SUMMARY
- Kyrie Irving last won against the Boston Celtics in 2021.
- The 32-year-old has a 1-5 record while scoring less than 25 points per game in the NBA Finals.
For over a decade, we’ve seen Kyrie Irving transition from a top-class rookie or a veteran leader that teams cannot pass up on involving on their rosters. The Dallas Mavericks were fortunate enough to sign him at the end of last season’s trade deadline, and despite all the noise and media slander that existed around his name, Irving rose above it all to save the Mavericks.
The 32-year-old veteran has already made a couple of trips to the NBA Finals while he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving starred alongside LeBron James in his first three finals appearances, and now this is his fourth trip to the championship rounds. Irving has averaged 27.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game leading up to the 2024 NBA Finals. The Cavaliers won the title in 2016 but lost to the Golden State Warriors thrice.
Kyrie Irving hasn’t won against the Celtics since 2021
After leaving the Cavaliers in 2017, Kyrie Irving signed a deal with the Boston Celtics. His tenure with the team didn’t last beyond two seasons and they parted ways on rocky terms. Unfortunately, Irving has never won a game against his former team since 2021 and the record currently stands at 0-11.
Kyrie Irving
Last 11 games vs the Celtics
(0-11, .000)
seems about right pic.twitter.com/MEXbKHaVAw
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) June 7, 2024
In these 11 straight losses, Kyrie has only averaged 20 points, which also speaks volumes about the Celtics’ defense against him. He’s only shot 28% from deep against the Celtics and 21% from beyond the arc in his last six appearances against his former team. Tragically, Irving only scored 12 points shooting 6-19 from the field in Game 1, while going 0-5 from deep.
Irving was quite open about his struggles in Game 1 as he said, “I think that they really rely on their great defensive ball pressure, one-on-one defenders and they funnel us into certain areas. Every time I got an iso, there’s almost two, three people waiting for me to get in there.” This was Irving’s second-worst NBA Finals performance since making his debut in the championship rounds in 2015.
The Mavericks could lose against the Celtics if Kyrie Irving fails to step up
Based on what his stats say, Kyrie Irving has a losing record while scoring under 25 points per game. In such situations, Kyrie’s record stands at 1-5 in the NBA Finals. However, his record stands at 4-4 in games he’s scored more than 25 points. Taking this into account, the Mavericks have a better chance of winning games against the Celtics if they maintain a scoring average of at least 25 points per game.
This is just filthy by Kyrie Irving😮💨
— Grace (@gracesporttakes) June 7, 2024
Although, the Celtics’ defense will still pose a threat to Irving and his partner, Luka Doncic. The Slovenian recorded 30 points but only had one assist which was a first for the MVP candidate. Dallas has to limit the Celtics’ shot-making from beyond the arc as well.