Kyrie Irving has established himself as an elite player in the league through his immaculate ball-handling skills and scoring prowess. Irving secured his Championship ring in 2016 after a dominant performance in the Finals series. Even though LeBron James ended up winning the Finals MVP for the Cleveland Cavaliers, there’s no denying that Irving’s role in the win was a close second. Therefore, when some rogue fans questioned his playoff performance on his Discord server, Irving stood up to defend himself against the naysayers.
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The 31-year-old has played in 74 games in the postseason and averaged 23.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in his career. During his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as mentioned before, Kyrie Irving had made some memorable postseason runs alongside LeBron James. Kyrie’s clutch Game 7 shot against the Warriors in 2016 and his amazing 41 points on 71/74/100 splits certainly cemented his legacy as a playoff star. However, the veteran guard has been unable to replicate this success with his other teams since leaving Cleveland.
On his discord server, a fan recently highlighted how Kyrie’s recent playoff performances have been sub-par compared to his regular season showing. This comment was noticed by the 2016 champion, who promptly replied, “The goal isn’t to make it to the playoffs blood, it’s to win a championship. I guess all 29 other teams fail when they win, huh?” Challenging the fan to look up his Finals stats, Irving added, “And also, what’s my PPG in the Finals?”
Irving has averaged 27.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in the 13 NBA Finals games he has played in his career. Adding to his reply to the fan, Irving said, “I think I am in the top 10 at least.”
Kyrie is not far from the truth in his estimation, as he ranks 12th on the list of players with the highest PPGs in the NBA Finals. Once again, when another fan tried highlighting Irving not receiving enough credit for his 2016 championship run, Kyrie promptly replied, “I don’t play basketball for credit, my brother, I play basketball because I love it.”
This spirit in Kyrie makes him an elite baller among his contemporaries in the league. Irving is content with his contributions to his team and doesn’t ask for more, reflecting his selfless attitude toward his team and fellow teammates on the floor. The veteran guard has a good chance to win it all this year if he stays healthy. His pairing with MVP candidate Luka Doncic has been proven to be elite in many ways. However, the Mavs’ shaky defense and lack of depth have contributed to their downfall in the business end of the season in recent times.
How do Kyrie Irving’s stats in the Finals compare in the league?
Kyrie Irving has averaged 27.7 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 13 games played in the NBA Finals. His highest score in a Finals game is 41 points against the Warriors in 2016. The eight-time All-Star also has three 30+ point games and two 40+ point games in his Finals resume.
Irving stands 12th in the leaderboard for points per game and ranks 8th in PPG among players who have played over 10 Finals games. Only if unfortunate injuries didn’t derail his form during phenomenal postseason runs, the Dallas Mavericks star could have possibly won more than one championship.
