Kyrie Irving has enjoyed a long and successful career in the NBA. And while he has seen the highest highs, he has also seen the lowest lows, moving from the Cavaliers to the Celtics, and then eventually to the Brooklyn Nets. Irving is an interesting character, but one of the things he will always be known for is being elite in the most brilliant NBA Finals of all time.
Irving was fundamental alongside LeBron James in bringing a title to the city of Cleveland, hitting the clutch three-pointer in Game 7 that more or less ended the game in favor of the Cavs. But he must feel like that was a different life right now, his Brooklyn Nets are struggling mightily against the Boston Celtics and find themselves down 3-0 in the first round with Kyrie knowing that some of the blame is on him.
Naturally, questions are being asked about what the Nets need to do to even avoid being swept by the Celtics at this point, and Kyrie was asked about what he drew from the 2016 Finals win that might be helpful in this situation. Irving though doesn’t seem to see a comparison there.
“Being down 3-1 in the Finals was a totally different situation compared to what we’re in right now. I don’t even wanna compare it just out of respect for what that was and the teammates I had”
The pressure of the NBA Finals is much different from what it’s like in the first round and also, the 73-win Warriors were a completely different animal compared to the Boston Celtics. So it’s no surprise to hear Kyrie saying this, although many will question whether the teammate part of his comment is about LeBron James.
The truth for the Brooklyn Nets right now is that they simply need to find a way to win at least a few games, or this will be a very embarrassing playoff exit for the franchise. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant’s legacies will also suffer and for Kyrie, the Cavaliers championship will seem even more in the past than it already does.
