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Kyrie Ahead of Game Against Warriors on What Special Players Do in 1on1 Matchups (Video)

The Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night at the Barclays Center 109-102, winning their 13th straight game. Celtics star point guard Kyrie Irving had 25 pts and 5 asts. He didn’t shoot it well (8-20), but made the the shots and plays when they mattered most. Throughout the game, which was there for the Nets to win, Kyrie displayed the dazzling handles and creativity that make him one of the elite players in the league. After the game, in the locker room media scrum the questions began to focus on the Celtics primetime TNT showdown on Thursday night against the defending champion Golden State Warriors. The Celtics will be looking to push the streak to 14 and get a true test to see how they compare to the best in the league. Ever the competitor, Kyrie is looking forward to this matchup.

Now that he is the focal point and the engine that drives coach Brad Stevens system, Kyrie looks at this matchup against the Warriors from a more holistic perspective. He sees it as an opportunity for he and his teammates to gel. While the team is 13-2 and sits atop the league standings, the offense still hasn’t really clicked yet and the team is working through “growing pains.” Winning 13 straight makes it a little easier, but Kyrie knows they have a long way to go. He also knows there will be a lot of attention paid by us in the media to the various individual matchups. Kyrie v Klay, Kyrie v Steph, etc.

For the most part Kyrie says you have to work off the team concept and not get caught up in the 1on1 matchup. I asked him, how hard it is to stay disciplined when another elite guy comes at you. He said: “the special players figure out a way to go back at them, within the system.” It was a good answer and also revealing. As the engine of this system and the man with the ball in his hands the majority of the time, he can dictate when to go back at someone and challenge them. A luxury he didn’t always have while playing in Cleveland with LeBron James.

Kyrie is relishing this role as team leader and focal point of the offense. He has communicated numerous times how excited he is to be working within Stevens’ system in Boston. Thursday night at home against the Warriors will be a showcase of the league’s elite and another step in the process for Kyrie and his Celtics.

Flip the page for full video of Kyrie’s comments.

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