” There were times when I thought I would one day have my number 11 on the ceiling. It’s a dream. So said Kyrie Irving in September 2018 by designating the heights of TD Garden. Unless he gets to return to Massachusetts to win a few titles there, that dream won’t come true. What about the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, however, where he shone with the Nets last night?
” With the shots he’s coming in, you just have to sit down and tell yourself that there’s not much you can do about it. It’s been like that since the beginning of his career. That’s why he was such a special player in this league and continues to be. begins by paying tribute to Kevin Love, interviewed by Cleveland.comafter the exit to 32 points (11/19 on shots including 7/11 from afar) of his former teammate, in the victory of Brooklyn.
A performance that did not go unnoticed by local fans, some of whom preferred to welcome their former star player with a few boos. Kevin Love finds it difficult to understand it: “ I can understand that if anyone, I guess, wants to take it from a political or religious point of view. But I think basketball-wise, and what he’s meant to the franchise, Cleveland, Ohio, he should get real applause every time he comes. Enough time has passed to be loved for what he represented. »
Six seasons and a historic title
A lot of water has indeed flowed under the bridge since his surprise transfer request made during the 2017 offseason, which had thus materialized with his arrival in Boston, in exchange for Isaiah Thomas in particular. Two disappointing seasons with the C’s later, he was on the road again to sign with the Nets.
Several sequences of instability in his career therefore, marked by a lot of controversy, including the latest with the promotion on social networks of an anti-Semitic film, but which do not detract from the high point of his career: the 2016 title with the Cavs.
So when Cleveland.com asks Kevin Love if the point guard jersey should be retired in Ohio, his answer goes, ” Without a doubt. Absolutely. Immediately, after the end of his career. The question does not even arise for me. He must be up there. He scored the biggest shot in franchise history and one of the most important shots in Finals history when you think about how it all went down: what it meant for the city, for his course, LeBron’s course and everything else, including this Golden State team that became a dynasty and was historically strong. »
This single shot, returned in the last moments of Game 7 of this anthology final won by the Cavaliers, is a strong argument. Enough though? The point guard was certainly drafted by the Ohio franchise in 2011 (first choice) but he ultimately remained there “only” during his first six seasons in the league.
No dominated statistical categories
For example, he is absent from the Top 10 players who have played the most games or minutes with the Cavs jersey. The Nets player does not dominate any statistical category in the history of the franchise, almost all properties of the “King”. However, he is 8th in the ranking of players who have scored the most points, just ahead of Kevin Love, or 3rd in the highest average points (nearly 22 points).
It is also with the Cavs jersey that he obtained four of his seven career All-Star selections, his rookie of the year title or one of his three All-NBA selections. And this within a franchise that first had to recover from the departure of LeBron James, before digesting his return in 2014 after his time in Miami.
Kyrie Irving remembers the ” the enormous pressure “that he had put on when he landed in Ohio” after the departure of the prodigal son. I had to take matters into my own hands after that. Who knows if I was going to be up to it? I put this pressure on myself to fill shoes that weren’t made for me. I just wanted to write my own story. To achieve this, I had to endure a few difficult years when we only had a few thousand people in the stands. Sometimes I felt like I was coming home, like a lone ranger or a superhero trying to bring Cleveland back to the top. »
He had not succeeded since the Cavs had to wait for the return of the “King” to switch to the positive and finally find the playoffs. But LeBron James, whose jersey will obviously be retired in Ohio, would he have led the franchise to the Finals and the title without Kevin Love… and especially Kyrie Irving?
| 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 | 29 | 38 | 46.9 | 41.8 | 91.5 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 27.5 |
| 2022-23 | BRK | 23 | 37 | 48.3 | 34.0 | 91.9 | 0.8 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 25.8 |
| Total | 634 | 34 | 47.0 | 39.1 | 88.4 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 23.2 | |
