When All-Star forward Gordon Hayward went down in the season opener, many wrote off the Boston Celtics as any sort of legitimate threat to make a run in the Eastern Conference. Just one month later, much of the doubt surrounding Brad Stevens’ team has vanished as a result of a double-digit winning streak that featured strong showings from Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and youngsters in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
On Monday evening, that impressive run continued on the back of another heroic effort from Irving. The Celtics trailed by double-figures in the fourth quarter but, in fashion true to the team’s recent performance, the deficit against the Dallas Mavericks was not large enough to fail to overcome.
Irving produced a number of highlight plays during the stretch run. A five-point spurt in the closing seconds of regulation aided in sending the game to overtime in another opportunity to showcase Irving’s absurd level of play.
All told, the always-entertaining guard finished with 47 points on 22 (!!!) shot attempts, converting on 16 field goals, five three-point attempts, and 10 free throws to go along with six assists and a game-best +21 mark. After the game, Irving even earned the stamp of approval from general manager Danny Ainge, complete with a reference to his “flat earth” history.
Maybe the world is flat💪🏼@KyrieIrving #celticworld
— Danny Ainge (@danielrainge) November 21, 2017
Irving’s performance was impressive enough without additional context but, for a franchise as rich in history as the Celtics, more information is usually to follow. This time, it was that Irving became the first Boston player to crack 45 points on 70-plus percent shooting since the great Larry Bird in 1989.
Kyrie Irving is the first Celtic to score at least 45 points and shoot over 70% since Larry Bird on 11/10/89 vs. ATL.
— Clevis Murray (@ClevisMurray) November 21, 2017
Boston’s run to 16 consecutive wins has featured victories over some of the league’s best and, even if this particular victory did not come at the expense of a top-flight opponent, there was plenty of drama. The Celtics will likely lose in the near future but, for now, the fan base can enjoy a spectacular ride and the rest of the NBA can marvel at what the team has accomplished, largely due to the brilliance of Irving.
