“You’re Not the Same Person”: Kyrie Irving’s Mental Struggle in NBA Finals Mirrors LeBron James’ Heat Trauma, Per NBA Legend

Dallas’ run to the Finals with Luka and Kyrie made them believe that they had found lightning in a bottle. Eliminating three teams that were seeded above them to conquer the West, the Mavs had high hopes in the finals against Boston. However, their dreams were shattered in 5 games, with one of the reasons being Kyrie Irving’s constant disappointing performances at the TD Garden. Looking back on his personal troubles, Udonis Haslem was reminded of LeBron James’ struggles when he first left Cleveland in 2010.

Making an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Haslem revealed what he thought was the reason Kyrie wasn’t able to unleash his ‘Uncle Drew’ mode against the Celtics. “The whole storyline I think got to Kyrie. He did too much apologizing.” From the moment the Mavs made it to the Finals, the story of the series became Kyrie’s return to Boston and how fans would react after the way he left the team five years ago. It was evident from the first game that Boston fans still had bad blood for their former star as the arena was filled with loud boos every time he touched the ball. But despite the hostility from the fans, Kyrie decided to take the high road and took accountability for his actions.

“I failed miserably, while also not knowing how to compartmentalize or accept the emotions that come with failure. And also being on the successful side didn’t know how to handle that either,” he confessed. While a one-time apology was acceptable, Haslem didn’t like that Kyrie shifted his entire viewpoint. “You are not the same person you were when you were in Boston… He kept focusing on the past instead of the future. I would have spoken that one time and after that, I would have been sharpening my sword.” Maybe because of it, Kyrie could only score 12 and 16 points in the first two games at the TD Garden. And even after giving two decent performances in Dallas, Kyrie was again left bamboozled in front of the Boston crowd in the fifth game, scoring only fifteen points.

That’s when Haslem made the comparison with King James. “I can see LeBron James more so being relatable to Kyrie because he’s been in that situation.” Becoming the biggest villain in the league after ‘The Decision’, LeBron’s remorse for leaving his hometown could be one reason why he struggled so miserably in the finals against Dallas in 2011 and lost. “That could’ve been a part of it.” Haslem agreed.

Was LeBron James’ struggle the only reason Miami lost in 2011?

While LeBron’s mental block was one of the reasons why the Heatles failed in their first run, Haslem revealed that there were several other reasons for their downfall. Commending Mavs’ then-coach Rick Carlisle’s leadership, UD claimed that it was one of the few times Erik Spoelstra got outcoached in the playoffs. Apparently, even Coach Spo agrees with this notion. Moreover, the Mavs attacked LeBron James and Co. with a zone defense, which the Heat were clearly not prepared for. So, they couldn’t score like they usually do.

And that limited LBJ to average only 17.8 points, his worst Finals performance to this day. But that motivated him to work on his game and come back stronger. As it turns out, after the loss to the Mavs, he got in the lab with Hakeem Olajuwon and significantly improved his post-game. “That was the growth of LeBron James,” Haslem added. With new moves in his arsenal, LeBron won back-to-back titles in the next two seasons and finally accomplished his goal.

Similar to LeBron, Kyrie also needs to put his past behind him. Haslem believes Kyrie needs people in his locker room to support him, just like they stood by Bron in Miami.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise to stardom. Keep checking this space for more such updates.