The Celtics just held on to defeat the Hawks on Monday, 110-107, but even though Kyrie Irving finished with 35 points on 14-of-22 shooting, and Al Horford nearly had a triple double; it was Irving’s flashy-yet-effective handles that diced Atlanta defenders left and right to steal the show.
Kyrie Irving has the best handles on flat Earth
The Hawks had a very tough time staying in front of the NBA’s best ball-handler.
Midway through the second quarter, Dennis Schroder and Dewayne Dedmon tried to trap Irving on a screen on the wing. In the words of the fisherman in the infamous 2014 State Farm commercial, “Oh you almost had it. You’ve gotta be quicker than that!”
Here’s another angle:
The next time around, Irving shifted Schroder into a screen he denied before pulling out his best streetball move: dribbling the ball between his legs from behind.
He then drilled a tough, high-arcing shot over rookie John Collins.
Watch one more time as Irving’s fake pass sends Schroder running back to Al Horford, freeing the All-Star guard up for a high-arcing shot over rookie John Collins:
Irving’s going to split the screen every time defenders try to trap. This time, he finds a wide-open Jayson Tatum in the corner.
It’s common knowledge Kyrie has arguably the best handles in the NBA. But it’s poetry in motion watching him put his talents to good use.
Good luck, Atlanta.
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