On March 13, Beijing time, the US media posted Irving's outstanding defensive masterpieces in the past two seasons (including the playoffs), including the performance of the last defensive Harden, with the text: "Who said Irving would not defend? ”
The data shows that in the game against the Celtics in March 2021, he defended 2 of 9 opponents; in April 2021, he defended against the Suns, he defended 1 of 10 opponents; in June 2021, against the Bucks, he defended against 0 of 8 opponents! Of course, there was a recent big victory over the 76ers, and he defended Harden 1 of 8! In that game, Harden totaled 3 of 17, with a large part of Irving's credit!
"I just took the task and did everything I could to make him uncomfortable," said Irving after the game, referring to his performance on the defensive Harden, "Obviously, it's not his norm to shoot like this, and as a competitive guy, I enjoyed this moment against other great players." "
The famous Perkins also praised Irving's defensive mane. "To pay tribute to Irving, who has been defending Harden all game and has taken the initiative to take on this responsibility. He defended Harden as easily as folding clean sheets. ”
Unfortunately, Irving has not been vaccinated, which means that the Nets have only 4 of the remaining 15 regular season games. So far this season, Irving has played in 18 games for the Nets, averaging 25.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.