After two underwhelming seasons with the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving has decided to move on and join a team that's near his hometown, the Brooklyn Nets. He will pair with fellow All-Star Kevin Durant, with the hopes of winning championships.
But before his fallout with the Celtics, Irving left the team with some good memories too, including epic games that reminded people that despite his injury woes, he's still one of the best point guards in the NBA.
So let's all look back at three of Kyrie's best games from last season.
November 16 versus the Toronto Raptors
The Celtics didn't start the season the way they hoped they could. At this point, they had a win-loss record of 9-6 and was about to face one of the best teams in the East. The Raptors came into this game at 12-3, thanks in large part to Kawhi Leonard, whom they traded for last summer.
What Kyrie wanted all season long was for the Celtics to show the rest of the league that they can bounce back from a rough start, and in this game against the Raptors, he definitely led by example. He finished with a season-high 43 points, 11 assists, and three steals. He was also very efficient on the offensive end, shooting a whopping 69 percent from the field (18-26).
Irving was unstoppable as the Celtics beat the Raptors 123-116 in overtime.
January 18 versus the Memphis Grizzlies
Record-wise, January was the best month of the Celtics last season as they finished with an 11-4 record. They were also coming into the game eight games above .500, which gave fans yet another glimpse of hope that the team is starting to show championship pedigree.
On this day, the Celtics faced the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that, coincidentally, is one of the worst teams in January. Irving was determined to help Boston climb up to the standings, and he didn't care about the fact that they were facing one of the worst teams in the league. He went off for 38 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds, shooting an astounding 66 percent from the field (14-21).
The Celtics won 122-116, the second of their eventual five-game winning streak to close the month.
March 9 versus the Los Angeles Lakers
The Celtics came into this game looking to avenge their February 8 loss at the hands of their long-time arch-rivals. At this point, Boston was on their way to the playoffs while the Lakers were still holding onto the possibility of getting out of their slump and making one final postseason push.
Irving faced his former teammate LeBron James, who had a triple-double in this game. Not to be outshined, Kyrie had one of his best all-around performances of the season as he finished with 30 points on 12-18 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks.
The Celtics sent the Lakers to their fifth consecutive loss with a 120-107 victory.
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The Celtics' hopes of building a championship team around Irving failed miserably because of several issues which ultimately led to Kyrie's decision to leave. What was once one of the best NBA stories centered on commitment and dedication to winning ended with a disappointing conclusion?
Now, both the Celtics and Irving are looking to have fresh starts, the former has a new star and the latter has a new team. Hopefully everything turns out great for both sides.
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