NBA Finals Player Preview: Kyrie Irving

The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the NBA Finals and Kyrie Irving gets a second chance to make a first impression.

The basketball world remembers how Kyrie Irving’s 2015 Finals ended. In a clip that will probably be played this week, Irving cracked knees with Warriors guard Klay Thompson, hobbled as the game moved on without him, before exiting with a grimace on his face and going back to the locker room. His collision with Thompson ultimately resulted in a knee fracture that ended his Finals just as they were getting started. The Cavs went on to lose the series in six games.

Prior to getting hurt, Irving was great against the Warriors. He finished his one Finals game with 23 points on 10-22 shooting, six assists and just one turnover. Perhaps most notably, Irving played effortful defense that limited his inherent flaws on that end. He even blocked Steph Curry after Curry beat him off the dribble.

Heading into this year’s Finals, Irving has been spectacular sans two games in Toronto. To date, he’s averaging 24.4 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 45.6 percent from three. He’s also averaging 5.1 assists against 2.1 turnovers per game while generally playing hard on defense. Other than some Kyle Lowry outbursts, Irving has been smart and engaged on defense. That’s generally enough considering his ability to get buckets at an elite level.

In the Cavs’ rematch, Irving probably has to be great for however long the series goes. On offense, he has to score and take pressure of LeBron James, while making Thompson and Curry work possession after possession. In particular, Irving can wear Curry and others down by orchestrating things out of the pick-and-roll. On defense, he needs to play hard enough to make sure Thompson doesn’t come clean off screens and Curry can’t get off threes without a hand in his face. Even if they make those shots — and they will because that’s what they do better than anyone — having to work for them adds up over time. If Irving plays at that level for a whole series, he’ll be a strong candidate for Finals MVP.

We’ve seen Irving be great in one Finals games. This year, he’ll need to be great for more than that and maybe replace the image of that grimace with a smile.

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