Despite Kyrie Irving putting 21 points per game on a respectable 43.4% shooting from the field in the 2024 Finals against the Boston Celtics, legend Bob Cousy brutally attacked the Dallas Mavericks guard’s superstar tag. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Cousy claimed his former squad isn’t doing anything special to stall Kai but is still pinning him down which puts Kai’s superstar status in doubt. Marc Jackson couldn’t disagree more with Cousy’s comments and turned his attention to Irving’s unquestionable Hall-of-Fame credentials.
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Jackson urged the Celtics legend to halt his out-of-the-blue attack on the 2016 champion and firmly relayed that Irving deserves a ton of respect for what he has accomplished. On his Come and Talk 2 Me podcast, the former Knicks guard asked Bob Cousy to recognize a legendary player of Kyrie Irving’s stature. In a conversation with his son Bluu Jackson, Marc Jackson expressed,
“Bob Cousy, pump your brakes on the attack of Kyrie Irving. Put some respect on his name, he is a champion, and he’s an All-Time Great. Let us not go out a way to attack a fellow NBA player and will one day join you in the Hall of Fame.”
While Jackson respects Bob Cousy to the core, he didn’t appreciate what he perceived as unnecessary remarks toward one of the most skilled players in NBA history. But did Bob Cousy have a point?
Bob Cousy believes the Celtics have exposed Kyrie Irving
Through the first two games of the Finals, Kai couldn’t cross the 20 points per game barrier and shot below 40% which put his squad’s offense in jeopardy leading to a 0-2 deficit. He did recover with an incredible 35-point performance in Game 3 but his Mavs fell short again. Thus, Cousy wasn’t convinced about Irving’s effort as his squad could not get on top repeatedly.
He said that the Celtics are not laying out special traps or employing nuanced defensive schemes to contain Irving but he is still struggling. Thus, he doubted his superstar credentials at the ultimate stage of the NBA playoffs. Cousy told the Boston Globe,
“The Celtics have exposed Kyrie Irving as not quite a superstar. He has been severely subdued. They’re not even trapping him a lot. They’re doing it one-on-one. Kyrie’s working his ass off and they’re still stopping most of his stuff. He’s no longer in the superstar category. You’ve got to function in the playoffs to determine where you are in the hierarchy.”
Maybe his bias toward the Celtics is playing a role in rolling out such scathing criticism. Currently 95 years old, the 6x champion has a desire to watch his Celtics lift their 18th championship before it is too late.
But that doesn’t change the fact that apart from a couple of difficult nights, Kyrie Irving has been impeccable throughout the playoffs and his record proves that he is deserving of the tag of superstar irrespective of what happens in this Finals series.
