The Celtics are on the precipice of a season-ending defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks and soon
travels plans will be made to whatever exotic destinations multi-million-dollar athletes travel.
The end will most likely occur this Wednesday night as the best sports betting sites found all in
one place at Sportsbook Review, are hanging the Bucks as 9 to 9 ½ point home favorites in
Game 5. However, if the Celtics wrangle a Game 6, they will return to the Garden and will be
ousted in front of their home crowd if things go as they did in their previous two in Boston.
Should, by some divine intervention, the Green get to a Game 7 then at least we can say they
were gritty, determined, and resilient even if they ultimately lose. If they win Game 7…well,
they won’t because they will be long gone before then.
And now we focus our attention on the Celtics’ most polarizing superstar in recent memory,
Kyrie “Flip the Switch” Irving. Apparently, the regular season meant more than he believed
because the postseason came and the switch that was supposed to be flipped, where the
Celtics would suddenly morph into the team that had everyone salivating before the season
began, never really materialized. Sure, they swept the Pacers, but Indiana was a shadow of
their former selves without Victor Oladipo and barely recognizable as a legitimate playoff entry.
And now all of that bravado has turned into bluster with the C’s getting spanked by a bona fide
championship contender.
Gun to your head, will Kyrie return to Boston and sign a multiyear pact? Remember, this pistol
is loaded, and your answer will either be your best or your last. Only the most optimistic fans
would say yes because Kyrie will be a Celtic no longer once he hits free agency this summer. He
came to Boston looking to be the alpha dog amongst a pack of talented pups. To say Kyrie was a
disappointment would be unfair because he was as good as advertised in his two years in
Boston if you look at his numbers.
But the thing is, his greatness didn’t seem to translate into making his teammates better. It
seemed to be all about Kyrie and less about the team. Maybe that’s the missing link and why
Kyrie is a much better Robin than a Batman. Imagine Scottie Pippen carrying a team without
Michael Jordan at his side? How about Kevin McHale without Larry Bird or Clyde “The Glide”
Drexler without the Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon? There are some players who thrive as the
main attraction and others whose greatness emerges basking in their glow. Irving is the latter
and without LeBron, it wasn’t that he wilted statistically but he just wasn’t as important as he
had been with King James in Cleveland.
We will soon know for sure where Kyrie will land but his destination will have much to do with
where other free agent superstars will join him or where he will join them. Maybe he winds up
on the Knicks with Kevin Durant or returns to his mentor in LA where he will once again be part
of the most dynamic duo in NBA history as a member of the Lakers. It’s become apparent that
the NBA hotbed that is Boston, is a bit too scrutinizing for his taste and a destination where he
is constantly feted, rather than questioned, would be more to his liking. Whether an athlete is a
member of the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots, or Bruins, he must know that this fanbase is rabid and
eager to embrace when the going is good but ready to revolt when times get tough. Well, the
going got tough here for Kyrie and it looks like the tough will get going…right out of Boston.
