Why LeBron James to the Boston Celtics makes too much sense
By Kane Pitman
Old friends together again
Wouldn’t this be a hell of a storyline heading into 2018-19?
While nobody outside of a select few truly know the reasoning behind the Cleveland divorce of Irving and James, we do know that it wasn’t the cleanest of breakups.
ESPN‘s Jackie MacMullan wrote a brilliant piece on the messy split, delivering some brilliant quotes from Irving on what exactly went down last summer. The real stinger in the piece was this damning recollection of an exchange between Irving and Cavs coach Tyronn Lue at practice.
"“Ky,” Lue said, “I want you to play a little faster.” “Why?” Irving asked. “Because if we play faster, we get shots off easier.” “I don’t need to play faster to get my shot off,” Irving replied. “I can do that anytime.” “I’m not talking about your shot. I’m talking about RJ and JR,” Lue said, citing teammates Richard Jefferson and Smith. “Well, that’s No. 23’s job,” Irving replied, referring to James."
That exchange hardly points to a bubbling friendship between the two elite talents does it?
There’s no doubt about the fact that bringing the two perennial All-Stars back together would raise some question marks, but let’s not forget the success these two had together.
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Please don’t be fooled into thinking it was a one-way street. If it wasn’t for Irving’s dodgy knee, then perhaps the Cavs win in 2015 and win two out of three championships against the Warriors.
Equally, if it wasn’t for Irving’s famed dagger 3 at Oracle Arena in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, then they are likely without a ring at all.
Maybe it wouldn’t be a happy marriage 100 percent of the time. Maybe they just needed a 12-month cooling off period. But there is one thing you can absolutely take to the bank: Pairing LeBron and Kyrie is a recipe for success. The proof is in the pudding.
Conversely, in an unfathomable twist of fate that only the complete lunacy of NBA free agency could draw up, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that LeBron and Irving exchange jerseys in the coming weeks.