Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks are facing a seemingly impossible path ahead, trying to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. But the Boston Celtics, led by head coach Joe Mazzulla and a star duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have proven to be the far better team in the NBA Finals.
Luka Doncic has had his moments of glory, but he’s also mostly been the recipient of harsh criticism, from his inability to stick in front of his defender to his constant complaining about the whistle not going his way.
But Irving hasn’t been much better. In fact, considering his overall talent as a three-time All-NBA guard and eight-time All-Star, Irving’s play has been disappointing thus far. Through three games, the former Celtics star is averaging 21 points per game, which is respectable, but not when realizing he’s taking 21.7 shots to do so. Averaging just 40% from the floor and 28.6% from distance, Irving hasn’t lived up to expectations or his $41 million salary.
None of this has slipped past Celtics legend Bob Cousy, who was a 13-time All-Star and six-time NBA Champion. Cousy, now 95, still has a keen eye for the game, and he has some harsh criticism for Irving.
“The Celtics have exposed Kyrie Irving as not quite a superstar. He has been severely subdued. They’re not even trapping him a lot. They’re doing it one-on-one. Kyrie’s working his ass off and they’re still stopping most of his stuff. He’s no longer in the superstar category. You’ve got to function in the playoffs to determine where you are in the hierarchy.”
Bob Cousy on Kyrie Irving
Irving has functioned quite well in the playoffs in the past. Most notably, Irving’s 41-point performance in the 2016 NBA Finals helped the Cleveland Cavaliers secure their first championship, but that was also nearly a decade ago.
It may be too little, too late for Irving to rise above expectations this year, but he’s otherwise performed well this postseason, playing a key role in helping Dallas even reach the NBA Finals in the first place. But as Cousy mentioned, it’s all about functioning during the biggest moments, and we haven’t seen enough from the Mavericks just yet.
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