Kemba Walker lit Boston up for 36 points, and Irving commented on the defense the Celtics played
Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walkers had a showdown for the ages by combining for 67 points when the Celtics played the Hornets over the weekend. It was exactly what was expected out of two All-Star starters of the same position going at each other: buckets, crossovers, circus finishes and, oh yeah, more buckets.
Walker, though, got the best of Irving — and Boston as a whole — scoring a game-high 36 points, including 18 in the final 7:43 of the fourth quarter. Charlotte was down 18 when he began his barrage. They walked away with a 124-117 win against a Boston team that began the year with championship aspirations.
@KembaWalker (36 PTS) and @KyrieIrving (31 PTS) duel as the @hornets prevail at home! #Hornets30 pic.twitter.com/QUA8364j5d
— NBA (@NBA) March 24, 2019
This game was a launchpad for the Hornets, who went on to beat the Raptors on Jeremy Lamb’s buzzer-beater from half court the next day. The run of three straight wins keeps their playoff hopes alive during a season where making or missing the postseason could be the difference in keeping or losing their All-Star guard.
But the loss was a black hole for the Celtics, sucking the team into disarray. They went on to lose to the Spurs on Sunday, marking four straight losses in a critical stretch leading into the playoffs.
Despite having one of the most talented rosters in the league, Boston is playing like a team with no vision. Their leader has struggled to effectively lead, his words off the court seem to pull the team apart rather than bring the team together. He points to the young team’s lack of experience more often than not.
When the game ended, Walker left for the locker room by himself, before his teammates even left the court.
This time, Irving pointed out coaching
Irving said Walker torched the Celtics one-on-one all night. No matter who Boston switched onto him, Walker had his way. It’s what he’s best at: creating off the dribble and putting ankles in a blender. That’s exactly why Kemba Walker is an All-Star. His mix of speed, crafty ball-handling and three-point shooting make him one of the toughest covers in the NBA.
Irving, though, said Walker torches the Celtics every time the play. This is a fact. Walker is averaging 30.3 points on 49 percent shooting from the field against the Celtics this season.
He also said the team should have trapped Walker more, “like every other team does in the league.” That statement is a question of what Boston coach Brad Stevens has been implementing as his game plan against Charlotte.
Kyrie Irving after the #Celtics blew an 18-point 4Q lead, questions defense on Kemba Walker. pic.twitter.com/m6F0j9ZTTW
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) March 24, 2019
Stevens accepted Irving’s criticism of keeping Walker away from isolation situations, but also said he needed to do better in a few other areas of coaching that game.
Brad Stevens said he didn’t mind Kyrie Irving’s criticism about how Boston defended Kemba. Brad said he’s hardest on himself for what went wrong last night.
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) March 24, 2019
But Brad also brought some stats about that bad fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/TC9wsUUR11
“Clearly when you have a 26-5 run against you .. there’s a lot of things that went wrong,” he said. “Seven of those 26 points came in isolation, where Kemba was isolated on one of our wings. And I certainly understand that there are times where [trapping him] is something to think about, it’s something to do.”
But it’s generally unusual to see a player calling out his coach’s game plan in public. Last season, we saw Isaiah Thomas do that in Cleveland with Tyronn Lue. That appeared to be the last straw. He, and almost half the roster, was traded shortly after.
Irving’s quest to be the Boston’s leader takes a new turn every game
He’s someone anyone would want on their team any day, but being a leader is different from being a lead scorer. Irving says the right things, sometimes, like accepting that championship basketball starts with him.
“We’re trying to build great championship habits and that takes time, and it takes a commitment,” he said. “It started with me, and I’ll do my best to keep communicating and get the best out these guys, because they deserve it from me.”
But his unrestricted free agency — a chance to leave Boston and play, potentially with Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard — looms over like a dark cloud. Things haven’t gone smoothly, and the Celtics have underperformed after making Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
That, of course, was without both Irving and Gordon Hayward, who were injured for Boston’s playoff run last season. There’s no telling what could happen if the Celtics’ run ends early.
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