Steph averaged 26.4 PPG, 9.4 APG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.2 SPG in the 2017 Finals. I'm glad Cleveland was comfortable with that.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

He wasn't killing Irving during One on one matchups. Lot of picks open jumpers and free throws. Irving murdered him the previous season. They had to beg Durant to play with them after ass whooping he inflicted on Curry.

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I don't think he will be traded either. He will be on Cleveland's opening day roster.

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None of this is actually true though. That's the problem

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Ok. Where are the YouTube highlights. Won't be difficult for me to dig up inverse highlights of Irving taking out Curry. WE KNOW THOSE EXIST.

_________________

once you learn it's a team game you'll be better off

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

That why G.S begged for Durant and not Tony Snell. Yeah you're right.

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Defensive statistics comprised by a guy that is consistently assigned to offensively challenged players goes a long way towards suggesting it.

On the flip side was always LeBron James. I'd always here how he was the best defender in the league then you watch the finals or other series and he is guarding Kendrick Perkins. Bite me with the defensive scheme garbage too. Guys that guard non scorers all the time should never been in any defensive conversation because it's really no way to know if they are playing defense.

_________________

Obama is not the toughest president in the world because he never faced Kimbo Slice in a mud wrestling match.

_________________
Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

Had he faced Bobo Brazil then you'd have an argument.

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Thompson would probably tie or break Curry's record for most 3-pointers in a game if Irving ever guarded him one-on-one for an entire 48 and would probably average 30+ if they did that across an entire series.

You don't know that for sure. What we do know is that G.S. attempted to have Curry guard Westbrook and Irving during critical playoff series. In both cases Particularly Irving's he was thoroughly dominated. Once they moved him off of him and Westbrook the case for Curry and his non existent defense was over.

In every finals series over the past 3 years Irving has checked Curry. Even during the game 3 season ago when Irving was limping on the bad foot and could barely run he checked Curry. Last year's finals. This year's finals his assignment has been Curry. Curry has not been the assignment for Irving during the past 9 finals games. Any discussion of his defensive prowess is over.

By the way isn't Curry supposed to dominate Irving given his woes defensively? Hasn't really happened. Last year Curry was bad offfensively and this year he hit his average.

I'm still looking for the "MANY" highlights showing Curry destroying the dude too.

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And as FF noted for this year's finals Curry put up 27/8/9. And before you whine about "open guys" rather than dominating Irving one on one (as if that alone somehow proves true defensive quality), lots of those assists came from Curry finding Durant or the other open man from the double team Irving's "checking" of him frequently necessitated.

Curry just put up the best plus/minus numbers ever recorded in the postseason, so either he's such a great offensive players that his contributions at the end more than outweigh his defensive liabilities (in a way, say, that Irving's own defensive lapses and offensive contributions simply didn't balance out as evidenced by the -6.7 he rocked for the finals) or he's simply not as bad as you're so desperately making him out to be.

+/-? That's mostly a team generated stat and speaks mostly to the quality of opponents than anything. The mere fact that you keep focusing on the defensive "lapses of Irving (Where is the tape if there are so many lapses) while ignoring the biggest "lapse" of all (fact that Curry had to check J.R. Smith and Shumpert) speaks volumes. I don't care if Curry dropped 60 on Irving it still would not change the fact that he runs from him on defense. And while everyone keeps talking about Curry and his great historical numbers; in key categories the numbers are eerily similar and at the same stage of the careers Irving was decidedly the better player. He also played with a supporting cast that was much worse.

In the head to head matchup true head to head (not that crap guys like you and FF keep spewing) he murdered him. Once they remove Curry from him that ends it. I don't care what Curry does offensively from that point. There is no pressure in guarding J.R. and that's why he is on him. Irving's numbers against an elite defender in Klay Thompson wasn't chopped liver either. Check his numbers out over the 2 year stretch. While you are speculating I'm speaking "facts". Curry doesn't want to see anyone with an offensive game and while guys like you keep referencing how great he is that needs to be mentioned.

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For all the bandwidth LTG wastes hyping up Irving you'd think this guy is God's greatest gift to basketball or something. I thought I'd take a look at his accolades because surely God's greatest gift must have some sort of record. My suspicion was right. Check this glorious list of accolades out:

NBA All-Star
FIBA World Cup MVP
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year
NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP
All-NBA Third Team
NBA Rookie of the Year
NBA All-Rookie First Team
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion
NBA All-Star Game MVP

That certainly has the makings of a guy on the cusp of taking the entire league over. They should just cancel next year's SLAM Magazine Summer BBQ 3 on 3 Tourny. We know who is taking MVP home after that one.

_________________
Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

With the sort of biases that you possess it's no wonder that you left out the most significant stat of all (4 really 5 all star appearances in 6 years) busted knee cap rehab prevented him from appearing in 2016. Nice rhetorical sleight of hand though, as usual. NBA all star merely implies once. This dude would have been a 5 time all star by the age of 25 with out the injury.

He s also one of only 11 guards to ever avg 25 points per game by the age of 25. Neither of those stats are things to sneeze at.

_________________

_________________
Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

While we keep focusing on player worth this should be noted too

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... aw&ampcf=1

I know the whole expiring contract thing will be referenced by the usual suspects but that shouldn't matter much since Cleveland is in "win now" mode.

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Now 5 out of 6 All Star appearances is somehow an easy feat. Message Board rationalizations never cease to amaze!

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it's disingenuous for anyone who has decried super teams (including myself) to dislike this move by Irving. He wants to be number 1...he doesn't want to be second to anyone. I can't dislike it.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

One of only four players offered straight up in a deal for another player before his 26th birthday.

Near three time NBA skills challenge MVP (would have won three if not for flu virus)

Only of only 1,764 players to make multiple All Star games before his 25th birthday

_________________
Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

Is it really surprising that you can never refute anything legitimately? It isn't to me. Everything that I stated was relevant. There aren't many guys that appeared in 4 all star games in their first 6 years. To state that he would have made a 5th if not for an injury which prevented him from starting the season on time isn't an excuse either. Even when the kid returned he was on a minutes restriction. It doesn't fit the narrative so we must attempt to be humorous. Have at it in out.

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You said All NBA teams and MVP votes would be the best way to see who was better between Wall and Butler. Apply that same criteria to Kyrie/Steph

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

You've got to factor in accomplishments prior to the age of 25. And then in between 24-26 if that doesn't work in Irving's favor. And then how the injury prevented even more popularity contest achievements, so the metric maybe should be players between the ages of 21-25 but only with sore knee caps. Kyrie is unique when you look at it like that.

_________________
Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

I'm applying Head to Head matchups because they play the same position. I love how people here thought it was crazy to have that conversation at first. How dare you piss at the alter of Curry. It's not so outlandish now is it. It's obvious to anyone paying attention that Curry is more a product of that system and team than anything. He has been in 3 finals and hasn't been close to being the best player on his own team in any of them. It wasn't even a question this year as to who the MVP of his team was. Not him and it will be that way going forward.

Irving at least wants to get out from under James's shadow and blaze his own trail. He may never win again but he's willing to take the risk. I commend him for it and unlike the gutless Curry with Durant, he never went begging for LeBron to come and play with him.

The Two MVPs are tough to top but if you are going to make a big deal out of those then why the Westbrook bashing all the time?

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He is only 25 years old now. It's not some window as it is his career up until this point. Maybe you were unaware of that however.

When you have trouble addressing relevant points then I guess deviation is the order off the day.

He has been in the league 6 years and has made 4 all star games. I'm sure you had no trouble saying that Curry was injured during the finals though.

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Westbrook only has one.

And the All NBA first team selections matter too. Not sure Kyrie will ever get even one selection.

Steph was the best player on the 2015 title team. Iggy winning finals MVP was like when Parker won it over Duncan in 2007

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

If he never achieves a first team all NBA selection then I really don't have a case. He might not ever get an MVP either. I appreciate that he is willing to branch out on his own though. He has a right to be concerned about his legacy too and if he believes that LeBron is in the way so be it

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He hasn't even cracked the second team All NBA team.

"Legacy" He's only on the national scene because LBJ dragged his ass to a title. If LBJ never returned to Cleveland Irving would have never tasted a winning season. Legacy my ass.

_________________
Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

Both of you guys are ridiculous on this topic. I can't decide if it's worse to act like Kyrie is better than Steph or to act like Kyrie is a no name bum

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul