Having to do without the services of cornerstone point guard Kyrie Irving is an undeniable disadvantage for the Boston Celtics. However, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue downplayed his absence by stating that he feels that the Celtics are no different with or without Irving.
According to Mark Chiarelli of Mass Live, coach Lue had this to say about the C’s not having their best player available:
“They're the same team,” said the 41-year-old.”I think they run the same things. Brad's done a great job of having a great system. A few players like Kyrie and Gordon (Hayward) goes down, they just plug guys in and run the same system and guys produce.”
Although this statement may be misinterpreted by some as a discreet shot towards the impact his former star point guard has on his new team, this is actually more praise directed towards the remarkable work of Brad Steven and his plug-and-play system.
Stevens had to make major changes on the fly and under tremendous pressure after losing two All-Star-caliber players through injuries. His methods proved to be highly successful as the Celtics have shown no signs of missing their two best players.
Tyronn Lue also went through a similar scenario at the start of the season when Irving departed for Boston, but the void he has left in Cleveland is more apparent.
It’s a shame that we won’t be seeing Irving take on his old team this year, but the unanticipated and spectacular rise of players such as Terry Rozier and Jayson Tatum have given the Celtics more than just a fighting chance against the defending Eastern Conference champions.
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