Fan Article of the Week: Kyrie Irving for MVP?

Here at Tailgate Sports we are introducing a new segment that will help us connect with our fans more on the topics they want to see covered.  Every week we will have a fan vote on social media (usually our Instagram @tailgate_sports) for which article, out of 2 choices, will be this week’s article of the week.  This week I was given the opportunity to write a piece voted on by the fans about Kyrie Irving as an MVP candidate.  Thank you to all the fans of Tailgate Sports. I cannot wait to write more of these for you.

So far, the Boston Celtics are the top team in the NBA and lead the Detroit Pistons by 4.5 games in the East.  This team is beautifully made up from the ground up and is easily one of the deepest teams and the top defensive team in the entire league.  Not to mention they have head coaching genius Brad Stevens behind the team, but he is not the only leader.  The Celtics had their leader in Isaiah Thomas, and heading into this season it was going to be Thomas along with Al Horford and Gordon Hayward to help lead the way to success for Boston.  

Instead the Celtics changed paths.  Kyrie Irving, young and dominating point guard in the NBA, decided it was time for him to leave Lebron James and the Cavaliers and be the leader of his own team.  As they say, when opportunity knocks, answer the door, and that is exactly what Celtics GM Danny Ainge did.  The Celtics traded G Isaiah Thomas, F Jae Crowder, C Ante Zizic and 2018 1st Round Pick (Nets) to the Cavaliers for G Kyrie Irving.  When the trade happened, I was stunned.  The departure of IT seemed unreal but I knew that we would gain a really good player in Kyrie Irving.  

The season has started and we are 21 games in and I could not be happier.  Irving is dominating and the Celtics are the best team in basketball and went on a 16 game winning streak after losing their first two games of the season.  None of this would be possible without Kyrie Irving.  Irving is averaging 23.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.1 APG, and 1.7 SPG, helping lead the Celtics to this dominating start to the season.  His numbers also don’t truly capture his impact on the floor and what he does as a floor general.

While it is extremely early to discuss this, there is really good evidence at the moment that shows that Kyrie Irving should be the NBA MVP.  He has been the focal point of the offense, helping the Celtics achieve an 18-3 record while shooting 48% from the field and 37% from three.  He has also had some great performances including a 47 point performance against the Mavericks while shooting 16-22 from the field, 5-7 from three, and 10-11 from the line, while also tallying 6 assists and 3 rebounds.  

Irving has not only fit well into the offense, but also into the defense as well.  He is playing alongside a great defensive squad with the likes of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, who have done so much to help Irving become a better defender, and he in fact leads the Celtics in steals per game with 1.7.  Irving has also been playing through a facial fracture which he suffered in game from an accidental elbow from teammate Aron Baynes.  He has put on a show even with the mask on especially in a huge win over the Golden State Warriors, where he showed up in crunch time.

While Kyrie doesn’t have the gaudy numbers like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Lebron James, he doesn’t need them to win MVP if his team is a 60+ win team.  Kyrie’s numbers will be on the rise, and watch for it because this guy has some serious MVP potential.  In a season where he has showed the NBA he can do it on his own, this organization appreciates what he has done and is loving the trade they made so far.  Kyrie for MVP is a lot more possible than you may think, so don’t write him, or the Celtics, off at all.

Written by Nick Kazandjian