high. I try to utilize their aggression against them and still put my teammates in great position while still being aggressive. I’m trying to do it all. For me, the 22 shots? I should have shot 30. I’m that great of a shooter.”
Irving’s second season with the Celtics has been the epitome of frustration. His stellar play on the court has constantly been overshadowed by a lack of leadership — that too often became evident in postgame interviews — and an apparent unwillingness by his teammates to follow him. It’s added up to team most labeled Eastern Conference favorites in the wake of LeBron James’ Cavaliers departure on the brink of elimination as the No. 4 seed after a disappointing 49-33 regular season.
When, not if, the Bucks finish off the Celtics, Irving will opt out of his contract, with a Boston return an unlikely scenario. The feeling may be mutual.
“Here is the distinction the Celtics have to make, and I said this the day that they signed Kyrie: They used to be a pace-and-space team where the ball and the movement dictated who got the shot,” ESPN analyst Jalen Rose said on “Get Up!”
“Kyrie Irving is a ball-dominant, isolation type of player. They used to be a team where their center, Al Horford, led them in assists. That was their style. Now, they have chosen to give the ball to Kyrie to take them home. He’s shown that he can’t be the best player on a contending team. … He’s done in Boston … [His] teammates will help him pack. They can’t wait for him to go.”
The Knicks will be one of many teams pursuing the 27-year-old, hoping to pair him with close friend Kevin Durant. But as Durant is heckled with “New York Knicks” chants in Houston, the only surprise remaining is that Irving is not hearing the same from his home crowd as a suggestion, not a taunt.
https://nypost.com/2019/05/07/kyrie-irvings-depressing-celtics-season-ending-predictably-who-cares/
2019-05-07 13:47:00Z
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