Boston Celtics: Kyrie Irving Shows Out, Wins Against His Former Team

Kyrie Irving scored 29 points to lead the Boston Celtics in a 128-95 rout of his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When Kyrie Irving asked out of Cleveland, he saw the writing on the wall–LeBron James was going to the Los Angeles Lakers– and knew better than anybody not to stick around see the results.

Irving saw James handpick his roster and create a team around his talents, and wanted an opportunity to choose a team the same way himself. The Boston Celtics were on a short list of teams Irving would play for; when he heard news of the trade he jumped for joy.

On Friday night, Irving scored 29 points as the Boston Celtics defeated his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 128-95, at the TD Garden. Irving scored 19 of those points in the first half, his highest first half output of the season.

Irving not only helped the Celtics get off to a good start, but also came back in to help Boston retake the lead when they lost it in the second quarter when he was on the bench.

After Smart fouled a shooter to let Cleveland cut the Boston to lead to single digit with seconds left in the first half, Irving furiously dribbled full court in three seconds and found Marcus Morris for a buzzer beating three to end the half, putting Boston ahead, 62-52.

Irving opened the second half feeling just as frisky. He finished the game shooting 11-for-15 and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. The former Cavs point guard led seven Celtics in double figures, and only had to play 27 minutes as the reserves played most of the fourth quarter.

Since being traded to Boston for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and a first round pick, Irving has played against the Cavaliers three times, averaging 17 points, 7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds with the Celtics going 1-2.

On Opening Night last season, Irving posted 22 points and 10 assists as the Celtics lost by three to the Cavs in the wake of Gordon Hayward‘s gruesome injury. Irving got his first win against his old team on January 3, 2018. He missed all five three-pointers and scored just 11 points, but Terry Rozier dropped 20 points off the bench and Irving pulled down 9 rebounds, and and dished 6 assists.

Before getting traded to Boston, Irving played his first six seasons in Cleveland. He won Rookie of the Year, made five All-Star teams and an All-NBA team, and won a championship in 2016, hitting the famous game-winning shot in Game 7.