Kyrie Irving Is a Playoff Machine
In Monday night's Game 2 matchup with the Indiana Pacers, Kyrie Irving was a force to be reckoned with. Just ask Lance Stephenson, who is still nowhere to be found since this happened.
That was NASTY @KyrieIrving #nbaplayoffs pic.twitter.com/dGWbP2CTtF
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 18, 2017
That was but one of many plays Irving made that simply made your jaw drop.
The end result? A team-high 37 points on 14 of 24 shooting from the floor, including 4 of 10 from three and a perfect 5 for 5 from the line. And for those of you who didn't do the math, that's a true shooting percentage of 70.6%.
That's the Kyrie we're used to seeing in the playoffs. Not the one who scored an inefficient 23 points on a true shooting of 41.9% in Game 1.
A Great Championship Run
During last year's postseason, Irving became known for his clutch factor and the shot that sunk Golden State in Game 7 of the Finals, but we probably overlooked his unbelievable rise in production and efficiency.
Even with a great regular season in the books, Irving managed to better his play when it mattered the most. When averaged out over 100 possessions, the numbers say it all.
| Per 100 Possessions | PTS | 3PM | Off Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 32.1 | 2.6 | 109 |
| Postseason | 36.3 | 3.5 | 117 |
| Difference | 4.2 | 0.9 | 8 |
In terms of peripherals, Irving's numbers didn't see a noticeable boost, but his scoring did, and that's due in large part to his increased shooting efficiency.
In 53 regular season games a year ago, Irving shot 44.8% from the field and 32.1% from three for an effective field goal percentage of 49.6%. Taking into account his 88.5% from the line, his true shooting percentage jumped to 54.0%.
In 21 postseason games, the then 23-year-old shot lights out and shattered his regular season percentages. On 3.5 more shots per game, Irving shot 47.5% from the field and a ridiculous 44.0% from three. His effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage improved to 53.5% and 57.4%, respectively.
This new-found super-efficient shooting created more value for the fifth-year point guard as he bettered his regular season numbers in player efficiency rating (PER), box plus-minus (BPM) and win shares per 48 minutes (WS/48).
| Advanced | PER | BPM | WS/48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 19.9 | 1.6 | .143 |
| Postseason | 24.4 | 4.8 | .210 |
This is but a microcosm of the switch Irving seemingly hits come playoff time.
A Sparkling Reputation
If we also account for Irving's shortened playoff run in 2015 and his two games so far this postseason, we can see that his young career has been marked by a playoff gear.
| Per 100 Possessions | PTS | 3PM | Off Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 32.5 | 2.9 | 112 |
| Postseason | 33.8 | 3.3 | 117 |
| Difference | 1.3 | 0.4 | 5 |
Of course, usage is a large factor in higher volume. But -- believe it or not -- in comparison, Irving has used 0.6% less of his team's possessions while on the floor in the playoffs than he has in the regular season.
That just speaks to Irving's playoff level of efficiency, both shooting and overall.
| Advanced | PER | BPM | WS/48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 21.3 | 2.9 | .149 |
| Postseason | 23.0 | 4.2 | .202 |
A Foreseeable Future
Through two games thus far, Irving's production is there (60 points and 5 three-point makes), but his efficiency is down from a year ago due to his slow start in Game 1. His PER has slipped to 22.2, his BPM is at -4.2 and he's producing just .077 win shares per 48 minutes of play.
Don't worry, though, Cavs fans. If past performance is any indication, we can expect more performances like in Game 2 than Game 1 as Cleveland continues their quest for a second straight championship.
