It’s too simplistic to put all the blame of Boston’s lost 2018-19 season at the feet of this basketball supernova, who declared as recently as early May, “I’m an actual genius when it comes to the game.”cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
Don’t snicker too loudly — he’s not entirely wrong. The talent is unmistakable, the work ethic indisputable and the courage to take a shot in the biggest moment is what drew the Celtics to him in the first place. Yet Kyrie’s awkward attempts at providing forceful leadership proved to be flawed, and ultimately destructive. His journey began as an earnest attempt to fulfill his dream of leading his own team to the pinnacle, but he failed spectacularly, with help from a disjointed collection of talented individuals who simply could not figure out how to collaborate in unison.
In fact, it didn’t take long for Boston’s coaching staff to grow concerned about the team’s vibe. They peeked in on the preseason pickup games and discovered young players who experienced exhilarating results the previous season by making the extra pass, but were now jacking up shots and running isolation plays. Ironically, it was Irving who implored his teammates to share the ball in the infancy of the season. And yet, by season’s end, it was Kyrie who had hijacked the offense.cheap nfl jerseys china nike
Celtics coach Brad Stevens says he knew from the beginning it would be a challenging season for Boston.
“The bottom line,” Stevens told ESPN, “is that we had seven perimeter guys who were all very good players, and all of them brought something different and unique to the table. If you ask any one of them, I’m sure they’ll tell you it was hard to find all that they wanted this season.
“I don’t lose any sleep over that. They were all extremely competitive, well-intentioned guys. The pieces just didn’t fit.”
