Kyrie Irving has never been known to hide his opinions from the general public. Whether it’s wild speculation on the shape of our planet or how he feels this series is going, controversy usually follows the man they call “Uncle Drew”.
Kyrie Irving did the unthinkable this past weekend: he got away with criticizing the officiating of these NBA Playoffs. After claiming the the constant foul calls on Giannis Antetokounmpo “slows the game down” (his exact word choice was a bit more…shall we say abrasive), Irving came out of the weekend with no assigned fines from the league.
This off-season has seen officiating come under fire from all sorts of different outlets. In particular, the Warriors-Rockets series has seen what constitutes a “landing zone” for a three point shooter.
Surprisingly enough, this Celtics series hasn’t drawn a terrible amount of controversy outside of Irving’s comments. The reason for that is pretty straightforward: each game in this series has been a definitive blowout.
More from Hardwood Houdini
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
The Celtics executed their game-plan perfectly in game one of the series, while Milwaukee’s talent has shown through in games two and three. There hasn’t been any close calls, such as Harden’s potential game tying 3-pointer in game one of Rockets-Warriors.
Irving’s comments will likely bring extra attention to the Greek Freak’s drives tonight. They almost seem like a built-in excuse. Either way, Irving’s words can be a positive for Boston if the league feels as though Greek Freak has gotten the benefits of the referees’ calls.
For Irving, though, he should be more focused on the action in between the lines. His team is down 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and he reportedly yelled at his teammates, coaches and the referees in game three.
He even had choice words for the media. While claiming he is an actual basketball genius, Irving also took shots at basketball writers and reporters, saying:
“I’ve been playing basketball a lot longer than some of these people analyzing the game.”
While Irving is certainly correct, his lashing out at reporters is not a good look. The game exists because of the interactions of the media, the players and the fans. Irving needs to focus more on the things he can control, such as a make-or-break game three Monday night.