Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving had his best game of his 2018-19 campaign so far against the Toronto Raptors on Friday. He was simply in the zone for the entire night as he torched and tore apart the Raptors defense. After the game, Irving described how he felt while he was on his hot streak:

“It’s pretty peaceful,” Irving said per Jack Davies of Sporting News. “Other than fatigue, I don't think anything else is really on my mind other than just the next play that needs to happen on both ends of the floor.”

“Peaceful” – not the word you'd expect when you hear someone describe themselves as “being in the zone.” Nonetheless, everything was too easy for Irving, who shot an ultra-efficient 18-of-26 from the field en route to a season-high 43 points.

Irving scored in a multitude of ways. He scored off the dribble, broke his defenders' ankles, worked his magic around the basket, and knocked down three bombs from beyond the arc as well. The Raptors felt helpless the entire evening as he methodically sliced their defense apart.

Irving had struggled to start his 2018-19 season, but has been on fire as of late. He hit rock-bottom in a game against the Detroit Pistons on October 27, where he scored just three points on the night. Fortunately for the Celtics, that proved to turn things around for the five-time All-Star. Since then, he has averaged 28.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.3 steals while shooting 56.3 percent from the field overall and 50 percent from long range.

Irving led Boston to a much needed victory over their Eastern Conference rivals, proving that they are still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have tied the season series between the two heavyweights. More importantly for us fans, these two are still set to face off two more times this season.