After a six-season gap, Kyrie Irving returned to the NBA Finals for his fourth appearance last year. Entering the series, he was averaging 26.5 points per game in the Finals. But going up against his former team, the Celtics, Irving was only able to put up 19.8 points per game. However, the reasons for that dip might be a little clearer now.
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During his appearance on Kai Cenat’s stream, the 2016 NBA champion reflected on his team’s Finals loss and how it has burned a fire under him.
“We lost in the Finals last year bro, you don’t think I’m a little more motivated?” Kyrie said. “Bro, we were right there. We were going against a Superteam,” the eight-time All-Star added.
Kyrie Irving on the Finals——
“We were going up against a superteam”
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) November 29, 2024
While it’s hard to argue with Boston’s roster being substantially better than the Mavericks on paper, it’s hard to classify them as a Superteam. Only two Celtics players made the All-Star team this season, and while the team does feature former All-Stars like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, it’s hard to compare them to the consensus Superteams like the KD Warriors or the Miami Big 3 or even the 2008 Boston Celtics.
However, there’s no denying that the Celtics had the deepest team in the league by far. But the term ‘Superteam’ usually carries a negative connotation in the NBA, suggesting that a side has collected all the best stars in the league to rig the competition. However, the Celtics were such a great tandem thanks to the foresight and ingenuity of their GM Brad Stevens.
Boston, still the title favorites, do boast an unbelievably talented and deep roster, and Irving is justified in finding last season’s matchup to be lopsided. Nonetheless, the term ‘superteam’ is probably best saved for Kyrie’s former roster with the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving has accepted that the Nets were a superteam
Despite not signing any bona fide superstars to support Brown and Tatum, Stevens built a supporting cast that feels as unbeatable as a superteam. It is clear that the Celtics have followed a different formula this time.
Irving must be well aware of this as Boston followed a similar approach during his brief stint there. Of course, when Kyrie was traded to Beantown, he was expected to become the franchise’s leader. At the same time, their second best player, Gordon Hayward, had also recently signed through free agency.
However, the Celtics boasted an incredibly deep roster rife with home-grown talent.
Irving’s next stint in Brooklyn though, would not beat the ‘Superteam’ label. All three of Durant, Irving and Harden, were superstars in their prime. Barring injuries, the three of them would have all participated in the All-Star game together.
“I think I would like to say something about the superteam of me, James [Harden] and KD that everyone thinks should have worked. We played very limited time together, and there were a lot of injuries that took place. I would have liked to see that work for the long term,” Irving had reflected on his stint with the Nets.
Lastly, Kyrie also played alongside LeBron James and Kevin Love, creating an underrated Big 3, but one still composed of players that were recent All-Stars.
