Only 14 times in the last 33 years has a player scored 42+ points in a playoffs games with 22 shots or fewer attempted. Every single one of those times the player took more then 9 fts that Kyrie did tonight. Incredible scoring performance.
And, let us not forget that he scored 41 points on just 24 shots in The Finals last year in an even
bigger situation, which is hard to fathom considering the gravity of the situation when he completely took over tonight. Things were looking very bleak in that moment in he just wouldn't allow it to happen.
I know there is a love-hate relationship between some Cavs fans and Kyrie Irving at times and it shows its face on here often enough to take notice.
Tonight encapsulated everything I love about Kyrie and why I'll come to his defense nearly every time, even when he has an "off game" by his standards or people don't think he plays "the right way"...
He's a cold-blooded killer on the basketball court. The kind of player that comes along very rarely... when these kinds of situations present themselves and guys can either stand up and face the spotlight or shrink under its heat, you can count on him always being at his best.
Watching him limp up and down the court and still continue fighting on both ends while playing extended minutes with potentially our season on the line and to come through the way he did ... there is no replacement for the special element he brings to the game.
LeBron James is the second best player I have ever seen and he is closer now to the GOAT than I ever thought he'd be. That said, Kyrie is the most fun player I've ever had the pleasure of watching in a Cavs uniform.
... not to pit them against one another. They play incredibly
together (read Zach Lowe's piece today as a reference) and they are individually greater because of each other.