Kyrie Irving came out firing in Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, and he helped set the tone for the Boston Celtics in their convincing road win. If his play wasn’t enough of an indicator of how confident he is right now, perhaps his comments after the game will convince you.
When a reporter asked Irving how he felt about playing the role of both facilitator and scorer, he said that is one of the ways he has adjusted his game to help the team. The six-time All-Star also said he can get his shot off anytime he pleases.
"I really don't worry about shots. I can get my shot whenever I want. Everybody in the building knows that." – Kyrie (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/1Qv8YhVKSs
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 28, 2019
“I don’t really worry about shots,” Irving said. “I can get my shot anytime I want. I think everybody in the building knows that. The evolution of my game has come from just being able to pace the game very well and manage it and establish (my teammates) throughout the game, because they’re special as well.”
Irving scored 26 points on 12-of-21 shooting, and six of those points came in a span of less than two minutes in the first quarter. He was also hitting fadeaway jumpers that were pretty much impossible to defend, which is probably where the comment about getting his shot off comes from. The Celtics spread the ball around beautifully and ended up with five players in double figures, so Irving did a good job of keeping everyone involved.
For a player who was criticized this year for calling out his teammates publicly, Irving seems committed to taking a different approach in the postseason. With Gordon Hayward playing his best basketball and Al Horford, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown capable of scoring in bunches, the Celtics suddenly look as good as we thought they would be coming into the season.
