Kyrie Irving's Text Message of Support Praised by Celtics After Game 2 Win
Injured Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving sent an encouraging group text message to his teammates before their 120-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
According to ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg, Celtics guard Shane Larkin discussed the text and how it helped a team that is largely short on playoff experience:
"[Irving] sent us a message before the game today, just telling us what to expect.ย We have a lot of guys in here that have never seen a playoff game. So he really gave some words of advice today and we all read it, made some comments back, and he just had an open conversation with us and he's definitely helping off the court now that he can't be out there with us fighting.
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"He's definitely still locked in with us every single game."
Irving is out for the remainder of the season because of knee surgery.
Although Irving is only 26, he already has 52 games of postseason experience. He reached the NBA Finals in each of the previous three seasons as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Former Atlanta Hawks big man Al Horford is Boston's most experienced player in terms of playoff experience, but even he appreciated Irving's text:
"Kyrie talked to us before the game, just kind of let us know what to expect, a lot of things to expect, and for us to stay locked in, and not worry about if we hit some adversity or whatever, just play through it. And I thought our guys just did that. [The Bucks] made a run and we stayed poised and moved on to the next thing.ย ...ย [Kyrie's message] means a lot. Part of the reason we're in this positionโand it's obviously tough for us not to have himโbut he's still trying to find a way to contribute. Nice to have him there."
Despite being without their best player, the second-seeded Celtics hold a 2-0 series advantage over the No. 7 Bucks.
Second-year guard Jaylen Brown finished with a game-high 30 points. Also, third-year guard Terry Rozier put up 23 points and eight assists in Game 2 as Kyrie's primary replacement.
The Celtics will head to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Friday.
