Welcome To Boston, Playoff Kyrie
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The regular season was not much fun for Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics. The playoffs have been much, much different.
Irving was in full "Playoff Kyrie" mode Wednesday night, dazzling the Indiana Pacers with the offensive punch the guard is known for packing in the postseason. For Celtics fans, this is the first time they've gotten to see "Playoff Kyrie" at the top of his game in Celtics green.
Irving poured in 37 points in his 40 minutes of action in Boston's 99-91 comeback win over the Pacers, giving the Celtics a 2-0 advantage in the series. In a game they easily could have (and maybe even should have) lost, Irving willed the Celtics to victory, whether he was making shots himself or creating wide open looks for everyone else. He finished the game 15-for-26 from the field, including 6-for-10 from downtown, adding six rebounds and seven assists in his all-around effort.
Even with Irving going off for 18 points in the first half, the Celtics still led by just two points at the break. That lead was gone when the Pacers outscored the Celtics 29-16 in the third quarter. But Irving kept Boston in the game, scoring 10 of their 16 points. He took his usual spot on the bench to start the fourth quarter, which is when the Celtics ripped off an 8-0 run to trim their deficit to just four points.
Irving took the torch and ran as soon as he checked back in, scoring nine straight to put the Celtics back in front.
"Just sit back and watch," Jaylen Brown said of Irving's dominance. "Kyrie has the ability to take over games. That's what makes him special."
Irving's final point came at the charity stripe with 3:12 left, one of just two freebies he attempted in the game. But even though he didn't take a single shot the rest of the way, Irving wasn't done making his impact. As the Pacers blanketed him on every possession, every other Celtic found themselves with plenty of room to work with. That space was imperative to Boston's comeback.
Jayson Tatum sank a wide open corner three with 50 seconds left to put Boston back on top 92-91. On their next possession, as the Pacers tried to get back into position after doubling Kyrie at the top of the key, Tatum found a wide open Gordon Hayward in the paint for an easy two to seal the victory.
It helps that the undermanned Pacers completely folded down the stretch. They led by 12 with 11:20 to go, but shot just 4-for-17 in the final frame. They coughed up the ball twice in embarrassing fashion in the final 12 seconds to seal the victory for Boston.
But when Kyrie is on like he was Wednesday, it gives Boston's opposition very little room for error. That usually leads to unforced miscues, as it did Wednesday.
After sitting out last year's playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals, Irving has been itching to get into playoff mode for the C's. Throughout Boston's tumultuous regular season, he remained confident that the Celtics would be able to turn it around in the playoffs, mostly because he would be on the floor this time around.
Cocky? Heck yeah. But is he backing it up? He certainly has in his first two playoff games with the Celtics.
"It's just been a long journey, having those two knee surgeries and watching the team last year. And finally getting a chance to lace 'em up for the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs, there's nothing like it," said Irving.
"It's pretty peaceful. I'm just happy to be able to be part of a lineage of great players that have put on some unbelievable performances here in the TD as well as in the old Garden," he added.
Kyrie is happy again, and the Celtics are playing their best basketball of the season, albeit against a much-lesser opponent. But this is the spotlight that Kryrie craves, and he hasn't disappointed yet. His greatest moments come when it matters the most, and the moments are just going to get bigger as the postseason continues.
From what we saw Wednesday night, Kryie is ready to take his game to an even greater level.
