While many players are past their peak at age 32, Kyrie Irving reminded viewers that playoff milestones are no big deal for him. Irving remains one of the few players to hit a go-ahead shot in an NBA Finals game. In 2017, Irving broke his own record for most points in a playoff game by a LeBron James teammate with the series teetering. Last night, he extended his record to 14-0 in potential series-clinching games. Irving will appear in his fourth conference finals — his first since 2017.
Kyrie Irving Extends Insane Streak With Series Win
With last night’s win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Irving’s playoff record improved to 43-17 in games he scores at least 20 points. Dallas possesses two lethal offensive weapons: Irving and Luka Doncic. When one is having an off night, Dallas can lean back on the other. But when both superstars are operating at their best, Dallas can put defenses at their mercy.
“I was trying to hold back to emotions just because of how hard and tough this series was,” said Irving, who matched his scoring high for the series with 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting in Game 6. “I think we really got to appreciate each other’s talents and skill sets and, most importantly, our will. Got a lot of guys that love to compete, a lot of guys that want to see each other do well and are willing to sacrifice and do the little things in order to get wins. So, I think we’re continuing to prove that.
“Obviously, the job’s not finished, but feels good to be in the conference finals.”
Dallas can feel good about winning this series. Against the first seed in the conference, they took care of business in six games despite Irving averaging less than 16 points per game in the series — 7 points below his career playoff average.
A Superstar Irving is What Dallas Needs Next
Though he may no longer be in his 20s, Kyrie Irving is still a load to deal with in high-stakes playoff games. As someone with a proven postseason backbone, Dallas can expect a scoring explosion from Irving at some point this postseason. He’s been far too good under the bright lights in his career.
In 2017, when his then-teammate LeBron James picked up a fourth personal foul and was forced to sit down, Irving — carrying massive scoring responsibilities — erupted for 21 points in the third quarter, hitting 9-10 shots from the field. With a collection of pretty shot-making and unrelenting drives to the basket, Irving pushed Cleveland to a decided 3-1 advantage against some of his soon-to-be Boston Celtics teammates.
If Irving can muster up that kind of performance a couple of times in the next round, Dallas can be a serious threat to knock off either Minnesota or Denver in the conference finals. In 12 postseason games, Irving is averaging 21.1 and 5.4 assists. His shot attempts are down at 16.4 per game from 19.4 during the regular season. It’s only a matter of time before his shot attempts return to normal. If we go by his exciting history, an Irving playoff explosion is imminent.
