Kyrie Irving's failed leadership tells the story of the failed Celtics season

This was not what was supposed to happen to a team that participated in the final phase of the conference over the past two years. She then added Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in good health.

There are many reasons why this season has been so difficult and why these Celtics have been so disappointing. At the core of all, however, is Irving – and more specifically, his leadership through words and actions on and off the field.

These comments became the landmarks of this long and strange trip of a season in Boston, things that, in retrospect, showed the world how difficult it was for the Celtics.

The words of Irving have not only defined the disappointing season of the Celtics; they help explain how a season supposed to mark the return of Boston to the top of the sport has instead left everyone involved in the search for answers.

"We had nothing to lose last year"

Saturday night, in Orlando, Florida, it was a meaningless Saturday night.

Boston's sporting attention was focused on the AFC division's game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers the next day. However, 1,100 miles to the south, the tensions that existed within the Celtics' organization manifested themselves.

At 2.9 seconds from the end, with the Celtics ahead of the two-point Magic, Stevens created a play in the downswing. Irving did not like what he saw. He shared his feelings with Stevens before even going out on the field.

Hayward, who pulled the ball out of bounds, passed to Jayson Tatum on the bottom line. Tatum's fadeaway jump hit the opposite side when the bell rang, and Orlando fans celebrated their victory.

Irving, however, was just beginning.

Visibly dissatisfied with the unfolding of the play, Irving lands on Al Horford and Hayward in the field. Then he continued in front of a white board in the locker room.

"I mean, we had nothing to lose last year," Irving told reporters. "We had nothing to lose and everyone could play for free and do what he wanted and no one expected anything." What we were supposed to be, at some point, we We surpassed that, the young guys were supposed to be at one point, they passed that.

"We are getting into the season, the expectations and it's real.Everyone, from coaching staff to players, is very real every day, so that's new." is difficult, it's difficult. "

This moment came to symbolize the persistent tensions within the team – the same ones that Stevens was referring to when he saw what was going to happen during the pre-season.

Irving has repeatedly criticized the young players on the team, including Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, through the media. He would not call them explicitly, just like in Orlando. But it was clear to whom he was referring.

And, after the Celtics won, Irving praised his new backyard mate.

"There's a reason why it's very important to the success of our team," said Irving. "Because he's a veteran now – not in terms of years, but he's been playing high-level basketball for the Celtics for a few years now, so we're expecting him to be at home." good place and do the right things. "

The message behind Irving's words inside the Smoothie King Center's cloakroom was clear and clear to all who heard it: if he wanted it, Smart would stay in the starter training.

Irving had his wish. It was also the right choice: Boston won eight straight wins with Smart at the start and was arguably the best defensive guard in the league this season. But critics of the young players have not been released. The Orlando game has turned out to be a turning point.

"I wanted to be the guy who drove us to a championship"

Two days after losing to the Celtics, they lost again, this time to Brooklyn, where they lost 26 points early in the fourth quarter before a furious comeback made the final score more respectable.

Irving's comments to Orlando still sounded on the team.

"We just have to have the back of the other at the end of the day," said Brown after the loss. "We can not comment, we can not point fingers, we just have to continue to reinforce each other and have our backs for each other." If we do not do it, if we do not let's start pointing fingers, everyone will go on his side. " shells. We have to keep playing basketball. It starts from the top down. Not from the bottom to the top, but from the top to the bottom. "

It was a great moment – and the most visible sign that young players bristled in the form of Irving's leadership. However, their seasons did not unfold without their own struggles, separated from Irving's critics.

Rozier had gone from "Scary Terry" – playoff star and buddy of former patriot Drew Bledsoe – to a replacement role. Brown spent the first few weeks of the season feeling uncomfortable in starting training, often forcing things. After working with Kobe Bryant during the summer, Tatum came back too happy and was content with long jumpers at 2 points. The 0.69 Tatum points by direct isolation were the worst score among 95 players with 100 games of this sort this season, according to Second Spectrum data. This combination earned him a place on the bench next to Stevens on several occasions.

But young players are not the only ones affected by the surplus of capable Celtics players. There is an old basketball saying that a team can have too many guys. There must be a clear hierarchy within a team, where everyone understands their roles and accepts them. For things to work, you need balance, collaboration, and trust. The Celtics have missed these things all season.

"You can just see," Stevens told ESPN. "When the games are held, it's harder, because you have no chance of doing what you really like to do, it's a hard thing to bear, because these guys- there all want to win. "

Brown, Rozier and Tatum had all been major contributors during the team's run to the conference finals in 2018. They were now asked to make room for Irving, who had patronized them publicly at many times, and Hayward, who naturally did not return to the table. All-Star forms again.

"You never know how it's going to go," ESPN Danny Ainge, president of the Celtics, responsible for basketball operations, said earlier in the season. "But I knew that these problems existed and their impact on [the team] is another thing. But I am not frustrated, impatient, or angry. You wish it would be better. You want the guys to accept a role, sort of their role, regardless of the coach's choice.

Saturday (HE hours)
• Rocket Warriors | 20:30. | ABC

Sunday
• Raptors at 76ers | 15:30. | ABC

Following Brown's comments, Irving apologized after defeating the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 16.

But then, in light of one of the best wins of the season in Boston, Irving made a remarkable admission that made everyone forget what had happened in the previous 48 minutes. Following his blast in Orlando, Irving had called LeBron James – the player whom he had asked to be traded 18 months earlier – to apologize for the way he had managed the leadership and the James's critics while they were teammates.

"Obviously, it was a big problem for me because I had to call [LeBron] and tell him that I apologized for being that young player who wanted everything at the end of his fingers and that I wanted everything at the threshold of my threshold, "said Irving. I wanted to be the guy who brought us to the championship. I wanted to be the leader. I wanted to be all of this, and the responsibility of being the best in the world and leading your team is something that is not meant for many people. "

The Raptors' win marked the best time of the season in Boston: the Celtics have won 10 of their next 11 games.

Trouble, however, was hiding around the corner – and the Celtics could not do anything about it.

& # 39; I do not owe anyone else — & # 39;

In Boston, there was one thing that did not seem to be a problem: Irving's commitment to the Celtics.

In early October, at an event reserved for season ticket holders at TD Garden, Irving is committed to signing back with the Celtics the following summer.

"I shared it with some of my teammates, with the organization and with everyone in Boston.If you want me back, I plan to sign up again here, next year" said Irving.

Despite his public statements, it was often difficult for anyone – including the Celtics themselves – to have a good idea of ​​Irving's mood or thought. He often left members of the organization walking on eggs around him.

When Anthony Davis requested an exchange with the Pelicans of New Orleans, however, Irving had no trouble letting the world know what he was feeling.

Davis' demand for exchange not only surprised the entire league, but she also left Boston in an impossible situation. Due to an NBA collective agreement rule, the Celtics have not been able to negotiate for Davis until this summer, Irving still staying on his current contract. This quirk was not a problem when it seemed that Davis would not be on the market before the summer, when Boston could gather the largest collection of assets.

But, once Davis submitted his application, Boston was blocked. While the rumor of the league overwhelmed the rumor, the Celtics could only expect to see if Davis was still a Pelican before the deadline.

Irving and the Celtics arrived in New York to face the Knicks the next day. Although he did not say anything about his future, Irving had seen his name become a permanent topic of discussion in the league, which made him furious.

So, when he sat down during the shooting at Madison Square Garden on the morning of February 1, he let go.

When asked directly about his previous commitment to sign up again with the Celtics, and if it was still so, Irving had more than this to say: "Ask me on July 1 . "

And while Irving clearly explained that he still believed in what Boston could accomplish, he declared that his engagement in October had been an example of taking in the excitement of the moment.

"I've spent the last eight years trying to do what everyone wanted me to do in terms [of] making my decisions and trying to validate through the media, by other staff, by managers, by all the players in this sector, "said Irving," and I owe nothing to anyone — " .

In the end, nothing has happened, but the sound of AD and Kyrie has lingered. Rumors that Irving and Durant would team up would be further (and absurdly) fueled by a video that spoke of their conversation in a hallway in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the All-Star Weekend, and the two people walking together to Miami after. this.

Meanwhile, while the Celtics kept their ammunition to sue Davis, the other teams at the top of the East took charge. And although Boston did not implode after the Irving blast, that did not really succeed either.

In the last 28 games of the season, the Celtics have got exactly 0.500 – just like they did in the first 20 games of the season. In 82 games, they have been mediocre far more often than they were good.

And yet, the question remained asked: the best version of this team could it finally appear in the playoffs?

& # 39; C & # 39; is why I signed up & # 39;

While Irving was sitting on the Milwaukee Fiserv Forum podium after last week's game, it seemed that the Celtics version that everyone had anticipated in October had finally arrived. Brown and Hayward found a rhythm that gives the team an impressive punch on the bench. The Celtics have reached the series in relative health (apart from losing Smart). Problems with playing time have disappeared. And after a sweep in the first round, they dominated the Bucks in the first game.

So even though Milwaukee got a decisive win in the second game, Irving was clearly confident.

"There is no extra burden," said Irving after earning a 4-for-18 record on the field and scoring only nine points in what was arguably the worst match of his game. career in the playoffs. "That's what I subscribed to, that's what Boston exchanged for.

Only now, Boston has bent against his biggest test. The Celtics lost the third game while Irving was embarking on another game, while he was repeatedly installing for jumpers setting the tone for a passive game from the rest of the game. ;team.

"It's just about being effective, especially from the rest of this series," Irving said. "From now on, I do not think you'll see another 8 against 22."

Irving was right. In a crucial match 4, he shot 7-for-22. His 43 goals scored missed at this stage are the most he has ever accumulated in three playoff games of his career. And after the loss, Irving was provocative.

"Do not care?" Irving answered a question about shooting difficulties. "I'm a basketball player, get ready, as I said, it's a bit different when your pace is challenged with every game dropped. They do things to test you.

"Expectations for me are going to be dizzying … I'm trying to do everything for me, the 22 shots, I should have shot 30. I'm a great shooter."

Irving's performance left him sinking 25 to 83 over the last four games of the series, all of which were defeated in Boston. His 58 missed shots were the largest of his playoff games.

His teammates did not do much better. The Celtics have remained below 30% for much of the game. Only Milwaukee's shooting problems allowed the Celtics to stay in the game as long as they did it. While the second half was worn out Wednesday, the inevitable was becoming reality.

With 8 minutes and 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Bucks had the game in their hands. Irving checked for the last time, walking slowly to the bench and playing with his shorts on the way. He spent the rest of the game watching on the bench in a warm-up shirt while Milwaukee supporters celebrated the team's first trip to the conference finale in nearly two decades.

As the final seconds passed, Irving was the first Celtic to head for the Bucks. He exchanged greetings with several players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and coach Mike Budenholzer before finally entering the tunnel – and in a dead season full of uncertainty.

"Oh, man, what better place?"

Only one thing has not derailed this Celtics season. In all players, players have not fully accepted their role. Stevens is partly responsible for managing stars and expectations. Hayward's recovery was never guaranteed to follow a linear path. And Davis's situation was staggering.

But nothing has contributed to the Boston season that has collapsed more than Irving. As he said, that's what he's enrolled for. Without him, a year ago, the Celtics were just not good enough to pull themselves out of a significantly weaker East Conference. Bringing it back was supposed to push Boston over the head.

Instead, the weight of his personality helped a team that many thought could challenge for a title.

The question now is what will Irving do when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer?

If it remains, a Davis trade remains very much at stake, and Boston will likely be a contender for years. If he does not, the Celtics have hard choices to make.