He got booed by the crowd, but Kyrie Irving nearly got the last laugh at Chase Center. Almost six years after crucifying the Warriors in the 2016 Finals, he offered himself a new duel against Stephen Curry. Teammates in the selection, they appreciate and respect each other, and on Saturday evening, the leader of the Nets paid tribute to his opponent.
“I love Stephen! This guy has totally revolutionized the game” believes the former Cleveland point guard. “When I came to the NBA in 2011, we only had snippets of what he was able to do because he wasn’t as healthy. But when he caught fire, everyone noticed, and me, as a point guard, or just because I was a point guard growing on the Cleveland side, he was the guy who really established this standard, this catch-and-shoot, this ability to destroy his defenders, to attract three players wherever he goes. You can’t really study basketball if you don’t look at someone like him and try not only to follow him, but also to challenge him on his positions. “
“Studying each other has created an even more special bond”
It’s because the two got away with it in the NBA Finals, four years in a row, that they learned to respect each other. Each pulled the other up.
“I think that’s where our respect for each other really grew” continues Irving. “Competing against each other was great, but studying each other created an even more special bond. I’m watching moves he makes, and I know he’s watching moves I make, we’re just guiding this new generation coming up behind us. You don’t have to be the athletic guy who finishes above the circle… You have young guys who do, it’s the 2.0 era. They are able to shoot 3-pointers from very far and hover above the circle. But when you look at Steph and me, I feel like we’re able to do things that an Everyman could do, and they’re given hope that basketball can be for them. Also. “
It’s probably because their clashes have become rarer that Irving savors them more, and he really appreciated being in front of him last night.
“Steph is just able to do such unique things… I could talk over and over about Steph because I love this guy, I love playing against him… I love those matchups where he planted 50 points on me and I I put 30 or so on him… Victory, defeat, all the comparisons, all the messages on Instagram, all the Twitter threads, everything that happens in the media to compare us… I made do with it and it bothered me. allowed him to be seen as a brother in arms, but when we’re on the pitch, we challenge each other at the highest level. “
| Kyrie Irving | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2011-12 | KEY | 51 | 31 | 46.9 | 39.9 | 87.2 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 18.5 |
| 2012-13 | KEY | 59 | 35 | 45.2 | 39.1 | 85.5 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 22.5 |
| 2013-14 | KEY | 71 | 35 | 43.0 | 35.8 | 86.1 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 20.8 |
| 2014-15 | KEY | 75 | 36 | 46.8 | 41.5 | 86.3 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 21.7 |
| 2015-16 | KEY | 53 | 32 | 44.8 | 32.2 | 88.5 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 19.6 |
| 2016-17 | KEY | 72 | 35 | 47.3 | 40.1 | 90.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 5.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 25.2 |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 60 | 32 | 49.1 | 40.8 | 88.9 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 24.4 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 67 | 33 | 48.7 | 40.1 | 87.3 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 23.8 |
| 2019-20 | BRK | 20 | 33 | 47.8 | 39.4 | 92.2 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 27.4 |
| 2020-21 | BRK | 54 | 35 | 50.6 | 40.2 | 92.2 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 26.9 |
| 2021-22 | BRK | 8 | 35 | 49.4 | 36.7 | 96.0 | 0.5 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 24.5 |
| Total | 589 | 34 | 47.0 | 39.1 | 88.1 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 22.9 | |
