On April 13, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA playoffs officially began to compete. In the first Eastern Conference playoff game, the Nets (No. 7) host to the Cavaliers (No. 8), and the winner of this game will lock in the 7th Eastern Conference to advance to the playoffs!
After the game began, Irving took the lead in shooting to help the Nets score, and then Irving began to assist his teammates frequently. Four minutes before the end of the quarter, Irving hit a mid-range shot and then counter-attacked the layup. This is not the end of the quarter, 2 minutes and 17 seconds before the end of the quarter, Irving first hit a three-point shot, then hit another mid-range shot, and one of the 5 shots in the quarter scored 11 points and 4 assists! Under his leadership, the Nets led the Cavaliers 40-20 in the first quarter.
After entering the second quarter of the game, the Cavaliers began to close the score, and Irving quickly shot a shot to help the team stabilize the situation. Irving's best performance came in the final 46 seconds of the quarter, when he hit a 3-pointer in the bottom right corner and then hit another mid-range shot. In the final moments of the quarter, Irving hit a whistle-blowing mid-range shot!
Throughout the first half, Irving scored 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting, shooting 100% from the field, the sixth time in his career that he had achieved 100% shooting in the first half (at least 5 goals), and he had won five of the previous five! Irving's hot state has also attracted crazy praise from fans and netizens, and he was even rushed to the first place in the national hot search!
After the start of the third quarter, Irving quickly hit a three-pointer at the top of the arc, and after this three-point hit, the Nets led the Cavaliers by 20 points, and the Cavaliers had no choice but to ask for a timeout, and Durant stepped forward to celebrate with Irving. In the second half of the quarter, Irving caused a foul to hit a free throw and won it under the basket, and he scored eight more points and provided four assists in this quarter. After the third quarter, Irving scored 28 points and eight assists on 11-of-11 shooting, and the Nets led the Cavaliers 85-73.
In the final quarter of the Showdown, Irving quickly shot again from mid-range, but his 100% shooting rate was interrupted in the quarter, and he missed two consecutive three-pointers. The Nets briefly faced a stubborn counterattack from the Cavaliers, but the Nets held on to the advantage and won.
In the end, the Nets defeated the Cavaliers 115:108 to advance to the playoffs as no. 7, and they will play against the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Irving played 42 minutes today, shooting 12-of-15, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, 7-of-7 from the free throw line, and one-man with 34 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists and 1 steal, and is undoubtedly the biggest contributor to the team's victory, and his first 12 shots all hit a new career record.
According to the schedule, the Nets will usher in the first game of the series with the Celtics next Monday Beijing time, and Irving will once again face his old club.