The post Kyrie Irving praises Celtics’ ‘special’ defense in NBA Finals appeared first on NBC Sports Boston
Kyrie Irving didn’t play well in the first two games of the 2024 NBA Finals, which was one of the reasons why the Dallas Mavericks lost both games to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
Irving scored 28 points on 13-of-37 shooting (0-of-8 from the 3-point line) in the first two games of the series. The Mavericks were hoping for him to step up in Game 3 on Wednesday night in Dallas, and he delivered. The veteran guard scored 35 points and made 4-of-6 from the 3-point line. But the Mavericks ended up losing 106-99 to fall to 0-3 in the series.
Boston has held Dallas to under 100 points in each of the first three games of the Finals. Becoming the first team in NBA history Score at least 100 points in the first three finals and hold your opponent to under 100 points.
The Celtics, unlike any other team the Mavericks have faced in the playoffs, have the ability to guard Irving and teammate Luka Doncic one-on-one and rarely double-team either of them. Irving was asked about that aspect of the Celtics’ defense during his press conference on Thursday and praised them.
“Yes, watching from afar is very special, but to experience it at this level as a competitor and as a basketball player is a great lesson for me,” Irving told reporters. “I’m just using it as an opportunity to learn how hard it is to win, especially against great teams that are guarding us the way they’re guarding us.”
“Of course it’s frustrating because in a final you want to make every shot. You don’t want to make mistakes and not play well. You give your opponent some credit, but you also need to be focused and prepared.”
“Obviously, everything is clear in hindsight, but looking back at the first two games, there was a little bit more pressure on my shot than in the other series and I was a little bit physically different.”
The Celtics still have several players on their roster who played with Irving in Boston a few years ago, and Irving has played against the Celtics more than 15 times since leaving the team as a free agent in 2019. Irving believes the Celtics’ familiarity with his skill set is an advantage for the team, and he offered additional praise for Boston.
“The guys on that Boston team know my game very well. They’re very familiar with it. So they’ve been able to strategize for me over the last couple of years,” Irving said.
“So, getting through this has been something that’s been on my mind for a while now, just like everybody’s been watching Boston all year, watching them become the best team in the league. Obviously, we knew we’d have challenges, but this is what’s going to help us grow.”
“Competing against the best players and playing against Jrue (Holiday), Jaylen (Brown) and JT (Jayson Tatum) and watching them cover for mistakes and trust each other defensively to make the right plays, it just showed me that I have to continue to work hard and learn how to think about the game in a better way.”
“I’m going to be playing against the best players, which is something I’ve always dreamed of. Win or lose, all I’m going to focus on is growth and how I can continue to be a better leader for my teammates.”
Irving and the Mavericks will try to avoid elimination in Game 4 on Friday night at the American Airlines Center, with kickoff at 8:30 PM ET.
