The Brooklyn Nets were one of the title favorites in the Eastern Conference in the pre-season. Unfortunately, the Nets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs on Tuesday. The Boston Celtics pulled off a 4-0 series sweep against Brooklyn, ending all hopes of a championship win. The Nets could not handle the enormous pressure of early series losses, with Kyrie Irving struggling during the last two games.
Kyrie has been considered one of the gifted and skilled players of the modern NBA era. The seven-time NBA All-Star has entertained the spectators for the last eleven years since he joined the Clevland Cavaliers in 2011. Unfortunately, he could not help the Brooklyn Nets beat the second-ranked Boston Celtics to move into the second round of the playoffs.
Irving is known for his game-winning three-pointer in the seventh game of the NBA Finals. However, Kyrie has not been able to perform consistently in the playoffs since he ended his partnership with LeBron James and left Cleveland in 2017. Further, Kyrie was expected to perform the same way with Kevin Durant for the Nets as he did with LeBron James. However, the 30-year-old has not been able to pull off a championship win with Durant. Moreover, Irving has not been able to make it to the Conference Finals since he left Cleveland.
Kyrie Irving Faces Fifth Playoff Disappointment In A Row
Irving moved to the Boston Celtics in 2017. Moreover, the Celtics reached the Conference Finals in 2018. However, Irving injured himself and could not feature in the playoffs for Boston. His absence allowed rookie Jayson Tatum and sophomore Jaylen Brown to emerge as crucial players. Four years later, Tatum and Brown played instrumental roles in handing the Nets a 4-0 sweep during the playoffs’ first round and kicking them out of the tournament.
Meanwhile, in 2019, Irving left the Celtics and joined the Brooklyn Nets that summer. However, he was not healthy enough again to play in the pandemic-affected 2020 playoffs. Kyrie got hurt again last year. And Kevin Durant was left all alone to deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. resulting in a second-round loss in 2021. Nothing has changed for Irving this season, as he failed to put up a valuable performance against the Celtics resulting in a first-round exit.
It is safe to say that LeBron James is a serious finals competitor no matter which team he has played for. And Kyrie had certainly profited from his partnership with the King. Sadly, Durant has failed to show the same ability as LeBron. Irving had to deal with some serious trouble this season. He missed a lot of games due to his stand against the vaccination. Kyrie would be hoping that the Nets put their trust in him for one more season in the offseason. Irving would really like the opportunity to change his weak playoff stats.