In the first game of the 2021-22 playoff, Kyrie Irving staged a gorgeous solo show, hitting 12 shots in 15 shots, scoring 34 points and 12 assists, helping the Nets beat the Cavaliers 115-108 and successfully qualify for the playoffs.
Because of the "vaccine incident" that disrupted the Nets' entire championship plan, Irving is using actual performance to complete self-redemption.
From "Sinner" to "Hero"
This season's Nets have experienced ups and downs, from the number one favorite to win the championship before the start of the season, to now competing for a playoff spot through the playoffs, which is enough to illustrate their struggle. And it all started with Owen.
Because of the conflict between personal choices and New York City's epidemic prevention policies, Irving was banned from participating in home games at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, and the team even let Irving temporarily stay away from the team in order not to destroy the continuity, hoping that one day he could return as a full-time player.
However, because Harden was in poor shape, Harris had a serious ankle injury, and the epidemic after Thanksgiving caused a large impact, the Nets were overstretched in employment and had to change their decision to let Irving rejoin the team as a part-time employee.
This situation lasted for nearly three months, during which the Nets had many major changes - Durant was injured, Harden applied for a trade to leave, and the team suffered the longest 11 consecutive losses of the season.
But when Irving was able to play, his personal performance was impeccable, playing a total of 21 away games before making his home debut against the Hornets on March 28, averaging 27.7 points and 5.5 assists per game, shooting 49.1% from the field and averaging just 2.3 turnovers per game.
As the regular season drew to a close, the Nets began to reap good news, first with Durant returning from an injury stop for 21 games, then New York City revising its epidemic regulations, and Irving being allowed to play in home games and resume full-time player status. Led by two people, the Nets got back on track, ending the regular season with a wave of 12 wins and 5 losses, from eleventh in the East to seventh in the East, and although they still failed to escape the playoff zone, they won a relatively favorable position for themselves.
Today's game, the Nets play the Cavaliers as the seventh in the East, as long as they win to advance. Irving opened the game with full fire, with a signature breakthrough layup for the Nets to open the record, the first quarter of the game, Irving 5 shots, scored 11 points, but also sent 4 assists, driven by him, the Nets single quarter blast 40 points, establishing a huge 20-point lead, setting a perfect tone for the game.
The word "perfect" can not only be used to describe the Nets' opening performance today, but also the key word for the European text game. Today's Irving, once again showed his pure combination of ball skills, as well as a rare soft feel, until the fourth quarter with 10 minutes and 09 seconds left, he shot out of the basket at a difficult three-point shot in the bottom right corner, which was the first time he missed a shot in the game - before that, he shot all 12 shots, 3 free throws, and had already scored 30 points!
Statistics: in a game of the first 12 shots, a new personal career record for Irving (previously the first 10 shots were all shots); this is the first player after LeBron in 2020 to cut at least 30 points and 10 assists in the playoffs with more than 80% of the hits; further back, Irving is also the only player in NBA playoff history to score at least 30 points and 12 assists with more than 80% of the shooting, and another Michael Jordan in 1991.
The Nets were able to lead the Cavaliers in the whole game and advance smoothly, of course, not all thanks to Irving. Durant contributed 25 points and 11 assists on 9-of-16 shooting today, both offensively and defensively; Bruce Brown had 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, almost playing a triple-double; young center Clarkston also delivered 13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks...
Still, Irving remains the key figure in the Nets' early victory and brooklyn's "city hero" today.
Perfect two-in-one
This season, the Nets started from the Big Three, and now only two superstars have led the team, leaving a lot of regrets. However, with Harden's departure, the roles of Durant and Irving have become clearer: Durant is not only the star of the house, but also the number one choice on the offensive end, and Irving is the most perfect second boss on Durant's side.
Earlier this season, when Irving had yet to return to full-time status, Steve Nash was asked what Irving missed most with the Nets. Nash replied: "His talent, he can add some of the things that we're not good at at the moment: breakthroughs, the ability to create shooting opportunities, projection, space, that's all the contribution he can provide." ”
Now, Irving is back to being the reliable fighter who can play 40 minutes every game, and the contribution that the coach expects, he has not lost all of it! And, crucially, all he did greatly lightened durant's burden.
The data shows that despite Harden's departure from the Nets, Irving has not been transformed into an organizer because that is not what he is best at. In the post-Harden era, Irving's main function on the court is still to destroy the city and pull out the way, and it has become more direct and pure than ever.
According to statistics: Last season, Irving averaged 20.1 shots per game (including 7.0 three-point shots), averaging 26.9 points per game and giving 6.0 assists, and this season, his average shooting per game increased to 21.2 (8.2 three-point shots), contributing 27.4 points per game, but assists dropped to 5.8.
Last season, despite having Harden on the team, Irving's usage rate still reached 29.7% and the assist rate was 26.9%. This season, Irving's average playing time and shots per game have improved, but the usage rate has dropped to 28.3%, and the assist rate is only 23.5%.
Notably, Irving's average number of singles rounds per game increased from 4.3 last season to 5.5 this season, and the frequency of singles increased from 17.6% last season to 21.8% this season.
Although a guard player, Irving is more of a pure scorer than Harden, and a large part of his assists come from attracting the ball after the bag, unlike Harden, who is the main initiator of offensive tactics. On Durant's side, this style of play may be more suitable.
As the top offensive player in history, Durant has a good ability to catch the ball, but he is also good at singles with the ball, and he can adapt to playing the role of the receiving point around Harden, who has been holding the ball for a long time, but doing so cannot fully release his energy.
With Irving, Durant can transform into a forward, he sent a career-high 16 assists against the Pacers in the final game of the regular season, and today, with Irving's full firepower, he also concentrated on making the ball for his teammates for most of the game, completing a double-double again. The two superstars combined to have the Nets' firepower.
Irving is not a perfect core of the team, leaving aside the off-court factors, this season's Durant, Harden is not in the game, Irving single core led the team's record is 0 wins and 5 losses. When Durant and Harden were not present, Irving single-handedly led the team to a net loss of 4.1 points per 100 rounds.
However, when Irving and Durant are on the floor at the same time, the Nets can win 13.1 points per 100 rounds, and the offensive efficiency is 122.8 points per 100 rounds!
In addition, when playing at the same time as Irving, Durant's usage dropped by more than 5 percentage points, from 32.2% to 27.1%, and the true shooting percentage rose from 62.8% to a terrible 65.7%!
All of this confirms that Owen Durant is a match made in heaven, and as the second boss, he can not only relieve Durant's pressure, but also make the other party play more comfortable and efficient.
Irving continues to evolve?
Although missing the first 35 games of the season and then going through a long part-time period, Irving's on-field performance proved that he did not stop training and wasted his skills.
His season average of 27.4 points per game is irving's career-high, and his 8.2 three-point shooting per game and 41.8 percent long-range shooting percentage are career highs.
Irving's true shooting percentage has decreased compared to last season, but it's understandable considering he's significantly increased the frequency of singles on top of that. And a month after the All-Star, when Irving was at his best, you can clearly feel his "evolution".
From Feb. 27 to March 24, Irving played in six games, averaging 38.7 points per game, shooting 58 percent, 55 percent, and 89 percent from the field, three-pointers, and free throws, including 38 points against the defending champion Bucks, the most efficient 50-point performance in history against the Hornets (15-of-19 shooting), a personal and Nets all-time high of 60 points in just 35 minutes and 31 shots against the Magic, and a 43-pointer and eight assists against the league's top defensive powerhouse, the Grizzlies.
No matter what you think of Owen's off-court turmoil, you can't help but be amazed by this fairy-like performance after another.
Owen is considered to be one of the most outstanding players in the history of basketball, and his ability to move, control, suddenly and shoot has long been in full swing, and it is almost difficult to find room for improvement. This makes his "continuous evolution" this season even more incredible.
To summarize the improvement of Irving's personal performance, in addition to the excellence of technical polishing, it is also necessary to consider two levels of factors. The first is physical reasons. For reasons that are well known, Irving has only played a total of 30 games this season, including today's play-offs, which makes him extremely physically energetic and therefore increases the efficiency of the game.
Statistics: Irving averaged only 18 points per game and shot 31.7% in his second back-to-back game (3 in total) this season; 26.4 points per game in games with a one-day break (14 games), shooting 46.9%; in games with two days off (3 games), he averaged 26.3 points per game, shooting 49.1%; and in games with at least three days off (9 games), he averaged 32.7 points per game, shooting 51%!
Irving also had a previous season of averaging 27.4 points per game, in 2019-20, when Irving played only 20 games due to injury.
Playing the Cavaliers today, Irving shot all 12 of the first, but in the last 11 minutes of the game, there was no hit in 3 shots, and it is no accident that I think it is not accidental. Of course, the Nets had death in the deciding moment to come out and harvest the game, and Irving's perfect hit performance in the first three quarters was enough.
In addition to physical problems, Irving's personal status improvement this season is also mentally motivated. We know that great scorers must be based on strong self-confidence, and Irving's "self-release" on the sidelines, although it has caused some damage to the team, it also shows that his current inner world has become strong to a certain extent.
After the crazy scoring performance of the magic, Owen also talked about related topics, when he attributed his outstanding performance to the spiritual inspiration of idol Kobe.
In that game, Irving chose some super difficult shots, explaining after the game that the ball he usually doesn't shoot, but "still took out my Kobe skill pack." ”
After today's victory over the Cavaliers, the Nets have locked up the No. 7 seed in the East and will host the first round of the playoffs against the Celtics in a few days. Can Irving personally eliminate his other old club and help the Nets move on? We'll see.