Celtics news: Terry Rozier says Kyrie Irving's spirit is still with the team

Boston Celtics point guard Terry Rozier says that Kyrie Irving's spirit is still helping Boston during this run through the playoffs.

Through the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics have grabbed a commanding 2-0 lead. This has been accomplished without the services of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who is out for the rest of the season due to knee surgery.

Without Irving on the floor, the Celtics have been able to pick up the slack collectively in his absence and that is evident through their early postseason success. According to Chris Forsberg of ESPN, veteran guard Terry Rozier stated on Thursday that Irving's influence on the team is still felt even with him not being on the floor.

Terry Rozier on Kyrie Irving's leadership from afar: "He’s here with us. His spirit is here. He’s still part of this team. He’s still our leader.” pic.twitter.com/O6cpNtpECf

— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) April 19, 2018

Boston has been playing inspired basketball on the court with steady play on both ends of the floor. It has seen many of the team's young core players step up into more prominent roles. Rozier has been at the forefront of that charge in the first-round playoff series against the Bucks by averaging 23.0 points on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc along with 5.5 assists in two games played.

This include notching at least 23 points and three made 3-pointers in each contest. Meanwhile, second-year guard Jaylen Brown has also stepped up to the challenge averaging 25.0 points on 51.2 percent shooting from the field and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc. This includes a playoff-career high 30 points in Game 2, which made him the youngest player in franchise history to record 30 points in a game topping the previous mark held by Hall of Famer Tom Heinsohn.

Rookie forward Jayson Tatum has also held his own by posting a double-double in his first career playoff game, which made him just the third rookie in team history to accomplish joining Heinsohn and Hall of Famer Bill Russell. Each of the Celtics' young core members has played a major part in the team getting off to a strong start in the postseason.

Irving may not be able to play on the court, but it is clear his presence and voice are felt on the team and that could help them make a deep playoff run in his absence. Only time will tell how far that will truly be.