Kyrie Irving and LeBron James only played together for 3 years but found incredible success together. Irving developing into a superstar was a big reason why LeBron James decided to come back to Cleveland, as he finally felt like there was a reliable co-star there for him.
The duo led the Cavaliers to their only NBA championship in an incredible NBA Finals in 2016. But Irving doesn’t think he was playing at the highest level of his career in Cleveland.
Kyrie Irving recently gave an interview on The ETCs podcast. Eddie Gonzales asked Kyrie Irving about his days in Cleveland and asked whether his 2016 playoff run featured the best basketball of his career.
Irving noted that while that entire run was special and that he was playing at a very high level, he wouldn’t consider it the highest level possible. Irving admitted that he was playing well and that the run to the championship is something he will cherish, but he always strives to be better (14:39 onwards).
“We just had a good group. And that run was special because we had dealt with so much adversity in the regular season. You know, internal stuff, that we had to get right as teammates and then go on to the playoffs. We could do anything. Looking back on it, I think it was more special because of the way we did it and the circumstances, situations that we were faced with. I had to go deep within myself to bring out all of these tools that I had learnt since I was learning fundamentals. And just put them on display on the biggest stage. I think that was one of the highest levels of play that I played. But it wasn’t the highest from me that I look back on. Just because it was a short window.”
Kyrie addressed a bunch of topics on the podcast, including his omission from the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team. Irving also discussed what he felt would happen with his basketball career during his absence from the Nets.
Another noteworthy item from the podcast is that Kyrie believes that he wasn’t feeling like himself last season because of all the drama that happened with him off the court.
Irving was crucial to the Cavaliers winning the 2016 NBA championship, as he made the shot that gave the Cavaliers the lead in Game 7. Irving’s shot is considered one of the most clutch shots in NBA history, as it allowed the Cavaliers to complete one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history.
Irving and LeBron were a great duo, despite only playing for three years. But they did have a falling out, which caused Irving to leave. Now, Kyrie wants to replicate that success with another superstar teammate; Kevin Durant.
