Why Kyrie Irving's confidence after brutal Game 2 is well-placed

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Why Kyrie Irving's confidence after brutal Game 2 is well-placed




By Darren Hartwell
May 01, 2019 12:29 PM



After playing the worst postseason game of his NBA career, Kyrie Irving spoke with the confidence of a man determined to prove it was a fluke.

"There's no extra burden," Irving said after scoring just nine points on 4-for-18 shooting in the Boston Celtics' Game 2 loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee. "That's my job, to go out there and set that example for our team.

"... We'll look at film, but I think I already have a clue of the way I want to play going into Game 3."

Those are the words of someone who has experienced the ups and downs of playoff basketball. And the evidence suggests Irving is wise not to hang his head.

Here's a look at Irving's last five playoff games following a postgame loss, dating to the 2016 NBA Finals when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

-- 40 points on 15-of-17 shooting
-- 38 points on 16-of-29 shooting
-- 19 points on 8-of-23 shooting
-- 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting
-- 41 points on 17-of-24 shooting

That's an average of 36 points per game on 57 percent shooting in Irving's previous five playoff games immediately following a loss.

Additionally, all three of the 27-year-old's 40-plus-point efforts in the postseason have come after a loss.

What about when Irving himself doesn't perform well? The Celtics star has shot 20 percent or worse from the floor in just five career playoff games. In the games that followed those performances, he's shooting a combined 45.3 percent, including an even 50 percent in his three most recent contests.

That's all to say Irving -- like most great professional athletes -- usually doesn't dwell on poor performances. Not that head coach Brad Stevens needs any convincing.

"He's never going to go 4-for-16 again," Stevens insisted Wednesday during an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Toucher & Rich." "... 4-for-16 is an anomaly."

Irving probably can't confirm his coach's guarantee, but if history is any indication, buckets will be in abundance Friday night at TD Garden.




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