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Kyrie Irving praises Celtics’ ‘special’ defense in NBA Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Kyrie Irving did not play well in the first two games of the 2024 NBA Finals, and it was among the reasons why the Dallas Mavericks lost both of those matchups to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
Irving scored a total of 28 points on 13-of-37 shooting (0-of-8 from 3-point range) in those first two games of the series. The Mavs needed him to step up in Game 3 in Dallas on Wednesday night, and he responded pretty well. The veteran guard scored 35 points and hit four of his six 3-point attempts. But it ultimately wasn’t enough for the Mavs, who lost 106-99 to fall into an 0-3 series deficit.
Boston has held Dallas under 100 points in each of the first three games of the Finals so far.
The Celtics, unlike the Mavericks’ previous playoff opponents, have the ability to guard Irving and teammate Luka Doncic one-on-one and rarely double team either one. Irving was asked during a press conference Thursday about that aspect of the Celtics’ defense, and he gave them praise.
“Yeah, very special to watch from afar, but also as a competitor, as a hooper, to be experiencing it at this level, it’s an incredible teacher for me,” Irving told reporters. “I use it as a moment to learn how hard it is to win, especially against a great team that’s going to guard you the way that they’re guarding us.
“The frustration is natural, just because you want to make every shot when you’re in the Finals. You don’t want to miss. You don’t want to not play well. You give partial credit to them, but also there’s a focus and a preparation you have to have.
“Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, but looking at the first two games and how some of my shots were a little bit pressured, more than I have had in other series, and the physicality is a little bit different.”
There are still a couple players on the current Celtics roster who played with Irving in Boston several years ago. He’s also played against the Celtics more than 15 times since leaving the franchise as a free agent in 2019. Irving believes the Celtics’ familiarity with his skill set is a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kyrie-irving-praises-celtics-special-234831840.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-06-14 00:08:44
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