Kyrie Irving’s first shot of the night in Game 4 was perhaps his easiest one. He beat Khris Middleton on the baseline and had an easy righty layup open after using the rim as protection. However, the All-Star missed the bunny, foreshadowing a night of disappointment with the Celtics' season on the line.
Irving vowed after Game 3 that fans would not see an 8-for-22 performance yet again, but he topped that dismal outing with a 7-of-22 stinker in Tuesday’s 113-101 loss to the Bucks, putting Boston down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. For the second straight night, George Hill outplayed Irving while Pat Connaughton bested Gordon Hayward in a game that marked the beginning of the end for the Celtics season.
The biggest question mark that was asked about Irving after his acquisition from the Cavaliers in August 2017 was whether he was capable of being the top star on a contender after serving as a sidekick to LeBron James for three years in Cleveland. After a year of waiting through injuries and off-court drama for his chance, the Celtics appear to have their answer just in time for the point guard to hit a summer of uncertainty in free agency.
There’s no question that Irving is an offensive star when he’s at his best, but concerns about his ability to withstand the burdens of being a No. 1 option in a playoff series against an elite defense has now shown to be valid after the last three games. Irving has connected on just 19 of 62 shots over the past three contests, shooting 30.6 percent from the floor and 20 percent beyond the 3-point arc while shooting over 20 times per game. That output has prevented the Celtics' offensive-minded small ball lineups from keeping pace with the Bucks firepower even though the poor outings have done little to impact Irving’s mindset. When asked about how he’s mentally handling the poorly timed slump, Irving declined to question himself.
"Who cares?” said Irving. "I’m a basketball player. Prepare the right way. Like I said, it’s a little different when your rhythm is challenged every play (on) down. You’re being picked up fullcourt. They’re doing things to test you. The expectations on me are going to be sky high.
"I try to utilize their aggression against them and still put my teammates in a great position, while still being aggressive. I’m trying to do it all. For me, the 22 shots, I should have shot 30. I’m that great of a shooter. I think that the consistency of just going at it, staying aggressive is always going to put us in a great position. Obviously, being more cautious on the turnovers down the stretch when they’re going on runs or managing the game better that way, I feel like I could do better, but in terms of shooting, I mean it’s the series. They’re doing a great job of loading making sure they’re putting a high emphasis on anywhere I go on the court.”
To his credit, Irving did dish out 10 assists and could have had countless more on a night where the Celtics had their second-worst shooting night of the year (37.8 percent from the field, 22 percent from 3) but his inability to capitalize on his open looks or cut out ill-advised ones (there were plenty) during this series has put the Celtics on the brink of elimination.
The bigger problem for Brad Stevens when it comes to Irving (after playing him a playoff-high 43 minutes) in the postseason is his inability to help the team in other ways when he does not have it going offensively for himself. The point guard remained a defensive liability for constant stretches during Game 4, taking on switches he had no business asking for, including Giannis Antetokounmpo on this postup.
Celtics defensive decisionmaking in the 4th was a bit confusing. Kyrie points to Morris to guard Middleton here so he can take...Giannis? pic.twitter.com/Wu4gfQK2vj
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) May 7, 2019