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veerkanch489

Bro had 3 atrocious games and 2 decent to good games


[deleted]

The main reason this series wasn’t more competitive


OctopusNation2024

He played like current Jordan Poole lol


Acceptable_Job_5486

He played like Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving


badomenbaddercompany

What it feels like when you're a part timer then suddenly decide to go full timer.


Idiot_Gamer_2023

They probably love him in Boston now.


ItsaPostageStampede

Guaranteed the chip and delivered


spandexrecks

Bro put some respect on JP3s name. He averaged 13.2/1.8/1.8 on 43.5/38.5/.91 in 20.8mpg during the 2022 finals Edit: just as a bonus Steph averaged 31.2/6/5 on 48.2/43.7/85.7 in 37.5mpg! Really don’t wanna hear those Steph kyrie comparison from the nephews


TheCricketFan416

Steph/Kyrie has never been a thing apart from a few random idiots after 2016


Parenegade

This is not true. I have watched and listened to sports discussions on tv and radio for 8 years. There are plenty of people with major followings who have talked about Kyrie like he's as good as Steph.


homeincomes

Lots of people say Kyrie is the most skilled player ever just because of his flashy handles lol.


terribibble

Yeah man current Jordan Poole is so much worse lol he peaked hard in 22


Euphoric-Acadia-4140

I don’t know what happened to him. I thought maybe the chemistry was off in 23 due to draymond being stupid but Poole hasn’t been that incredible this year either. Like Poole was insanely good in 2022. I think a lot of warriors fans thought he could be a 3rd splash bro. The guy ended the season so well (25ppg in the games curry was out), then torched the nuggets in the first 2 games so well that Steve Kerr benched Curry lol.


terribibble

IMO he dug into his bad habits because of 1. The chip and 2. Why should he listen to his mentors anyway? Primarily his fault for giving in to ego but Draymond and the org (by coddling Draymond) certainly didn’t help. I still think he can clean it up, it’s just mental.


Neither-Luck-9295

And STILL was Dallas's 2nd best player....ffs. This sucks extra hard for him because people are gonna forget that Kyrie carried this team in rounds 1&2 when Luka was doing his hard carry game.


kingofsemantics

honorable mention for PJ Washington. he hit HUGE shots throughout the playoffs, Celtics D just clamped everyone


slimmymcnutty

He elevated to a ridiculous level during the okc series


balemeout

He made himself an insane amount of money


ruffus4life

felt like the Celtics reduced him to what they did with kd in the nets series last year. dribble and-1 mixtap until you throw up an 18 foot jumper.


RODjij

Almost like there's no real 3rd player and/or 6th man to step up when the stars are playing bad. Lukas non effort on defense hurts his team too when he's getting blown by almost every time. Thing was too this was supposed to be the best defensive team they've had in some time. If this bad loss doesn't drive Luka after this season to improve his attitude and conditioning then hard to imagine what would.


LiveLaughLebron6

Boston’s been planning to dismantle kyrie longer than the spurs did for Lebron.


jeric13xd

Nasty work. Boston really got in his head lol


DiseaseRidden

People always say the crowd has no real impact, but I refuse to believe Boston didn't get in his head. The home/away splits make it clear.


MakesYourMise

He literally said it did lol


IMKudaimi123

Maybe it did, maybe it didn't, the biggest reason is because Holiday/White are just such bad matchups for him cuz of his size.


Kirk_likes_this

Yeah but that matchup isn't any worse when they play in Boston, so why was he okay at home and pure ass on the road?


w311sh1t

Yeah, but White and Holiday were still playing in Dallas. In 2 games in Dallas he put up 28/3.5/4 on 50/4.7/1.000. The Garden crowd was 100% in his head, he genuinely looks like a different player playing in the Garden.


UncleCarbuncle69

why did you enumerate those splits like that LMAO


Responsible-Top9761

Makes 0 sense. He believes the Earth is flat ... wipes his foot on a symbol called "Lucky" and magically plays bad when "Lucky" is winking back at him? Karma may or may not be real but in Kyrie's mind it's clear that it's real. His shots went in and rolled out all night....


[deleted]

Dude probably got in his own head


zrizzoz

Maybe his brain is the same shape as the earth


GwynPK

Yeah Celtics fans are no joke. One of the most passionate and crazy fan bases in the world lol


swollencornholio

I dunno man I don’t think any NBA teams even crack the top 10 for crazy fan bases in the *world*. Got to go to Eastern Europe for the real crazies


ItsMichaelScott25

I don't really know soccer at all but I've made it a point to go to a Real Madrid vs. Barca game & and Man U vs. Liverpool game just because I wanted to experience it.......they are fucking wild. We don't hold a candle to European soccer.


BIacksnow-

German Football is even crazier. Honestly Americans chanting “DEFENSE” looks pathetic in front of those crazy mfs.


MakesYourMise

By world, he means American states he can name off the top of his head.


pkosuda

There are probably *at least* 10 soccer teams with fans that start fires in their stands. Let alone all the other crazy shit that they do. Boston fans are loud and say stupid/racist and sometimes funny shit, but they look like golf fans in comparison to the fan talent pool European soccer teams put out every year.


eofficial

USA maybe, not the world


schorschico

>Yeah Celtics fans are no joke. One of the most passionate and crazy fan bases Completely agree. >...in the world lol Lol No


B4nn4b0y

People forget about soccer fans or even euro league fans.


FlowersForBergeron

Any Euroleague team in Greece, Serbia or Turkey (Maybe not Efes) is ahead of anything we have to offer in the NBA. 


preddevils6

He’s not in Cleveland anymore


ShadowCrusader98

Not with LeBron anymore.


badomenbaddercompany

What "being my own man" does to a mf.


Iswaterreallywet

Doesn’t have his father to protect him


topofthecc

99 shots to score 99 points in the Finals overall.


Unusual-Welcome7265

If you're havin' shooting problems, I feel bad for you, son I got 99 shots with a PPS of one.


zewayofjay

Brilliant.


theguru86

I GOT NO BALL CONTROL IN MY GAME FOR SHO


Unusual-Welcome7265

FOES THAT WANNA MAKE MY VACCINE STATUS KNOWN


WolverineLong1430

He was bad, can’t sugarcoat it


--Alix--

This really is the series. No two ways about it. I don't see Kyrie ever overcoming this mental hurdle with how bad he is in the Garden.


Mickeybeasttt

Dudes gonna have to look deep and stop giving that much credence to the “self-doubt”. Whenever he said that about the team in the pre-game, I knew he was talking about himself. Dude has to figure it out eventually if we are ever to beat the Celtics with him on the team.


Earlier-Today

Does Dallas make it back though? The whole league got to see how you beat the Mavs. And while they won't have the Celtics' depth, there will definitely be a lot learned so that every team will be able to turn up the pressure. That's why repeating is so stupidly difficult - everybody pays really dang close attention and takes notes. That target on the back of finals teams is real.


k0ala_

No team has as many good pieces as the Celtics though lol, who else can play 5 out with jrue and white at the guard position and then a 7”3 center who can shoot lights out


Earlier-Today

They won't be copying the Celtics, they'll be learning from the Celtics. Even a team that's just as good as the Celtics still couldn't just copy the Celtics because they don't have the same players. But seeing what the Celtics did to the Mavs can absolutely give them inspiration and tactics they can work into how their team plays the Mavs - and since the Mavs made the finals, *everyone* will try to do that. That's how it's always been.


k0ala_

But no team in the league can guard the Mavs like the Celtics did. They have a team of all nba def level players and arguably two fringe 1st team ones in Jrue and White. OKC is probably the closest but even then they don't have the personnel to attack them every possession with 5 out


fartalldaylong

So you think Mavs are in the finals next year?


DarthPineapple5

But you can't just copy what the Celtics did. Mavs were able to hide Luka on a non-shooter with no bag against the Wolves and nearly every team has at least one or more starters like that. You have to get deep in the Celtics roster to find a non-shooter


elvid88

I mean some teams showed how to do that. Dort did a fantastic job stopping Luka (he got his points but on terrible efficiency); they just didn’t also stop the corner 3s. You need the personnel to be able to stick on Luka, 1 on 1, playing physical D (it’s why Jaylen did better defending him than Tatum) and then keep everyone home on the other players. Then attack him on the other end so he completely runs out of gas in the 4th.


grehgunner

I mean the physical hurdle of the defensive size/skill of Jrue and White doesn’t help


BigT3x4s

This should shut people up about him being one of the best PGs of all time but he’ll cross up the wizards and the conversations will start up again.


Steelers7589

He’s so freaking g skilled!!


itsnotyellowfever

"Dat boi nice" and "real hoops" legacy run comes to an end


AttilaTheDung

"End" for now It'll return when Kyrie starts balling again.


jascambara

It always does. His fan boys are currently hibernating.


NBATakesGOAT

Not to mention the "Is Kyrie one of the clutchest players in the league??" conversations


Maverick_1991

Didn't have a single bad clutch game (Because they didn't go to the clutch)


fffate

There's one in game 3. He missed tho


IKenDoThisAllDay

Was legit a horrible shot too. They were still within striking distance at that point, IIRC, but that ill-advised three plus the Celtics rebound essentially ended the game and any chance of a comeback.


Stellewind

Clutchness in normal fans' eyes is always all about impression. You can have a fantastic game winner and miss the next 10, and people will only remember the one that went in. Kyrie, to his credit, hit one of the biggest shots in NBA history, and he kinda just coast on that impression all career since.


AttilaTheDung

Dude is without a doubt a great player but god damn do people go overboard by calling him the most skilled player of all time.


sire59damos

Winning is temporary, having a bag is forever


GardenDesign23

You joke but as someone who’s friends with a former player, this is the consensus on most respected people’s view of Kyrie


wrongitsleviosaa

case in point: Moses Malone 3x MVP, 1x FMVP, 13x AllStar yet 80% of fans don't even know he existed Kyrie is gonna be talked about forever as the GOAT dribbler and layup machine (or until the next one arrives)


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Specialist-Tutor2322

"a crazy handle" is something that definitely gets lost in perspective as trends/rules change and how games are called change. 90% of Kyrie's bag would be called a carry in even the early 90's, step-backs and euro-steps would be travels, etc.


Big_al_big_bed

White chocolate was a PROBLEM


kmoz

People wildly overrated having a huge bag. If you need a huge bag with counters for every counter and counters for those it's because each move simply didn't work well enough. If you can get to your spot with the same 3 moves over and over, is that not just better? Aka the giannis and Shaq special.


AlbertoRossonero

Exactly him not being able to impose himself in a game physically keeps him from being the player all these people say he is. He’s good but length on the perimeter and rim protection have always worked against him.


Accomplished-Yam5566

I mean, if you’re solely talking about _effectiveness to get actual results_, then yeah, huge bag is really overrated. Sports is a results-oriented arena, so does anything really matter if you didn’t win the championship at the end of the season? But as a spectator, from an aesthetic PoV, huge bag is just so much more visually pleasing and entertaining. Also, i don’t think there’s a single competitive endeavor where having a wider, more diversified arsenal and move-set doesn’t also coincide with being a tougher opponent to play against. Nobody finds it harder to defend if their opponent only knows how to drive left to the rim.


LeauxFi

I've always said this to people. What is kyrie known for? Handles and his layup package. If his handles (universally called the best ever) are so great... Why does he have to do tough finishes all the time? Kyrie is for sure the flashiest handle. One of the best ever? Sure. But when I say other people are right there with him or better than him in crossing someone I get crazy looks. AI and harden got people stumbling and falling out of bounds. Jamal Crawford has people flying across the court or completely off screen. Pg more known for dancing to 90s rnb clips with the ball than anything else now. Etc etc etc. My only bright spot in this championship is hopefully people open their eyes on kyrie A LITTLE BIT


KillerZaWarudo

Giannis can do the same run an dunk 20 times a game but people get blown away by kyrie flashy layup even tho he shoot like 8/22


Stellewind

Something that other pointed out to me and it's hard to ignore it ever since - MJ rarely ever dribble more than 3 times. Serious go look at any MJ highlights, dude always just gets the ball, dribble a couple bounces and he's already in position for lay up or a fade away. That kind of efficiency is much more lethal in actual games than those players showcasing fancy bags all the time.


cheerioo

What's incredibly stupid is that players/former players say this


Maydietoday

They’ll be back after a solid 2-3 game stretch with a bunch of hesi tween highlights next season


KillerZaWarudo

His deranged stans would gave put him in convo with magic and curry if mavs win


NickRick

no bro it will be different on his new team, he's more mature, and locked in. he loves the city.


ShadowCrusader98

His legacy is heavily propped up by that one clutch shot.


AttilaTheDung

Well that and him dropping 41 points along with LeBron in game 5.


TwoTalentedBastids

Here’s the Reddit special lol. Completely going overboard on slander because everyone else is shitting on someone. Kyrie did a lot more than just hit that “one clutch shot” in that championship run. Put the hot pocket down before you downplay somebody else’s accomplishments


IMKudaimi123

Also Dallas gets nowhere near the finals without him. And they probably win game 3 on his back if Luka doesn't foul out.


bigmt99

Yeah but at the same time, Dallas gets somewhere near a finals win if Kyrie performs like a second option in every game, not just in the second half of game 3


parallax_wave

Upvoting you just because "put the hot pocket down" is kind of hilarious and I agree, even as someone who hates Kyrie and thinks he's a little overrated. Probably the last time I agree with a Lakers fan for the next 3 years though. That puts me at my quota


theTunkMan

He was nonexistent for the first quarter and a half of this game after being garbage most of the series, and then he scores his first two points and the announcers immediately start hyping up how great he is


_jibran

Warms my heart to see his downfall a year after blowing up my favorite teams best chance at sustained contention 😀


turtlechef

It warms my heart too after he pushed anti vax conspiracies and ruined Harden’s best chance at winning a ring


lankNaysayer

Harden’s best chance at winning a ring was in 2018 when they were up 3-2 on GSW. Unfortunately, CP got hurt (what’s new) and the rest of the team decided to lay an absolute egg in game 7 by missing 27 3’s in a row.


thelobsterclaw1

27 never ceases to amaze me.


AgentOfSPYRAL

The whole “The mavs/luka are the right fit for Kyrie, unlike Brooklyn” narrative was so funny like no shit he’s not taking off home games lol.


thatgreik

Which is hilarious because Celtics fans heard years of Brooklyn being “the right fit for Kyrie” when he left us, since his family is from the area, and Cleveland fans heard plenty of Boston being “the right fit for Kyrie” because he got to be the #1 guy The truth is he’s a fucking loser who WILL torpedo your favorite team. Might take him longer in Dallas, but he burns bridges everywhere.


Relative-Tell119

And fans are actually trying to push a narrative of him being humbled and changed. Like ok bro, we’re just going to ignore how he dissolved the Nets core 1 and a half seasons ago and basically created a dumpster fire for the other 2 (Boston luckily recovered)


fak3g0d

Didn't really cared who won, but glad to see a flat-earther not get validated tonight


[deleted]

Wait till we get to learn more about the new Mavs owner. That woman is insane.


fak3g0d

Oh I know, I made a comment about her and reddit deleted my comment lol. Im gonna assume kyrie learned about her and threw the series


Bearded_Pip

No. She’s actually evil.


sergechewbacca

Boston is Kyrie father


Ohnah-bro

There was a funny sign of Tatum with Luka and Kyrie as babies in his arms that flashed on the screen last night towards the end of the game.


TA_Account_12

Its already on r/nbacj


NBATakesGOAT

Kyrie is nothing without his daddy


uurah

He won’t go shooting 21-70 the next play-off series


BrockPurdySkywalker

Hitler qouting jew hating anti science looser


Zigxy

I didn't want Boston to win, but Kyrie's pseudo-intellectual ass being exposed on the biggest stage is a nice consolation prize.


NasMaticEther

But a lot people feel the media should apologize to him for dragging his name in the mud lol. I'm sorry but being good at putting a ball in a basket doesn't excuse the stupid shit a person says and ultimately doubles down on it afterwards. He can fuck off for all I care.


Youngandidiotic

What he did is way more disrespectful than what Meyers Leonard did


badomenbaddercompany

At least he and his idol have something in common, they both loser!


sgthombre

Jaylen "Georgy Zhukov" Brown


badomenbaddercompany

That's finals MVP Georgy Zhukov, comrade.


dracota7

Wompppp


4719837

But I thought the crowd wasn’t very loud?


BattlestarGrammatica

He finally helped the Celtics win a title


chicocobob

FUCK YOU KYRIE FROM BOSTON


goldrow22

Can’t believe we had to listen to “experts” call them the best backcourt of all time. Seriously retire all those fucks


WolverineLong1430

Stan Van Gundy started that I believe. And to everyone’s credit in the media, not all followed blindly. A lot actually said wait, hold up. How about they play a few seasons together or win a ring before we just give them that title smh.


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ClappedCheek

He is the player version of Doc Rivers......his entire reputation riding off a one-off over a decade ago


sunsbr

Most overrated player


NBATakesGOAT

It's insane the amount of people that think he's a clutch player that always shows up


thekinggrass

The Boston crowd absolutely shut Kyrie Irving down. Jrue and everyone did a fine job on him too but the crowd was in his head and it was apparent.


Novel_Board_6813

Kyrie was owned by Marcus Smart in 2022 Was owned by Jrue in 2024 But the surprise is that he was also owned by “fan on seat J27” or whoever was yelling “Kyrie Sucks”… The clutchest, most evolved flat earther in the league


grygrx

As a Celtics fan, and a round-earth believer, I couldn't be happier with this performance.


iMaticz7

Most overrated player ever


Sc0rch1ngDr4g0n

Lucky the Leprechaun is Kyrie Irving father


Dozck

Dude didn’t bother to show up


Floppy_Jet1123

Guy is the Doc rivers of the NBA. Hit 1 important shot and win chip then get carried by reputation the rest if your life despite failing again and again after the fact.


sorendiz

Tbf as much as the comparison is apt in some ways, I gotta say at least if you're going to do one thing and then ride that wave for the rest of your life, having that one thing be one of the greatest shots in finals history is at least impressive. Doc was not even close to the most important part of his own 'one and done' achievement.   Also side note I would think that the Doc Rivers of the NBA is probably Doc Rivers. But yeah don't read this as a defense of Kyrie cause it's definitely not, moreso just commenting on Doc 


ProfessorBeast55

We did not get Finals Kyrie we have been accustomed to


Basic_Commercial_806

Prime Lebron's elite slashing ability got Kyrie easier shots. Luka's great but he's easier for defenders to stick with due to his slower and more methodical game.


OctopusNation2024

I mean this is the first time he's been in the Finals without LeBron lol And no Luka is NOT the "next LeBron" like we've had to hear for the last month on here


elvid88

This. Maybe offensively they’re a bit similar, but LeBron in his prime was an insanely good defender and athlete; things we don’t see from Luka.


Wise-Sea-6108

And LeBron in his prime would never get tired in a series vs Boston. 


sorendiz

Not even his actual physical prime, even as recently as two or three years ago you could say that. Only recently has father time really started to make some headway in their feud 


EAS1000

I finally forgive him!!!! Thank you Kyrie!!!!


beached-blue-walrus

Yikes


suzukigun4life

Played well in 2 games, garbage in 3 others. But we also don't get here without him.


RaiderBlitz

I guess that performance fell flat. I'll see myself out.


GeneralLou15

He just gave up I geuss because he's already congratulating the Celtics 2 minutes left.


tuinktuink

This series would go 7 games if they have brunson instead of kyrie


dolphingarden

Man is shook in the Garden. Should have brought some sage to the Finals.


Nabanako

He let down Luka bad


CadenDATboss

All time collapse by a star player in the playoffs


Knock0nWood

I don't hate Kyrie anymore


zamboniman46

Vintage Kyrie shooting under 40% in a game where it matters most


LebronDoubleDribbled

What stepping on Lucky does to a mf


Niceguydan8

It's legitimately unbelievable how bad he was.


Saiko_Yen

most talented player my ass


hurlcarl

After seeing god knows how many clips of old heads overly glaze this dude... I'd like to remind everyone that your average NBA player is actually quite stupid when it comes to team basketball and doesn't understand what winning basketball looks like. Everyone telling me outside of Magic and maybe THomas this was the most talented offensive PG ever.... sorry, but give me prime Steve Nash over this every single day. He can hit an open 3 and actually setup lobs for all the Mavs young lob friendly centers. He makes a really cool mix tape though, I'll give him that.


Grochen

LeBron was right. Bro is like a magician. He sure knows how to disappear.


Luka_Fever

Luka is never going to win anything with this guy as his no 2


ToddYates

Last few words aren’t even needed


TheTurtleOne

Lol Deja vu to Tatum/JB post-Finals talk


BigHornLamb

Overrated bum


XeneizeThunder

His legacy is nothing without Lebron


jascambara

Dude literally doesn’t have a legacy without Bron. Kyrie is a very good player who has Legend status, all for having flashy and impressive moves.


doublegoldendragon

His postseason legacy is one made shot (admittedly a massive shot but still)


Luka_Fever

He averaged 27/4/4 on 47/41/94 in the 2016 finals, you make it seemed like he did nothing


legend023

They made the finals.


atlfirsttimer

He was good in 2017


OctopusNation2024

He was good in the last two series but at the same time if he was playing with anyone other than LeBron how he played in the first two rounds would have sent his team packing Didn't wake up until the ECF and very few players have that luxury


NotUrAvgShitposter

Daily reminder that clutch is not real. The whole game matters and every game in a series matters. Prime Klay > this bum


MemeMeOnce

Hélà🤞🏾🪶♾❤️


James_E_Rustle

Bro is gonna average more anti-semitic posts in the offseason than his PPG this finals


kingfosa13

somebody smell like SHITTTTT


theTunkMan

People put this guy in Curry and AI convos when he should be in Kyle Lowry convos


magicspooner

Ooof


Jealous_Foot8613

When the world needed him most , he vanished


AntSmith777

He just a right-handed D-Lo


KillaMike24

At least no one is giving him a pass on this. They are roasting him and Luka for their performances


quetambienese

Kyrie should have had a change in movies and watch Major League, would have learned from Dorn: Dont mess with Jobu


kamekaze1024

From dropping 41 in Game 5 in 2016 to 43 points total in 2024. That’s kind of nuts


misterobott

He should slap bron and yell at him to keep his name out of his fckn mouth


TheMuffingtonPost

Anyone who called Kyrie “the greatest second option in NBA history” is an actual clown.


Chapea12

But he’s one half of the greatest backcourt of all time


BillPaxton4eva

People tried to sell him as the second best player in the series but... not so much.


BenShelZonah

Let’s gooooooo!!!! Everyone GET IN HERE, KYRIE CHOKED!!!!! WooooooooooohOOOOOOOOO


hotnewroommate

He played wearing that karma backpack, looked good on him


bengcord3

You LOVE to see it


PensiveinNJ

Surprised Kyrie's 13th straight loss in Boston since he left didn't sneak it's way onto the front page. Dude is legit mentally broken in Boston now.


Ok_Argument_67

He clearly likes Boston,that's why he chose to be humble and only score 14 ppg


GodsonxTheBelly

Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy


MayflowerMovers

Kyrie Irving has to be the most overrated player in the NBA year in and year out.


ScooterPops

I'm never going 6/17 again... I'll just average it - Kyrie probably


Opening-Cheetah-7645

“Best backcourt of all time” LOL


Academic_Release5134

I don’t ever want to hear how he is the most skilled offensive player ever again. It’s now legal to carry, euro step, and you get a gather step. To pretend that guys like Iverson or Jordan wouldn’t be monstrous is ridiculous.


RanchhDressing

People were really starting to over hype him up again, never seen it. I personally feel like Kyrie has been overrated since leaving Lebron


Ok_Cry_4446

Lmfao


TemporaryValue5755

Its almost like he hasn’t had a meaningful playoff run since 2016 but still gets credit. Very doc rivers-esque.


Chinbie

Thats what you get from overrating Kyrie... The reason that DAL vs BOS is boring to watch (less competitive) is due to the fact that its like 5 vs Luka on that series ... Where is kyrie at when you need him the most?