Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan admitted that staying in front of Boston Celtics superstar Kyrie Irving is easier said than done.
Irving led a furious rally to help the Celtics escape with a come-from-behind 99-91 win over the Pacers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Indiana looked lost when Irving was torching them in the fourth period, and McMillan admitted that guarding the Celtics guard is very challenging.
“It's hard when you're out there on an island by yourself and you're trying to keep Irving in front of you,” McMillan said of stopping Irving via Jay King of The Athletic.
Kyrie Irving was simply unstoppable on Wednesday night, as he finished with 37 points on 15-for-26 shooting from the field, including a 6-for-10 clip from beyond the arc. The All-Star guard also added seven assists, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal for Boston.
The six-time NBA All-Star spearheaded the huge run for Boston in the payoff period after trailing by as much as 12 points early in the quarter. The Celtics outscored the Pacers, 31-12, in the fourth en route to the huge comeback win, avoiding losing homecourt advantage to the dangerous Indiana squad.
Jayson Tatum also had a huge night for Boston, finishing with 26 points with three 3-pointers on top of four rebounds and two assists. Al Horford had just four points but ended up with 10 rebounds, while Gordon Hayward came off the bench to contribute 13 points and five boards.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be on Friday at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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