Kyrie Irving praises Brad Stevens' basketball spirit and talks about Boston's future

BOSTON – Forget all the points – and there were a lot, a peak of the season with 43 points to be exact – or help – 11 of them too. Kyrie Irving almost alone let the Boston Celtics win an overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, but his relentless efforts may have been better illustrated by the defensive side of the ground, where he is much less famous.

The Celtics were lagging behind when Irving came back in the last quarter of an hour, while coach Brad Stevens left with few options but he had to return to Irving early in the last quarter, while Toronto was threatening to run away.

Boston quickly reduced the deficit to three but Jayson Tatum lost the ball trying to attack in transition and Kawhi Leonard ran the other way with a chance to slow the Celtics momentum.

With a dribble behind his back, Leonard let the big man of the Celtics Aron Baynes skid near the blocks but, when Leonard went into the paint, Irving ran off the opposite side of the ground and, with a wave of his hand left, has slightly dislodged Possession Leonard balloon. Upon falling on the ground, Irving held out his left arm and managed to force a ball in the air.

Given Leonard's oversized gloves and his sheer strength, it was no small accomplishment for Irving to force the match.

Irving did not win the tip that followed, but he challenged Leonard enough for Leonard's shot to direct the ball directly to Tatum, which eventually led Irving to throw free throws at the other end.

He spent a lot of things over the next 13 minutes of play, but what was clear at that point was that Irving would not be denied that night. And, many times, he created big games that helped the Celtics stand out with a 123-116 triumph at TD Garden.

"It's not very often during the regular season that we have games like this," said Irving. "So you want to take full advantage of it, it's a great test for your team at both ends of the basketball court." A great player in the other locker room [in Leonard]. So you just have to be on your ps and Qs for the unknown, and that's the competition. The level of play is increasing and you just have to appreciate it. "

Irving was from another world that night. He not only scored 43 points, the highest of the season, 18 out of 26 ultra-effective shots, but scored 23 points on 9 out of 12 shots in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Only one of these marks came beyond the elbow, with Irving hitting a 3-pointer early in the fourth period. He spent the rest of the night furiously attacking the basket, generating difficult t-shirts for himself or throwing the ball to open his teammates.

"Oh man, [Irving] do some pics tonight where you are like, 'Wow.' You find yourself a fan, "said Gordon Hayward, who clocked a record time of 39 minutes, made the free throws that forced extra time and may have played his most complete match since returning from the ankle injury that cost him most of his time. Season 2017-18.

"When he entered this mode, the whole arena knew where he was going, as well as the Raptors, they just could not stop him, he was great, we relied on him a lot."

It was not just the fact that Irving published big scores, it was his way of doing it. A Celtics team that had fallen in love with long jumpers watched their starters combine to try zero free throws in the first period. Irving attacked the basket during the first possession of the second half and did not stop before the last extra hour.

Irving wandered regularly through Toronto's labyrinth of arms and legs, especially those belonging to Serge Ibaka and Leonard, and was still muscular with painstaking finishes.

"I'm a little used to it," said teammate Marcus Morris. "I told him that he had to take an English class in English, because his English with this ball is slim.I have never seen anyone put the ball at the top of the board like that and get the result. "He's a good player, he's great for us and he came here to play and we needed everything.

Celtics players have admitted that the hardest part of Irving's ingenuity is not caught by watching her.

"It's our job not to stand and watch, keep cutting, move on," Tatum said. "Obviously, he's putting on a show."

Irving has been absolutely brilliant in recent weeks, especially since he left the afro with which he entered the season. In the eight games he has played since his haircut, Irving has averaged 28.5 points per game for a total shot of 56.3%, including 50% over the arc of 3 points. Add 6.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 flights in addition to 34 minutes per game.

✂️ The real numbers of Kyrie Haircut ✂️

28.5 points per game
56.3% fg
50.0% 3%
90.0 ft%
6.3ème
4,5 reb
2,3 stl

8 games, 270 minutes

– Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) November 17, 2018

Still, the Celtics were only 4-4 in the previous eight games on Friday night (Irving did not play in one of those defeats in Utah). Despite Irving's individual talent, Boston was still struggling to find the consistency that was lacking for the team this season.

Boston could have let out Friday's game, but Irving would not let him. Even though the Raptors have pushed their double-digit lead, Irving has never stopped fighting back. It would be foolish to suggest that Friday's game is a must-win – no November game deserves this type of billing – but it's also hard to argue that these Celtics did not desperately need to – a declared victory, so simply to reaffirm their position. one of the best dogs in the East.

TD Garden vibrated with an intensity comparable to that of the playoffs and Irving played as if a title was in contention. It was a refreshing change from the misfires that the Celtics had often put in before this season.

Now, they must take advantage of the dynamic of consecutive victories.

"We always want to be successful, and I think we must always strive to achieve that goal," said Irving. "But you have to have the patience to understand that it does not happen right away, you have to beat big teams and create continuity, I do not mean" hopefully, "but I think this test tonight will set a precedent for us. "

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